Hey, y’all. Aaron here. 👋
Since I’ve been writing this newsletter, you’ve probably learned a few things about me by now — I love basketball, the Red River Gorge, and hanging with my family.
But did you know I have a massive sweet tooth?
Since it’s Halloween week, I figured it was time to sample some of Lexington’s top-selling, locally-made candies.
But I couldn’t go on this journey alone. So I brought my 7-year-old son along to sample, review, and rank candies made in the Bluegrass.
After all, who is a better candy expert than a 7-year-old? | Photo by LEXtoday
The review
Here’s what we tried, ranking each candy from one to five:
- Chocolate-covered potato chips | Old Kentucky Chocolates
| Salty, sweet + unconventional
- Aaron’s score: 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫
- Kid’s score: 🍫
- Milk Derby Mint | Old Kentucky Chocolates
| For fans of mint juleps + mint chip ice cream
- Aaron’s score: 🍫
- Kid’s score: 🍫🍫🍫🍫
- Chocolate-covered caramels | Sharp’s Candies of Kentucky
, 2021 Regency Dr. | MilkyWay’s ain’t got nothing on this
- Aaron’s score: 🍫🍫🍫🍫
- Kid’s score: 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫
- Saddle snacks | Sharp’s Candies of Kentucky
, 2021 Regency Dr. | Similar to Snickers, but extra nutty — made with pecans
- Aaron’s score: 🍫🍫🍫
- Kid’s score: 🍫🍫🍫
- Bourbon balls | Ruth Hunt Candies
, 213 Walton Ave. | Tourists love them — locals are indifferent
- Aaron’s score: 🍫🍫🍫
- Kid’s score: 🍫🍫
- Blue Monday | Ruth Hunt Candies
, 213 Walton Ave. | A candy that’s been made in Kentucky for almost 100 years — dark chocolate coating with a candy-cream center
- Aaron’s score: 🍫🍫
- Kid’s score: 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫
The verdict
- Winners:
- Chocolate-covered caramels | This was the candy that received the highest combined score. This one is a sure-fire bet to satiate any sweet tooth.
- Chocolate-covered potato chips | I gave this a perfect 5/5 due to its unique salty + sweet qualities. I thought this would be a good choice for a party — talk about a conversation starter. My son, however — was not impressed.