My interest in extremely [tag]hot sauces[/tag] began when I was introduced to Dave’s Insanity Sauce in 1995. I tried it and it blew me away with its heat. I used to get friends and coworkers to try it (after strongly warning them of the heat level expected of course). I would then thoroughly enjoy myself when they would consume more than they could handle. I also did this with some Blair’s 4AM. Some people can’t resist a challenge. I first started collecting by saving empty hot sauce bottles sometime in 1996. In 1997 my real hot sauce collection began when I concluded that saving full unopened bottles of hot sauce would be cooler than empty bottles.
I started traveling a lot in 97 with my business. Everywhere I would go, St. Louis, Baltimore, DC, Phoenix, Hawaii, USVI, I would get some sauce. My friends and relatives thought that it was pretty cool that I was collecting hot sauce. None of them had ever heard of anyone collecting hot sauce. They soon began to support my hot sauce habit by giving me hot sauce on different occasions like Christmas, Birthday, Valentines Day or just whenever they came across some.
I quickly realized that there are thousands of brands of hot sauces available. I decided that to make my collection more interesting and valuable I would have to put some limits on it. I chose to collect limited editions, extremely hot sauces and spices, uniquely packaged sauces and sauces that were produced in locations that I traveled to.
My collection now stands in excess of 300 bottles of hot sauces, salsas, condiments, and spices. It started with one bottle of Dave’s Insanity Sauce. I eat hot sauce and spice as well. This has caused some reduction in the number of my collection. I’m supposed to replace the ones that I eat but I haven’t managed to get to them all yet. My wife has caught the fever and began to collect mini bottles of sauce.
My first Blair product was a bottle of Possible Side Effects that I picked up in St. Louis. It was one of the very first bottles in my collection. I have my most prized items displayed in a 5 layer curio cabinet. The layers are named according to the theme of sauces displayed. The top level is the Insane Asylum. It consists of mostly Dave’s and Original Juan products. The second level is the Extreme Heat section. It contains some of the hottest sauces not made by Dave, Original Juan or Blair. The fourth level is the EJ’s Travels section. It consists of sauces picked up in my travels. The fifth and bottom level is where I keep my uniquely packaged sauces and some limited edition sauces. Last but certainly not least is the third and center level known as Death Row. This is where I display all my Blair’s sauces. This section also contains my most prized bottle, the Blair’s 4 A.M. Private Reserve Number 1 bottle. My other prized bottles include the #1 Blair’s 6 A.M. reserve, #3 5A.M, a 93 and a 94 vintage Blair’s After Death both signed by Blair and the vintage 93 Original Death #10. Death Row is expanding.
Erric’s Collection of Numbered Blair’s Items:
- Blair’s Sexabi Sauce Medium – # 1
- Blair’s Sexabi Sauce Mild – # 1
- Blair’s Sexabi XXX Sauce – # 1
- Blair’s 4 A.M. Private Reserve, Pepper Extract (with skull) – # 1 / 999
- Blair’s 6 A.M. Private Reserve, Pepper Extract (with skull) – # 1 / 999
- Blair’s Holiday Reserve 2005 – # 10 / 99
- Blair’s 16 million Private Reserve, Pepper Extract (with skull) – # 11 / 999
- Blair’s Halloween Reserve 2005 – # 121 / 299
- Blair’s 3 A.M. Private Reserve, Pepper Extract (with skull) – # 1237
- Blair’s Caldera Private Reserve, Pepper Extract (with skull) – # 169 / 499
- Blair’s 5 A.M. Private Reserve, Pepper Extract (with skull) – # 3 / 999
- Blair’s Holiday Reserve 2004 – # 49 / 299
- Blair’s Halloween Reserve 2004 – # 50 / 99
- Blair’s Mega Death Extreme Hot Sauce Pre-release (with skull) – # 71 / 73
- Blair’s 2 A.M. Private Reserve, Pepper Extract (with skull) – # 8219
- Blair’s Original Death Hot Sauce 1993 – #10/22
- Blair’s N-59 Reserve – #43 / 59
Do you have a hot sauce collection (or single item) that you’d like to show off? Send it in! Hot sauce collection submissions can be sent to nick ‘@’ hotsauceblog.com – you can also check out the previous submissions in our Hot Sauce Collectors Corner.
40 responses to “ErricJ’s Hot Sauce Collection”
WOW Erric. Very nice!
Nice !….if I recall ErricJ is a cutting room floor winner ?
WoW!! Drool…Drool!!! Great Collection Erric..
Very nice. And a Cowboys fan to boot:) My kind of guy!
