Can Kentucky Aid England’s Bourbon Biscuit Crisis Like Dubai?
Should Kentucky be on alert because England is having a Bourbon Biscuit crisis? New reports show that England has gotten emergency relief for their Bourbon Biscuit debacle from Dubai, United Arab Emirates — but should this be Kentucky’s territory?
The story of the Bourbon Biscuit crisis began around December 3, 2015, when parts of England were engulfed in flooding due to Storm Desmond. Sadly, one of the victims in this crisis was the Bourbon Biscuit factory: Carlisle United.
Around February 23, supplies of Bourbon Biscuits were starting to be reported as short, and Express reported that the absence of these cookies was due to last until April… or longer.
Along with Bourbon Biscuits, other foods in shortage were “custard creams,… ginger nuts, as well as big brand names McVitie’s, Jacob’s, Carr’s [water crackers] and Crawford’s.”
However, is there any bourbon in these Bourbon Biscuits — and can Kentucky help? Unfortunately, unlike in Kentucky, Bourbon Biscuits in England do not contain any alcohol.
According to the BBC, the reason that they are called Bourbon Biscuits is the same reason that Kentucky alcohol is called bourbon — and it is because both the cookie and the liquor borrowed the name “Bourbon” from France.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that Kentucky is ineffective at helping out England with Bourbon Biscuits. The Bourbon Biscuits in England are still not being produced because they may require a certain type of baking oven — but it looks like Kentucky could provide many of the biscuits England needs during this devastating time.
For example, there is at least one company that produces cookies in Kentucky that have real bourbon in the icing called Kentucky Woods. There are also at least two cookie factories in Kentucky that produce snacks similar to Bourbon Biscuits.
In particular, Kellogg’s Snack Factory in Louisville, Kentucky makes America’s famous Girl Scout cookies once a year, according to USA Today.
Another option for British people hungry for Bourbon Biscuits is having them contracted to be made at Hearthside Foods in London (not England), Kentucky.
Thankfully for the British people, there has been some relief in the meantime, and at least some people in England have a temporary supply of Bourbon Biscuits — thanks to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
On March 11, The Week reported that some of the cookie brands made by Carlisle United were back on the shelves in England — but Bourbon Biscuits were not.
A spokesperson from Carlisle United said there were still repairs to be made before production was back to full speed at the cookie factory, but some emergency aid from Dubai was sent to England. In fact, they sent two airplanes full of Bourbon Biscuits around March 10.
This could be especially helpful for those suffering from the Bourbon Biscuit crisis because, according to a March 10 report from the Telegraph, it will still be “several months” before full production is restored at Carlisle United.
United Biscuits’ factory general manager, Mike Heaney, talked about the day-to-day of getting the Bourbon Biscuit factory back to normal production, but also emphasized their community in the following statement.
“Many of our employees have taken the time to support those most affected by the floods and keep spirits high, providing local rescue centres with supplies and carrying out local door-to-door biscuit drops. United Biscuits greatly appreciates the support that has been offered, and our thoughts remain with the thousands of people in Cumbria who have been impacted by the floods.”
Are you curious about the taste of Bourbon Biscuits? Stasty has a detailed description of the history of Bourbon Biscuits and also has a recipe for the chocolate sandwich cookie. Interestingly, A Taste of Kentucky has their own bourbon biscuit for sale — but it is bourbon sour mash bread mix and does not contain any chocolate or fondant.
[Picture by Michael N. Todaro/Stringer/Getty Images]
