Isn’t it wonderful when the delicious aroma of fried chicken wafts through your home? Fires up those hunger pangs? Leads you by the nose right to the kitchen, where you expect to sit down to a sizzling snack? But what if there was none?

With the new range of KFC-scented candles from Kentucky for Kentucky, you can experience a delectable aroma without the chicken, without the calories. The candles are meant to celebrate the fact that Kentucky is the first state to have ever fried chicken.

The Kentucky by Kentucky website proudly declares: “Our mission is to engage and inform the world by promoting Kentucky people, places and products.” The candles are a latest addition to this mission, available in three scents – Fried Chicken Actual, Ale 8 (Kentucky’s official soft drink) and Derby Actual (inspired by the famous Kentucky Derby).

The candles are the brainchild of Kathy Werking, one of the best candle-makers of the Bluegrass State. She was hired to produce a line of scents that perfectly define the ‘Kentucky Experience’. Working at Kentucky Green Studio, Kathy concocted the perfect blend of “heavenly aromas that will easily sweep you away to an Old Kentucky home away from home,” as the website puts it.

To make the fried chicken candles, Kathy actually fried real chicken in her cast iron skillet, using all-natural soy wax instead of fat. A special blend of eleven herbs and spices (an old family secret) nicely sealed in all the aromas into the wax. “Let the fresh, fried sizzle of savory golden goodness drift into your hearts and homes with one of our most delectable creations to date,” says the website.

The Ale 8 candles are also made with a secret recipe, containing grapefruit and lime essential oils. They will “energize your room with the essence of ginger and a fresh citrus twist.”

If you are a horse racing fan, you don’t have to wait until May to experience the essence of the Kentucky Derby. The Derby Actual candles are fashioned after the official drink of the Derby – Mint Julep. These candles emit a “subtle vanilla-bourbon and mint aroma that will warm you the way only a Kentucky mint julep could.”

Incidentally, these quirky candles aren’t the first scents to be gastronomically inspired. We talked about Bacon Cologne a couple of years ago, made of eleven pure essential oils and an ever-so-slight hint of bacon.

The ‘Scents of the Commonwealth’ candles are limited edition; 25 of each went up for sale on the website on Nov 22nd. You’d be surprised to know that they were sold out within just one minute. If you want some for yourself, do not despair, there are more on the way. They’re going to start pre-selling 100 candles in each scent on Nov 26th.

Kentucky for Kentucky is a business that promotes small-batch products from the state. “Your home can now smell like fried chicken all the time, without having to actually fry chicken,” says co-founder Whit Hiler. I still haven’t decided if this is a good thing or not.

Source & Photos: Kentucky for Kentucky