Posted January 11, 2008 by Justin in Reviews

Review: Clancy’s Fancy Hot Sauce

Clancy’s fancy (HOT)

First impression: Looking at the bottle I have no idea what to expect from this sauce, after reading the long list of ingredients, I still had no idea what to expect. There are some unique ingredients in there and I can’t even imagine what this sauce would taste like. I took a closer look at the bottle and even though it’s a dark bottle I could see separation going on with the thicker stuff on top and a darker thinner on bottom, (I don’t remember if this bottle was right side up in the fridge or laying down or what, but the point is that it separated.) It has an oriental type of pattern on the front, but it is distributed from Ann Arbor, MI.

First taste: The first taste was along the lines of what I expected from the oriental style label, like something I would put on an egg roll, but it was unlike anything I had ever had before. It’s got a good thickness to it, and even though its kind of a gritty texture, it is good. I can barely taste the vinegar at all even though it’s the very top ingredient. The side of the bottle offers a brief description and it says ” pungent savory, deliciously different. Enjoy it in soups, salads, marinades, pizza, seafood, eggs”¦”¦. Any way you fancy!” I started this review over a month ago and I really don’t know what to add to that. I have had it on all those suggestions except salad just trying to figure out what to say about this sauce. I even took it to Thanksgiving dinner and had people tell me what they thought of it, all I got was “it’s different”. A lot of the ingredients I have never had, some I don’t even know what they are.

My first taste test was on a stir-fry with Chinese noodles and it didn’t really work for me, the pizza didn’t work either but other than that it went well on everything I tried including a ham and cheese hot pocket. One complaint I have about this sauce is that the top doesn’t unscrew and I hate trying to shake my sauces out of a tiny little hole. I usually use a lot of sauce on each meal and it also gets the top messy trying to shake it out. One of the ingredients that I do recognize is bouillon concentrate, which could be a reason the flavor of it went so well in soup. It gives the sauce a meaty hamburger type flavor that really sets it apart from other sauces. I went online to do a little research and found a few interesting facts. Like for example that this sauce is uncooked when bottled.

CLANCY’S FANCY HOT SAUCE
Bottle (3.75 oz), $5.50
From Ann Arbor, MI, Clancy’s Fancy was developed by Colleen Clancy as a mixture she would give to friends for their culinary delight. In 1979, the sauce was officially produced for the public and has grown into a hometown favorite. It’s entire preparation is hands-on and only uses the freshest, natural ingredients. Combining Michigan apple cider vinegar, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Michigan wildflower honey, Hawaiian ginger, paprika, and cayenne peppers, it’s one of the few hot sauces in the world that remains uncooked. This allows the ingredients to mingle inside the bottle to create well-balanced sauce of fire and flavor.

I also found a recipe for chicken wings that sounded good on the site above, but unfortunately I’m out of sauce so you’ll have to try that one yourself.

Ingredients: We use all natural ingredients! Apple cider vinegar, first pressing raw green olive oil, cayenne and sweet peppers, organic wheat free tamari, (water, organic soybeans, salt, organic alcohol), bouillon concentrate (hydrolyzed soya protein, molasses, vinegar, water, potassium chloride, lemon and orange juice powders, dulse, dried peppermint leaves) raw Michigan honey, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger juice.

Taste: 6/10 at first I didn’t like it, but by the end of the bottle it got to the point I was imagining what I could put it on when I got home from work. It’s so different from anything I have ever had before that I liked it just for that reason alone. I probably will buy it again but only because it is sold locally, I most likely wouldn’t order it again. It is good though and it definitely deserves some points for being different.
Smell: same as the taste so 6/10
Heat: it has very little heat. 1/10
Overall: 6/10