McIlhenny Tabasco Scorpion Hot Sauce
Now...I am not really a fan of either the Tabasco pepper or the Scorpion pepper, but McIlhenny has meant a lot to chileheads and for many of us, this served as our (often inglorious) introduction into the hot sauce world, so it has more than earned its place. The label makes a really big deal out of how "hot" this sauce is and it is notably hotter than anything else McIlhenny has put out, including the previous hottest Habanero. This stands to reason, superhot and all, but this will pose zero challenge to chileheads, and clearly that warning is for people used to regular Tabasco or for whom Tabasco does read as actually hot.
Flavor here is interesting. This is essentially regular Tabasco spiked with Scorpions (did not specify whether Trinidad or Moruga). They mention guava and pineapple, but those are not really present in flavoring. Oddly, the usual sweetness of the Tabasco is largely absent as well. Instead, what we are left with is the very dominant floral notes of the Scorpions. Herein is where I think this sauce is of some utility. I have been saying for some time that Scorpions have a flowery aspect to them. This often confuses people, unless they are beer drinkers, and specifically, unless they are also familiar with (usually intensely overhopped) IPAs. This sauce does a great job of broadcasting that flowery part of the Scorpions without a lot of accompanying heat. So, if someone wants a good example of what that means in regards to this pepper, this sauce does this better than nearly anything else I can think of. That part overrides and completely takes over the sauce.
The sauce itself is quite refined and is smooth. It does come with a restrictor cap, but is much less watery than the regular Tabasco. I'd put it probably around where the Chipotle or Habanero variation falls. The less good part is that combining two tastes I find unfavorable does not make this a winner for me, nor does it leave me a lot of room for usage. This is really sort of a prestige thing, I suppose, in that McIlhenny/Tabasco is a huge name (this is also why there will be a video for this) and as a chilehead, I had to at least give it a shot. It's really hard to see where this will appeal, unless you're a chilehead who really likes those floral notes of the Scorpions.
Bottom line: As a sauce, this is not very good. As a demonstration of a specific component of the Scorpion pepper flavor, it succeeds much better. Mildly interesting, but unnecessary.
Breakdown:
Heat level: 3
Flavor: 2
Flexibility: 2
Enjoyment to dollar factor: 0
Overall: 2
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