Finalist for the 2019 Good Food Awards! Homegrown ghost peppers. That's the not-so-secret secret to our best-selling bourbon barrel-aged pepper sauce, which originated with our family-friend Dave Lemieux, who had begun experimenting with barrel-aged pepper sauce as a hobby, giving bottles to family and friends, including Ed. The hot sauce was an immediate hit in the Van Winkle house, and with a little help from Dave and his family, who now grow small-batch ghost peppers full-time in West Central Georgia, it became one of our first Pappy + Company pantry staples. Blended with mild red peppers, the ghost pepper mash is aged in Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels, resulting in a rich, smoky, oaky heat that adds just the right kick to everything from breakfast sandwiches to collard greens.