Walkerswood Hot Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce Ingredients: Water, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Vinegar, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Citric Acid, Scallions, Onions, Garlic Powder, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Thyme.

I hate to say it, but I am slightly disappointed in this sauce. Having tried some of Walkerswood’s other products, such as their Jamaican Jerk, this seems to be the runt of the litter. Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad sauce, it just has some flaws.

First off is the design. Like other Walkerswood products, the label incorporates Rastafarian colors and the Jamaican spitting fire gives one a preview of the heat to come. Boy does the heat come! This is a sneaky little sauce because you are tricked into mindlessly consuming it (due to the Scotch Bonnet Peppers) until its too late. The heat doesn’t get you right away, it slowly lingers in the background warming your mouth until it builds to an all out heat fest that will have you sucking air in a semi-worried attempt to cool the raging fire within. My buddy at work, Chase Shirey, ended up doing this and said, “That’s not for me. Way too much heat”. Needless to say, he went back for seconds.

One of the major points of this sauce is it’s use of Scotch Bonnets Peppers. Scotch Bonnets are well recognized as being one of the best tasting peppers out there and since it is of the C. Chinesnse family of peppers, it adds a great deal of heat to this sauce. It’s got a nice citric-ie/fruity flavor (more citric then fruity though) which makes it perfect for a cream cheese covered bagel in the morning or on top of rice in the evening.

When I first picked up this bottle 4 months ago I had a major problem with the pepper seeds that they included. They were hard as a rock. After 4 months of sitting in my fridge, the seeds are only slightly better. They have softened a little leaving the toughness slightly reminiscent of beef jerky. Believe me, when you are sitting down at breakfast eating your eggs with the sauce, the last thing you want is to be doing is gnawing on seeds.

I also have a problem with the use of Corn Starch. This ingredient is totally unnecessary in any hot sauce, especially this one. It gives it a slimy, thick feel that coats one’s tongue. If they were using this as a thickening ingredient, then I would suggest removing both the Corn Starch and the Water. With the water removed, the sauce will be just as thick as it was before. If they are using it as a sweetening agent, then my suggestion would be to use REAL, old fashioned sugar.

Overall, it’s not a complete bust. I have found a few dishes that this sauce goes perfect with. However, I won’t be running around promoting it like I do with Defcon’s sauces.

Taste: 6, Heat: Builds to a 8

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