Arby's Is Launching a Bourbon That Is Smoked Like Its Meats

Arby's is making its second foray into booze with a smoked bourbon.

arby's bourbon smoked
Courtesy of Arby's
Courtesy of Arby's

"We have the meats" has become one of the best-known slogans in fast food. "We have the booze" is slowly becoming apt for Arby’s, as well. Somehow, the rost beef-slinging sitcom punchline (some strongly disagree with that status) issued a successful curly fries-infused vodka last year. It is not done, though.

The chain has announced the release of Arby’s Smoked Bourbon. The chain collaborated with Brain Brew, a distillery in Ohio, to craft a bourbon that is given the same treatment as Arby’s Smoked Brisket sandwich and Country-Style Rib sandwich from Sadler’s Smokehouse in Texas.

Like the meat in those two sandwiches, the bourbon is smoked with hickory, mesquite, and pecan wood. It is the latter of those that was new to Brain Brew, CEO and co-founder Doug Hall tells Thrillist. "We said, 'Holy shit. We've been idiots all this time,'" he says. "The pecan wood stitches together the hickory and mesquite... it's just effin' amazing."

Hall's excitement was plain just days before the whiskey was slated for release. "There's no other fast food company we could do this with," he says. One thing that mattered to him and his team was that Arby's "challenged" his team to make something that wasn't just a stunt bourbon. "They give a crap about it," he says. "The finish on this is the finish of a stupidly expensive whiskey."

The bourbon will be sold at ArbysSmokedBourbon.com in a limited-edition drop. That will be available starting October 19 at noon. It costs $60 unless you want to pick up the limited edition cocktail smoker in the shape of the chain’s famous brown hat. The smoker is an extra $50. You’ll probably want to move quickly because the chain says its vodka release sold out in less than two minutes.

Unfortunately, that limited availability will be for people at least 21 or older in California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington, DC. It won't be easy to get your hands on. Fortunately, Hall alluded to the possibility that it may return sometime in the future. Maybe it'll make like Mexican Pizza and make a glorious return before too long.