It began in 2018 when we decided to buy a little bigger house out in the country on a few acres, still in the county Brittany grew up in. The plan was to Homeschool our two kids, get some chickens, and grow a garden, maybe do some farmers markets.

And I planted way too many hot peppers. Especially since I was the only one who ate them. One of the many things we did with that crop was to try out fermenting hot sauce. I used unfiltered apple cider vinegar, one of my favorites, and it came out good. But it needed something. This is Kentucky. So I added bourbon. That was the spark.

I ordered bottles, printed some labels, and started kicking around names. The best one — Kentucky Rebel Scum — was already taken by a guy I followed on Twitter. I asked if I could use it. He said sure, not thinking much of it. He even let us use his picture.

By March 2023, we had 50 bottles, a website I built mostly while at my factory job, and no permits whatsoever. We launched KRS Original and somehow… it sold. All of it. In two and a half weeks. Next came Blackberry Skirmish. We kept making sauce in small batches and shipping it out. Next Game Hot Sorghum and Green River Ghost. Both were well received, with Hot Sorghum really catching traction as a truly unique product with a broader appeal then a hot sauce usually garners.

Then everything changed.

In late May 2024, someone tagged us and mentioned KRS sauce in a X/Twitter thread with Chef Andrew Gruel. Chef ordered five bottles. I packed them fast and sent extras. On May 31st, he made a post : “One of the best hot sauces I’ve ever had.” We sold out in minutes.

That forced the question: do we stop, or go legit? We had demand, but we were still totally unlicensed. I told Brittany she had veto power. She said no — we were going forward.

So we did. We kept bottling sauce at home while studying food safety regs and looking for a commercial kitchen. The closest shared type space was hours away. Then, in July, we got lucky — a guy I worked with was leasing his restaurant space to a local baker. He pitched the idea of sharing the space. It worked.

By October, we launched a GiveSendGo and raised $13,000 from supporters, most of whom had never even tasted the sauce yet. We bought equipment, ingredients, got lab testing done, and passed inspection in February 2025.

We’ve sold out every drop since. We’ve added more flavors. Even Tornado Chaser Reed Timmer posted a video topping his Dominator Spaghetti with KRS.

In March, our kitchen partner closed her bakery. We were able to buy some of her equipment and take over full-time. That unlocked new possibilities, including opening the shop to the public — something we’re working on now.