Tonguespank Rye Whisky Reaper Hot Sauce Review

Tonguespank Rye Whisky Reaper

Note: Support video available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKNWMMPg2Zw

I must admit to a certain amount of anticipation for this one (and then it took me, predictably, a while to actually get to), as all of the sauces I've had from them have been pretty good, with the first being in contention for SOTY. While this one isn't quite going to make it there (although it would in most other years), it definitely lived up to my hopes. We'll get into that shortly, but I do have some curiousity about the label, given that the first 3 ingredients are listed as peppers, yet this is a fairly runny sauce and rather smooth, with little pulp, which would seem to preclude that a bit. Possibly they're using mash instead of peppers, which would make a bit more sense. 

The first of those peppers is the mighty Reaper, but it's more the Scorpion that overshadows it a bit. Despite this having two of the Guinness record holders for heat, this is not a supercharged heat machine. You wind up actually getting more of the flavor from those peppers than the scorching heat. Indeed, the fire comes on somewhat slowly, with the Reapers and Habaneros making a nice smoldering build. As such, this one is probably better reserved for chileheads. Reaper do pair nicely with molasses, as noted in the Uncle Keith's Code Red review (elsewhere here) and this sauce is somewhat reminiscent of that. The Rye shows up mostly as grace notes. This company does an absolute ace job at handling hard liquor in their sauces. I never feel like I'm taking a slug from the bottle of hooch with any of these, yet the flavor notes imparted definitely contribute to the overall flavor profile well. It is an extremely skillful job of making sauces, to be sure.

I'm kicking myself a little (maybe more than a little), as I wish I would have gotten to this prior to running out of propane to end my grill season this year, but I suppose I can just get another bottle next year for further testing. It seems really unlikely this one is going to make it as it is a quite delicious sauce. It's also rather flexible, going from ease to pizzas to chicken strips to breakfast foods, like scrambled eggs. It's a fun sauce in that it can definitely pack a bit of a wallop over time, yet is so flavorful, it's hard not to use a lot of it. 

Bottom line: Another great entry from Tonguespank, with a strong emphasis on flavor, the way sauces should be.

Breakdown:

            Heat level: 4
            Flavor: 8
            Flexibility: 8
            Enjoyment to dollar factor: 10

Overall: 8