We Got Starred. Twice: Hot Boss Wins Two Great Taste Awards 2026 🌟🌶️

Right, we need to tell you something, and we're not going to pretend to be cool about it.

Hot Boss is officially a Great Taste Award-winning hot sauce brand for 2026.

Both our Extra Hot and XX Hot chilli sauces have been awarded a 1-star Great Taste Award for 2026, recognising the flavour, balance and serious heat packed into two of the hottest sauces in the Hot Boss range.

And yes, we're absolutely going to make a fuss about it.

What Is a Great Taste Award?

If you've never heard of it, Great Taste is basically the Oscars of food and drink, only the judges don't know whose product they're tasting.

No flashy branding. No founder story. No clever packaging. No “small-batch family recipe” story to win anyone over.

Just the food, the flavour and a panel of experienced judges.

Great Taste is run by the Guild of Fine Food, with products independently assessed through blind tasting. A 1-star Great Taste Award recognises food and drink that delivers excellent flavour.

Which means when a Great Taste star appears on a bottle, it wasn't awarded because the label looked good.

The sauce had to do the talking.

And in 2026, two Hot Boss sauces did exactly that.

Hot Boss Extra Hot: Great Taste Award-Winning Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce

Our Extra Hot chilli sauce is made for people who want serious heat without sacrificing flavour.

The Great Taste judges first picked up on its deep, appealing colour before the garam masala came through on the palate.

What really stood out was the balance.

The Scotch bonnet chilli brings a proper kick, but it doesn't steamroll the rest of the sauce. Instead, the chilli works alongside the spice blend, tomato, garlic and garam masala to create a layered flavour with a long, warming finish.

The judges also highlighted the texture, describing a well-blended sauce that wasn't overly oily or greasy.

When tested with chicken, Extra Hot delivered what we always wanted it to: deep flavour, proper warmth and Scotch bonnet heat that doesn't overpower everything else on your plate.

What does Extra Hot taste like?

Expect:

• Scotch bonnet chilli heat
• Warm garam masala spice
• Tomato and roasted pepper
• Garlic and onion
• A touch of sweetness and acidity
• Deep, layered flavour rather than heat for heat's sake

What should you use Extra Hot with?

Extra Hot works brilliantly with:

• Chicken wings
• Roast potatoes
• Burgers
• Curries
• Marinades
• BBQ food
• Dips
• Grilled meat and vegetables

If you want an award-winning Scotch bonnet hot sauce with serious heat and plenty of flavour behind it, this is the one. Hot Boss Extra Hot

Hot Boss XX Hot: Our Award-Winning Extreme Hot Sauce

Then there's XX Hot.

This is the one with a reputation.

Made with Scotch bonnet chillies and 6 million Scoville chilli oleoresin, XX Hot is built for people who think ordinary “extra hot” sauces don't go far enough.

And yes, the Great Taste judges noticed the heat.

Words including “extremely hot” and “considerable heat” came up during judging.

Fair enough.

But the part we're proudest of is that they didn't just notice the fire.

They found the flavour underneath it.

The judges described a thick, deeply coloured sauce where the tomato helps keep the heat balanced, while sour notes from the Scotch bonnet and a touch of sweetness work against the intensity.

Even with all that heat, the spice blend still comes through.

That's exactly what XX Hot is supposed to be.

Extreme heat that still tastes like something.

What does XX Hot taste like?

Expect:

• Intense Scotch bonnet chilli heat
• Tomato and roasted pepper
• Garam masala and warming spices
• Garlic and onion

A slight sweetness and acidity

• A long, fiery finish

What should you use XX Hot with?

XX Hot is made for:

• Hot wings
• Tacos
• Burgers
• Chilli
• Curries
• BBQ food
• Marinades
• Hot sauce challenges

Just don't say we didn't warn you.

Shop Hot Boss XX Hot (Hottest Chilli Sauce)

Extra Hot vs XX Hot: Which Hot Boss Sauce Is for You?

Can't decide which of our Great Taste Award-winning hot sauces belongs in your kitchen?

Here's the simple version.

Choose Extra Hot if:

You want a serious chilli kick with deep garam masala flavour, Scotch bonnet warmth and enough balance to use generously across everyday meals.

It's hot.

Properly hot.

But still very much a sauce rather than a dare.

Choose XX Hot if:

You actively seek out the hottest chilli sauces you can find and consider “too hot” more of a challenge than a warning.

XX Hot brings extreme heat alongside tomato, Scotch bonnet and warming spice.

This is the bottle you bring out when someone at the table says:

“Hot sauce doesn't really affect me.”

Good luck to them.

Why These Great Taste Awards Matter to Us

Great Taste stars aren't handed out because a sauce is loud.

They aren't awarded because you've printed an enormous Scoville number on the bottle.

And they aren't given because your branding looks good on Instagram.

The flavour has to hold up on its own.

Under blind tasting conditions, without the Hot Boss name or story influencing the judges, both Extra Hot and XX Hot earned a Great Taste star in 2026.

For us, that's what makes these awards mean something.

We built Hot Boss around a simple idea:

Hot sauce should taste good before it hurts.

The chilli matters, obviously.

But so do the tomatoes. The garlic. The Scotch bonnet. The garam masala. The sweetness. The acidity. The texture.

Heat should be part of the flavour, not a substitute for it.

And apparently, the Great Taste judges agree.

Award-Winning Hot Sauce Made in the UK

Both Hot Boss Extra Hot and XX Hot are made in small batches here in the UK.

They're also:

• Great Taste Award winners 2026
• 100% vegan
• Gluten-free
• Made with Scotch bonnet chillies
• Made in small batches
• Built around flavour as well as heat

So whether you're after the deep garam masala warmth of Extra Hot or you're ready to test yourself against XX Hot, you're not just picking up another bottle of chilli sauce.

You're choosing two award-winning British hot sauces that earned their stars on flavour alone.

Shop Hot Boss Great Taste Award-Winning Hot Sauces

Want to try them for yourself?

Shop Extra Hot Chilli Sauce →

Serious Scotch bonnet heat, warming garam masala and layered flavour.

Shop XX Hot (6 Million Scoville Sauce) →

Our extreme hot sauce for people who genuinely believe there is no such thing as too hot.

Or, if choosing sounds like unnecessary admin:

Shop the Award Winning Hot Saucd Duo →

One bottle of each.

Problem solved.

Go on.

Boss your plate.