This is it (finally). My 100th review of hot sauces and in it, we meet yet another first. The review preceding this was my first bacon hot sauce; this is my first Peppadew pepper hot sauce. Now Peppadew, as a pepper, is an astonishingly mild one, more sweet and tasty than anything else, so in a way, it's akin to trying to make hot sauce out of Bell or Cherry peppers, but this one relies on good ol' Cayenne and Habanero to add a dash of the heat to proceedings. That is not to say this is a firebreather; indeed, it is not, but there is enough there to give a charge and keep things interesting, yet comfortable all the while, meaning you can eat a goodly amount of this readily.What matters in a hot sauce? Flavor, above all else and this one is packed full of it. It's at once slightly sweet, yet with plenty of tang and a complexity of flavors that all adds up to the final result of utterly delicious. In fact, mentioning Cherry peppers, those pickled ones are one of my favorite things and the first whiff of this upon opening the bottle brings me right there. To say it hits all the notes right is an understatement. It definitely is one of the best-tasting sauces I've had.
It also does very well going with nearly anything you put it with. I say nearly only because I haven't tried it on a few things yet, but the fairly wide variety I have used it on (I've not stopped putting this on stuff since I opened the bottle) has responded well. A couple reviews back, I mentioned the Caribbean Hell-Fire did a nice job of flavoring and complementing the food, rather than being overpowering, yet great-tasting, such as the Pure Death I was comparing it to and this one is like that. Excellent, fantastic flavor, yet it serves as complimentary, embellishing the food rather than overriding it. All in all, a very unique, yet incredibly skillful and well-crafted and created sauce. Small wonder it took home a Scovie Award...
Bottom line: This is nearly everything you'd ever want in a sauce, though it could use a slight dash more heat. It is something I've been thoroughly enjoying again and while I don't have a ready place for it in the stable, I wouldn't hesitate to get another bottle. Yet another Sauce Of The Year contender.
Breakdown:
Heat level: 4
Flavor: 10
Flexibility: 10
Enjoyment to dollar factor: 10
Overall: 9
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