Note: Support video available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8t9mxMFd2I
I almost never go to this chain, but if I see that a restaurant I happen to be in has a hot sauce offering, I generally at least look it over. This one was a tiny bottle, but it was also just a dollar, so I went for it, figuring that I can always use more entries into my overall favorite style of sauce.
This one is sort of a take on the old Tabasco bottles, that had the restrictor cap built into the glass itself in the mold, rather than a plastic addition. The sauce itself is pretty pedestrian, not sure who thought it was even slightly hellacious, let alone moderately, but advertising and all. The consistency, color, smell and taste is basically everything you would ever want in a Louisiana-style sauce, which I respect. With this style, there is no need (or point, really) in reinventing the wheel. If you're going to do it, it doesn't need transformation, just skilled execution and that is more or less what we have here.
There is precious little heat and flavor is about as middle of the road as you'd expect, with consistency being really a strong criteria for a mass market sauce. Have I had hotter sauces? Definitely, even in this style. Better-tasting, no question, but worse tasting as well and this one fits very solidly right in the middle.
Bottom line: This is a good one to have in your pocket, if your usual outlet for this style sauce is out...if nothing else, makes a great stopgap.
Breakdown:
Heat level: 2
Flavor: 7
Flexibility: 8
Enjoyment to dollar factor: 10
Overall: 7
