How is this for an unexpected hot drama arena this pitch season: the Kentucky bourbon family business. NBC has bought The Bourbon Kings, a drama project from Endemol Shine Studios. It is based on the best-selling novel The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward, which Endemol Shine had acquired in a bidding situation.

Empire co-executive producer David Rambo will write the adaptation, a scorching family saga centered on the Bradfords, an aristocratic Kentucky family who made their fortune in the bourbon industry. Entertainment 360’s Daniel Rappaport, Ben Forkner and Marcus Blakely executive produce.

The Bourbon Kings joins Fox’s untitled Kentucky Bourbon drama project, about the self-made patriarch of a Kentucky bourbon empire and his family.

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Originally from Ne w England, Ward, whose books have sold more than 15 million copies, now lives in Kentucky. “The Bourbon Kings is my love letter to my adopted home state, and a cautionary tale of big money, traditional values, and hidden sins,” she said. Ward is repped by APA and The Axelrod Agency.

Rambo, who also served as co-executive producer on NBC’s Revolution, is repped by Rothman Brecher.