Nice collection Erric!!
Blair’s Sexabi Sauce Medium – # 1
Blair’s Sexabi Sauce Mild – # 1
Blair’s Sexabi XXX Sauce – # 1
Cool I want some-just signed will do me though
wonderful collection Erric, the best I’ve ever seen.
Superb stuff Erric, lovin those #1’s!!!
Looks great Erric! I would love to hear about how you got hold of all those Number one’s. You must have some nice connections! 🙂
[Comment ID #25607 Quote]
His nice connection is Blair 😛 as he is with the majority of us.
Nice collection!!!!
What does it say on the side of the #1 4am? I’ve never seen Blair sign a bottle twice
first ????????? Blair
[Comment ID #25631 Quote]
I was wondering that myself. Just wanted to know what that ??????? word was. That is one EXPENSIVE bottle. 🙂
[Comment ID #25639 Quote]
well we can rule out ”feel alive” as it doesnt look like that…..starts with a B…hmmmm its a tricky one
is that a small crack in the #1 4am gold wax above the skull (on left pic)?……I’ve heard they happen often – does anyone know why? – is it due to changing temps etc with the oil expanding/contracting etc?
My 4am has a BIG ole crack in it now. 🙁
[Comment ID #25631 Quote]
First bottle Blair
oops didnt read em all first 🙂
[Comment ID #25630 Quote]
First Bottle
Very nice collection! I am getting started with mine but I dont think I will have that many #1’s ever! Most awesome man!
[Comment ID #25644 Quote]
Thanks for the comments folks. That’s the way the #1 4AM looked before I had it reconditioned from Blair recently. The crack expanded it began to leak profusely. I will send a picture of the new look #1 4AM soon.
Man, what a collection. I’d love to know what #1 4AM and #1 6AM are worth. Has to be several thousand each, wouldn’t you think?
[Comment ID #25660 Quote]
cool thanks Erric
Mine just started to crack and leak about 3 weeks ago. Im gonna call Blair today to see what he can do for my poor 4am.
Fantastic collection Eric, very impressive.
Again, any ideas on the value of #1 4AM, #3 5AM, and #1 6AM? 🙂
[Comment ID #25823 Quote]
if money was not an issue, what would you pay for them? 🙂
Thats what they are worth.
[Comment ID #25786 Quote]
alot of my 6am have cracks any help and 3am
Hi Eric! Great collection!! That’s quite a few #1’s you have there 🙂
Nice to have met you at Albuquerque- sorry the Stupid Hot kicked your tail so bad…. NOT!! 🙂
[Comment ID #25926 Quote]
That doesn’t specifically answer my question. lol.
[Comment ID #25823 Quote]
It depends on your point of view. As a holder of these babies, the number 1s are worth more than 6K each. That’s because I would turn down any offer to buy them up to that point. Now the more you go over that number, the more I begin to consider parting with them. I don’t even know what the magic number is. I do know that the number would be higher for the #1 4AM because it’s the last bottle I would ever sell. Now if I was a potential buyer and money was no object I would pay 3 to 4K for one. BTW if you ever see one of these for sale please send my wife your most sincere condolences. 🙂
[Comment ID #26279 Quote]
Well Ryan, he’s got a point, but I would go a little further to say that they are worth as much as highest price ANYONE is willing to pay for them. Considering that 4AM #72 went for $1000 on ebay, I’d say #1 is worth, in dollars, at least a couple grand. Me on the other hand, I’m not all that concerned about numbers. I like having a limited edition, but the number doesn’t mean much to me. I don’t like to put dollar amounts on them, as I have no intention of ever selling mine.
[Comment ID #26108 Quote]
Any help out there on crack am help.
[Comment ID #26319 Quote]
Send to blair for reconditioning if it is worth it to you.
Cost is about $50 Comes back looking brand new and shiny 🙂
My 4am will be going to him REAL soon.
Anybody interested in these? #1- 2am, #1- 5am, #1- 2004 Halloween Reserve, #2- 5am, #2- pre-production MegaDeath, #3- pre-production MegaDeath, #4- 2004 Holiday Reserve, #6- 6am, #9- 3am, #18 Caldera, #73 of 73- pre-production MegaDeath, #666- 5am, #999 of 999- 5am. I also have two more 4am bottles that have high numbers (can’t remember the numbers off the top of my head). You can email me at chris at nosauce2hot dot com.
[Comment ID #26334 Quote]
DUDE!!! Those are some killer numbers.
I cannot see where to order the cutting room floor stuff 🙁
ME NEITHER!!!!!
holy shit, all the #1’s are soo godly