Bluegrass Soy Sauce - Small Batch Bourbon Ponzu

Bluegrass Soy Sauce is handcrafted in Louisville, Kentucky using the local ingredients of the Bluegrass state. We combine solar-evaporated sea salt with Kentucky grown soft red winter wheat and non-GMO soybeans from Marion County. The climate of this part of the state is essential because the humidity makes for higher water content in the wheat and soy.

With the combination of non-GMO soybeans, wheat, and yeast (this is called a koji), we add limestone-filtered spring water brought in from Bardstown, Kentucky. Limestone-filtered spring water is the same water used to make Kentucky bourbon. The high mineral content of the limestone-filtered water adheres well to the yeast, ideal for fermenting the mash/koji.

By law, bourbon barrels can only be used once to age bourbon. By using the barrels as an aging vessel, the soy sauce becomes infused with the essence of Kentucky's finest bourbon and the rich oaky flavors from the charred barrels. Each barrel of Bluegrass Soy Sauce ages for one year inside the barrels until it's pressed and the final product is bottled. Bourbon Smoked Soy Sauce Ingredients: water, non-GMO soybeans, wheat, salt, yeast. Umami - translated from Japanese "The 5th Flavor Sense" literally means "Deliciousness" "Yummy."

We take our barrel-finished Bluegrass Soy Sauce and combine it with all-natural fresh lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, and a hint of Kentucky bourbon. It all adds up to a tart, refreshing ponzu that perfectly balances sweet and salty. This vibrant sauce is perfect for dipping dumplings and sushi, making salad dressings, seasoning vegetables, or marinating fish, pork, poultry, and beef.

Traditional ponzu uses yuzu, an East Asian fruit that doesn’t really grow here. We use lemon juice to get that bright, citrus flavor. It started while hand-peeling hundreds of lemons for another product. Hating waste and loving efficiency, Matt decided to use the lemon juice to make ponzu.

Traditional ponzu sauces use sake. As much as we can, we try to tie everything back to our Kentucky roots. So instead, we use 100-proof Old Forester to give our Small Batch Bourbon Ponzu just a hint of fine bourbon.