Today on “Name That Fish” I’ll be reviewing the ugly Angler fish and…wait…that’s not right. Let me check my notes…oh yes, sorry. Today on “Passow Reviews A Sauce” I’ll be taking a look at my favorite honey based hot sauce company, Zane and Zack’s World Famous Honey Company. This time, Sam sent me his Four Brothers Hot Pepper Sauce and Sons of Sam: Sauce of the Rising Son.

Sons of Sam: Sauce of the Rising Son Ingredients: Select peppers including Habanero and Scotch Bonnet vinegar, honey, onion, salt.

This sauce is in honor of Sam’s latest creation, a bouncing baby boy (no really, they bounce when you drop them, they’re kind of like Silly Putty in that regard) named Maxx. Rising Son (the sauce, not Maxx) has a nice, dark orange color and the consistency is quite thin with some chunks of pepper and seeds floating within. First up is that signature taste of honey that I so love about Sam’s products. Up next is the vinegar which instantly clashes with the sweet honey flavor. After that the flavors of Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets come through with what I want to say is Serrano as well. After that, there is a slight hint of salt on the aftertaste.

Sam was quite proud of the heat on this when he was describing it to me over electronic mail and I must say it does have a nice bite. Whatever C. annums he threw in here hit on the center of the tongue and the Habs and Bonnets give it a fantastic back of the throat grab which persists for quite some time. While this sauce is very tasty, the thin consistency and vinegar bite are a bit of a distraction. Every time I put it on something it just leaked right back out all over my hands and plate. Let me tell you, sticky Hunan Hands are no fun.

Taste: 6, Heat: 7

Four Brothers Hot Pepper Sauce Ingredients: Vinegar, Habanero peppers, Chipotle, garlic, honey, onion, Hickory Smoked Sea Salt.

Once again, with the addition of Maxx to the family a new sauce must be created and Four Brothers Hot Sauce is it. Thick and dark in color with that consistency I so love. Once again, the honey comes in first followed by the smokey flavor of Chipotles. After that, the garlic comes in holding hands with the fruity Habaneros. I want to say I taste black peppercorns but they are not listed on the label. I don’t pick up on the onions nor the hickory smoked sea salt, but that flavor is probably combined with the Chipotles and that why I don’t taste it.

The heat here is perfect. It’s hot enough to get me to do the “air suck” but not hot enough to prevent me from eating spoonfuls of it out of the woozie. Mainly a center of the tongue burn but there are spots on the back of the throat that it hits as well. I truly enjoyed this sauce and the thing I used it most for was chicken quesadillas. So smokey and so good!

Taste: 9.5, Heat: 6.413