The two Vermont-based brands we carry build their sauces on produce grown within the state — often from farms specific enough to name on the label — and they leave out the gums, starches and fillers that most bottles lean on for body.
The result is a collection of hot sauces that tastes as fresh as the ingredients used.
The Vermont makers we carry
- Benito's Hot Sauce — Vermont-grown peppers from named farms, no gums or fillers of any kind
- Bloodroot Mountain — rustic, garlic/smoke-forward small batch
Benito's Hot Sauce
Morrisville, Vermont
What sets Benito's apart is how specific the sourcing gets. The ghost peppers in Old Coy Dog ($10.00) are Vermont grown at the UVM Catamount Farm in South Burlington — no extracts, and no xanthan gum, other gums, starches or filler ingredients of any kind.
Piri Piri ($8.00) is built on Vermont-grown birdseye peppers from Khelcom Farm and Vermont garlic scapes from 1000 Stone Farm, with lemon juice and sea salt and not much else.
That approach runs through the whole line. Joe's #1 Jalatillo ($8.00) is organic Vermont-grown jalapeños with fresh tomatillos, organic garlic and lime.
Local Tang ($8.00) blends fatali, paper lantern and habanero peppers with onions, garlic and locally grown Vermont carrots.
Two of their sauces look further afield for the peppers themselves. Chiltepin ($8.00) uses chiltepin peppers straight from Sinaloa for a bright, sour heat that is excellent on chicken tostadas.
White Hot ($8.00) is a garlic-and-ginger ghost pepper sauce that packs extreme heat — a favorite at county fairs and brewers' festivals, and an outstanding stir fry sauce.
If you want the gentlest entry point, Roasted Garlic ($8.00) is it.
Bloodroot Mountain
Montpelier, Vermont
Ajo Serrano ($7.00) is a rustic Vermont-made blend of smoked serrano chiles, garlic, onions, white vinegar and Maine sea salt — no gums, starches or fillers. It is a medium heat and, in our opinion, a one of our favorite sauces for burritos. If you like a smoky, roasted, Tex-Mex kind of flavor, this is the bottle. It is also sensational on egg sandwiches and in cast iron stir fries.
