Bardstown, Ky. (June 11, 2021) - - - The Kentucky Bourbon Festival will host the Bourbon Capital BBQ Challenge & Distillery Invitational in June 2022, growing the festival beyond its traditional three-day event. Event officials with the festival and with the Kansas City Barbeque Society announced the new event today in Bardstown, Ky., at the city’s annual National Bourbon Day Event. For more information, visit kybourbonfestival.com.

“The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is excited to host the new Bourbon Capital BBQ Challenge & Distillery Invitational with the Kansas City Barbeque Society,” said Randy Prasse, president and COO of the festival. “We’re looking forward to being able to welcome even more visitors to Bardstown with this event — and better accommodate the Bardstown and Nelson County residents. Besides, who doesn’t love a good BBQ and what pairs better with your favorite bourbon than BBQ?  There are some great pitmasters in our area and across the U.S., and we’re looking forward to seeing their competitive ‘spirit’ at this competition.”

Prasse said distilleries will also be invited to send their best to compete in a special division, too. “The seed that inspired this event traces back to one Jim Beam hosted years ago — true to the industry, it was an invitational that created a fun yet competitive environment,” Prasse said. “It truly showcased the collaborative spirit of the Kentucky distilling community, and we hope to revive that while also inviting some of the best BBQ cookers from across the U.S. to convene in Bardstown, the Bourbon Capital of the World.”

The Bourbon Capital BBQ Challenge & Distillery Invitational is an officially sanctioned event of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbeque. KCBS is the world's largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts with over 20,000 members worldwide and sanctions over 500 barbeque contests worldwide.

“On behalf of all of us from the Kansas City Barbeque Society, we raise our glass to the new-for-2022, Bourbon Capital BBQ Challenge event in Bardstown,” said Emily Detwiler, Kansas City Barbeque Society CEO. “Barbeque and bourbon naturally go together and share a spirit of camaraderie, cuisine and culture. Many of our Kansas City Barbeque Society pitmasters and Certified Barbeque Judges are bourbon fans, so it is a natural connection to host a KCBS-sanctioned competition in the Bourbon Capital of the World. Competition pitmasters share a deeply chivalrous competitive spirit; one in which they help and cheer for their competitors’ success. So, too, it is among the various distillers along the Bourbon Trail.”

Additional details about the event, including how to participate, will be announced at a later date.

About the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (Bardstown, Ky.):

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is a celebration of Kentucky Bourbon and the Bourbon Capital of the World, Bardstown, Kentucky. What began as a Bourbon tasting dinner has grown into a truly authentic experience that brings together bourbon enthusiasts from all over the world. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is one of the Commonwealth’s leading cultural festivals. For more information, visit kybourbonfestival.com.