Blues BBQ, Inc.

Let me start this review with an apology to Jonathan Smillie, the hobbiest behind this sauce. Jonathan sent me this sample from Jefferson, Indiana, as well as another called "Red Alert" back in April. Here it is July and I'm just now trying this sauce. My bad and my apologies to Jonathan. I will review "Red Alert" soon.

Flying Scotsman Habanero Hot Sauce is not commercially available at this time. It is still in the hobby stage at this time so I do not have preservative or nutritional information. The label is also done "out of the house" The name of this sauce comes from the fact that the manufacturer just happens to be Scottish. Our good friend Jim Campbell just happens to supply the peppers for this product.

Ingredients: Red Caribbean and Orange Habanero Peppers. Red Fatalii Chiles, carrots, onion, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, salt.

I really like the ingredient list especially the orange juice. The orange juice and the lime juice really bring out the nuttiness and fruitiness of the Habanero's but in no way over power their flavor.

Aroma: Pure Habanero and garlic. Garlic is listed as a minority on the ingredient list but is very dominating. I'm not saying this is bad. In fact, the aroma of this sauce is great. There was no hint of vinegar smell.

Texture and appearance: Thick, chunky and good. Almost like a salsa. Sticks to food just right. Orange pepper flesh and seeds are clearly visible.

I made a taco dip to help me get thru the Brick yard NASCAR race and Flying Scotsman Hot Sauce worked wonders. I left all heat out of the dip and this sauce kicked it up just right.

Heat level: I can't take blistering heat like some folks can, so this sauce was plenty hot for me. On a scale of 10, I'd give it about a 7. Heat with flavor. This manufacturer gets it.

Taste and overall thoughts: I really like this sauce. What I taste is pure habanero pepper with a hint of spice, almost resembling a pumpkin spice. (think Cackalacky) This spiciness has to come from the orange juice and garlic. The thickness is also a treat. There must be a ton of solids in this product to produce such thickness. xanthan gum is not listed in the ingredients, so I can assume lots of peppers and vegetables make this sauce thick. The bottle sat on my hot sauce bar for months and the liquids never separated like most hot sauces do. Overall, Flying Scotsman Habanero Hot Sauce is good enough to make it in the extremely competitive hot sauce world. Just keep in mind that if you want to make a million, you better start with 2 million. Good job!

You may inquire about this sauce at: flyingsauces@gmail.com