THE FEW DISCONTINUED TABASCO PRODUCTS THAT COULDN’T MAKE THE CUT

Tabasco has discontinued surprisingly few products since 1868. The company takes a conservative approach to new launches, preferring to perfect its core lineup rather than chase trends. Here are the three verified discontinued condiments and products.

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TABASCO DIAMOND RESERVE

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Discontinued: 2018

McIlhenny Company created Diamond Reserve for its 150th anniversary in April 2018. The sauce used peppers aged for fifteen years in ex-bourbon oak barrels. These peppers were aged five times longer than regular Tabasco. They replaced standard white vinegar with sparkling white wine vinegar, creating a refined taste that justified the $35 price for six ounces.

The limited run sold out quickly. And the hot sauce was quickly discontinued. But today, unopened bottles sell for hundreds on eBay. Diamond Reserve proved Tabasco could create luxury products while keeping traditional methods. The company returned to its standard lineup after this brief experiment.

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CHEEZ-IT HOT & SPICY WITH TABASCO GREEN PEPPER SAUCE

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Discontinued: 2018

For years, Cheez-It used McIlhenny’s green pepper sauce for its spicy flavoring. The partnership put Tabasco’s green bottle prominently on every box, giving the brand valuable snack aisle visibility.

Kellogg’s ended the contract in 2018, replacing Tabasco with their own hot sauce blend. They removed “with Tabasco sauce” from the product name and replaced the iconic bottle graphic with a generic hot sauce image. This decision ended one of Tabasco’s biggest co-branding deals.

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RED TABASCO CHEEZ-IT COLLABORATION

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Discontinued: 2004-2005

Kellogg’s tested red Tabasco sauce in Cheez-Its during 2004, departing from their usual green pepper sauce formula. Test market boxes showed a red Tabasco bottle instead of the familiar green one. The product never reached full distribution.

But the product stayed in test markets only. Kellogg’s abandoned the red sauce version within a year, sticking with their green pepper sauce partnership.

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WHY SO FEW DISCONTINUATIONS?

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Unlike other hot sauce brands that rotate flavors regularly, Tabasco maintains the same core products it launched decades ago. Their conservative strategy means genuine discontinuities are rare events. Most “Tabasco products” are actually other companies’ foods that contain Tabasco as an ingredient, not standalone McIlhenny Company products.

When Tabasco does create something new, they rarely axe the product.