My Tabasco Hot Sauce Collection

[shadeone]

Figured Id give you guys a peek at my collection of Tabasco bottles! Description after the picture. Enjoy!

Starting in the front we have some trinkets including an 1930s advertising thimble, a 1968 anniversary medallion and 4 stamped pennies from the factory in Louisana. Behind that is a red stick that is the shade of red the peppers should be when they are picked. These are carried by the field workers to make sure each pepper they pick is as ripe as it should be. Behind that is the row of 1/8 miniatures including a box from the 1950s, 1980s and current. Then come the military MRE minis including the first variant produced in 1987. Next to them are the variants of the standard red sauce, green and two newer flavors... More on the minis in a minute... Behind that is a row with two empty hand-blown bottles, one from the 1880s and one from the 1900s, followed by a progression of the 2oz standard bottle from the 50s through today. One is a 135th anniversary bottle. Next row back is a 3oz painted label (ACL) bottle that was made specifically for the Korean War to stand up to the roughness of a battlefield and still show the logo. Nextis the 1993 commemorative replica bottle (replica of the late 1800s bottles), 2008 reserve, 2011 reserve, "big easy" limited, UK Queen's Jubilee limited and the UK Queens Royal Seal approved bottle. The row behind that against the wall is the current flavor lineup and also includes the rarer raspberry chipotle, soy, worcestershire and teriyaki sauces. The minis:

From left to right there is the first variant of the Army MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) bottle, created in 1987, next to that is the next MRE variant in a normal looking bottle with the New Iberia location. They switched the label to read "Avery Island" in 1991 so the next two variants are Avery Island labelled ones, just different fonts and colors. Next is the 4 variants of the red paper label, the first being the New Iberia location. These go back as far as 1950, the next three just variations with different things added as the years went on like content and a little "K" for "kosher". The next bottle has the White House Presidential seal on it and is only available at the White House and aboard Air Force One. Next to that is a Chipotle Mexican Grill promo bottle (becuase I love them so much). Next come the green bottles. The first one is an MRE bottle, the second one is a civilian standard one. The third has a short label and the 4th is a paper label. The last two are some new flavors, chipotle and buffalo.

 

[2find4me]

Got one from 1868? []

 

[cowseatmaize]

Wow, I had no idea they made commemorative and other things. MRE's really? I suppose anything to change the taste of some of those was appreciated.How do you come by them? Are the mail order or were they sold with a regular types in stores.

 

[coreya]

Great collection, here is an early competitor of tabasco's called the "New Iberia Extract of Tabasco" which according to the tabasco historian was in existence between 1900 to about 1920 when tabasco bought them out.

 

[shadeone]

The mini MRE ones were brought about in 1987 after troops began requesting them.
In Vietnam, Tabasco sent 2oz bottles in mailing tubes to troops with a booklet called the "charlie ration cookbook" featuring various recipes and ways to cook up the contents of the c-rations using tabasco sauce. With the change to the packaged MREs, the mini glass bottles started being added to 2/3rds of all the MRE meals and there was a different cookbook you could get called "The unofficial MRE recipe booklet: How to have fun eatin' on the run".

The reserves and commemoratives were found through some serious ebay stalking over a LONG period of time and through other Tabasco collectors. The reserves, when new, were only available at the Tabasco Country Store (the gift shop on Avery Island where Tabasco is made) or else limited time mail order.