Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.
Put popcorn in large greased baking pan and set aside.
Measure out the baking soda, vanilla, bourbon and the black pepper essential oil and set aside to have ready to add quickly.
Melt the butter in a heavy medium sauce pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately add in the bourbon, essential oil, vanilla and baking soda. Stir a few times and then stir in the chopped bacon.
Immediately after, pour over the popcorn and toss to coat evenly. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Take out the oven and place on parchment paper, let cool and break into pieces if so desired. Dig in!