We recently had a chance to sit down with Robbie Williams, who is with Seattle based J.Wilbur 1931 BBQ Collection, and is the creator of J. Wilbur Bloody Mary Flavoring, a complement to the line of delicious BBQ sauces that have been percolating the Northwest market since 2005.

A month after its release, his creation is doing very well and is already in 40 area restaurants. The success? We think Robb is being modest when he says its just that he “knows a lot of people”. Robb has been in the industry for 15 years here in Seattle, and actually moved out here from Minneapolis with college buddy Andrew Holes to work in a BBQ restaurant back in 1995. The restaurant was owned by Andrew’s family, and while the restaurant isn’t there anymore, the recipe for the BBQ sauce was passed down to Andrew by his father and is the secret of J.Wilbur’s success.

Andrew started bottling his BBQ sauce in 2005. He and Robb would rent a test kitchen and stay up all night bottling and labeling until the wee hours of the morning. At the time Robb was just doing it for fun, and it was the extent of his involvement until a couple years ago when he came up with an idea: Vodka + tomato juice + kick ass BBQ sauce could = a delicious Bloody Mary. He says there is “only a smidge” of the BBQ sauce in the mix (among a total of 14 other ingredients), but it has that unmistakable flavor to it that BBQ fans willl love. Robb has a stellar reputation within the Seattle bar scene, so it hasn’t been hard to get his foot in the door, but the mix really sells itself. He smiles when we gush about our “experts” reaction to it, saying that it took a year of experimentation and taste trials to get it just the way he wanted it, but he’s very happy with the results.

The boys don’t bottle it anymore; with two of the partners being new parents and Robb busy expanding the business none of them would ever sleep. They also have fancy new digs in Georgetown and are now housed in the old Manny’s building (which also housed Rainier for a time). Robb thinks the building itself has good energy and if it was the launching point for two successful businesses, it might just bring some luck. Honestly guys, we don’t think you are going to need it, but our fingers are crossed for you nonetheless!

J.Wilbur is already available online, but retail locations should have it soon so you can slap it on your list for Q.F.C. instead of making a special trip. Their next conquest? Homeland Minnesota, where Robb says “they don’t have anything like it… yet.” And after that? The world.

What our Panel of “Experts” said:

Alright, so how does it taste, you ask? We tried it, so we will tell you. With four friends in attendance, we sampled J. Wilbur’s next to Northwest bar staple (and current market topper) Dimitri’s. We mixed the drinks according to the directions on the back of the bottle, to ensure no creative input on our end, and tried them the way they should be tasted: blind.

Friend #1: (also called the BF) He preferred Dimitris. Why? He said “I love bloody’s and I like’em spicy. The Dimitri’s has bite to it, and it’s more lemony.” He admitted that is had more of a typical bloody mary taste to it, and thought that J.Wilburs was a little too soft for him, but he thinks it would be delicious on a steak. (In case you are wondering, Robb confirmed he did that very thing last weekend with stellar results.)

Friend #2:. She liked the J. Wilbur better, and with distinction, she told us “because it’s more complex, with a long finish… it stays with you. The Dimitri’s is all top note, much more brash than this one.” She admitted that yes, Wilbur’s was sweeter, but “not cloyingly so”. A refined answer from a seasoned bloody mary expert. No pun intended.

Friend #3, (also referred to as Unnamed Local Bar Owner) preferred the J.Wilbur as well. Why? “I’ve always thought that Dimitri’s was a little off balance. This one solves that problem. It’s more well rounded.” He is very proud of the concoction that he serves at his bars, and isn’t afraid to tell us about it, but he concedes that if he was not himself and needed a mix, he would choose the J. Wilbur over Dimitri’s.

We gave it a try too. We admit that we are no expert when it comes to bloody marys because well, we’ve never been a fan. However, we preferred the J. Wilbur, for the trifecta.

3 out of 4 prefer J. Wilbur. Enough said.

Want it now? You can buy  J. Wilbur Bloody Mary Flavoring on the website: www.jwilburfoods.com ot at Double DD Meats, located in Mountlake Terrace, WA: www.doubleddmeats.com. Keep an eye on your local supermarket shelves…

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