Joining the ranks of the celebrity (and possibly vanity) hot sauce lines comes this beauty from Dexter Holland, who you may know as the lead singer (and probable leader) of The Offspring. That aside (and it's a big aside for me), what we have here is an intriguing blend of different peppers, including one, a Japanese red chili, that I don't often come by.The result is a sauce that looks, pours and even tastes a bit like a highly stepped-on Cholula, which is not a bad thing, in my view. Cholula is definitely not a bad sauce and I've definitely eaten my share, in fact, probably overeaten it, to the point where it's not anything I'll reach for, unless there's nothing else at hand and I'm in dire need. I definitely have long thought it could use a boost in the heat department and that's where this comes in.
While not a clone, in any way, this is most similar to that style of sauce. It's no scorcher, but does pack enough of a charge to be noticed. The taste of Habaneros is also a welcome addition, though it seems to rely more on Jalapeno and the Japanese red chilis, though I also noticed what I'm pretty sure is Arbol in there as well. This is very clearly intended at the Mexican-style table sauce market and given that it's joined a couple national chains (Wal-Mart and Whole Foods, specifically), I have little doubt that it will do very well, as I can't think of any other sauce in that category I'd rather have, with the possible exception of some Born To Hula entries.
Bottom line: This is a very well-done, well-rounded sauce that is very clearly aimed squarely at the Mexican-style category. While it isn't making me do backflips, it has been enjoyable and definitely done a nice job of adding to everything I've tried on. For that kind of flexibility, even with somewhat moderate heat (though again, over nearly everything else in that category) and below $2/bottle, it's hard to go wrong here.
Breakdown:
Heat level: 4
Flavor: 8
Flexibility: 8
Enjoyment to dollar factor: 7
Overall: 7
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