WMD Hot Sauce

The problem with WMD is that it is WAY TOO GOOD.
My gal came across WMD about 6 months ago, and I kept talking about going there. Last week, I headed down to South Street and poked my head in. Boy am I glad I did.
The owner gave us a personal tour of his amazing flavors at the tasting counter. It was nothing less than a tour de force. His hot sauces are artistry, and exceptional artistry at that.
After trying all of his main sauce types, I selected three to take home. I am already half way done with two of the three bottles, and I’ve consumed almost all of it myself. I can’t stop putting it on EVERYTHING.
I love hot sauce, and regularly stock many different sauces in my home. I also make my own, and though I think mine are above most commercial varieties, Bobby Bolder definitely beats my sauces.
If you like a little spice, but are worried it will be too much, he has various heat levels available in each of his sauces, and you are able to customize your own. If you like it really painful, well, he has a recipe for that, too.
Finally, he has a selection of great sauces from other companies as well. I recognized an obscure BBQ sauce from California that is absolutely incredible, and a few other sauces that look great. Don’t bother getting your sauces at the grocery story. Head to South Street for the real heat.
And tourists? It’s a bit west of some of the main South Street spots. But take the time to pay him a visit. It’s worth it.

When I moved to Philadelphia I was SO excited to find a hot sauce store right on South Street. The owner is super nice and if he doesn’t have what you want he will order it in for you. He makes his own sauces, as well, and they are really delicious. I love this store!

I like this place a lot. I simply like the idea of such a specialized store, and I happen to like hot sauce. To top it all off, Bobby the owner is willing to talk to anyone while offering his expertise and samples.
The prices here aren’t discount, but basically all of the sauces here are gourmet. I really like the stuff that is made in house, especially the hot sauce made with carrots, resulting in a great spicy-​sweet combination.
In terms of hot sauce selection, this place is great. There are also other related items, like dry rubs and hot peanuts. If you love spicy food and are looking for a new kick to add, you must stop by WMD.

Matouk’s can be found here! This makes me happy because I’m addicted to Matouk’s and I feel like this West Indian hot sauce has been hard to come by in Philly… or at least I haven’t seen it! Oooh I love Matouk’s. It’s this yellow scotch-​bonnety sauce made from papaya… It’s fruity but not too sweet. Good scotch bonnet heat. Man, I use it like salsa on fish tacos, or even on vegan chicken nuggets… Lip-​smackin. Oh, but I’m not here to review Matouk’s. Sorry, I have enthusiasms.
Bhut Jolokia, ghost pepper sauces here too!
I always seem to make impulse purchases here, and never to my chagrin. I like heat. I like hot sauces, especially when it’s FLAVORY heat. On my first visit to WMD I tasted and then swiftly purchased one from the owner’s brand of hot sauce. The hottest is labeled «nuclear,» and so that’s what I skeedaddled home with: Bobby Bolder’s Cleo Carrot. I dig. It’s good and hot and tasty t’boot. I have returned now thrice for more.
If you’re a fan of the heat, get into the kitchen… hurrurrff… ok no, ahem, if you’re a fan of the heat I’d definitely recommend stopping in to try some of Bolder’s sauces. You’ll like em and then wanna take em home with you to splash on everything but your eyeballs.

It’s hard for most people to comprehend just how much spice I can handle. I can no longer taste Sriracha (kid stuff) or the hot sauce from the infamous Halal Guys on 53^rd & 6^th in NYC (many people call it death sauce.)
While window shopping on South St., this small hot sauce shop caught my eye. I walked in like a boss and demanded the hottest hot sauce that they carry.
Bobby Bolders, the owner, grinned and brought out a bottle of his «Nuclear Burn» sauce which is made from his own original recipe using bhut jolokia (aka ghost pepper.)
My eyes lit up and I quickly asked him if he offered tastings. He grinned again and dripped a little bit onto a tray with some tortilla chips for me. He also warned me of it’s extreme heat, and joked that I could buy a bottle of water before I tried it for $ 1, but it would cost me $ 5 if I bought it after I tried the sauce!
No water needed for me at all, sir! (Yes, I know it wouldn’t have helped anyway; I heard he also has milk for the pansies.)
I dipped the tortilla into the sauce and threw it in my mouth without hesitation. mmmMMMM! FINALLY! The sauce was actually flavorful, and I was delighted to feel more than a tingle, I actually felt a little burn– a sensation I didn’t think I was capable of feeling!
I happily purchased a 5oz bottle for $ 9.95 (it’s well worth it!) and I can’t WAIT to start using it on… well… everything!

Went on a 1:00pm lunch break on a Tuesday, they don’t open until 3:30. My bad, I should have checked the website first. Went on a 1:00pm lunch break on a Thursday when they open at 12:30 and the sign on the door said, «sorry, we’re opening at 4:30 today».
I can’t keep wasting lunch breaks. Looks like it’s back to the Head Nut for hot sauces for me!
Seems like a lousy way to run a business, but what do I know, I’m just a guy trying to spend some money.

I went in to pick up a bottle of hot sauce for my brother, the spicy fanatic. The owner spoke with me personally to help pick out the hottest, meanest bottle in the store, and took suggestions on some of my favorite sauces from small companies back home.

I’m giving this place 5 stars for one simple reason. You can have them custom blend flavors and levels of spice to fit your own taste. You can even have them print custom labels for your sauce. Sounds like an excellent holiday gift idea!
The man helping us today was very friendly and knowledgeable. We left with some great sauces (one of which was made in house). I will definitely be back there to add yet another sauce to my almost 20+ bottle collection.

If hot sauce is as important to you as it is to me, this is the place to go. Awesome owner who works with you to find the best sauce for you.
Good (s):
Ghost pepper sauces in addition to habanero and other spicy goodness
Serious variety
Best service you’ll get at a store in the city
Bad (s):
I’m trying not to drink hot sauce when eating anymore, so I haven’t had as much reason to visit.

This is not your macho hot sauce situation.
I don’t have much to add since the other reviews sum it up. Go there and have a great experience learning about, and tasting, hot sauce and then buy some. I walked out with an awesome mid-​heat pineapple hot sauce (WMD made) and a hot Trinidadian import sauce that has taken over my life. What was especially cool about Bobby is that he wasn’t just trying to sell his own sauces, he was trying to find the sauces that would please us the most. I have a mid-​high heat tolerance while my friend was more of a mild-​mid and he had sauces for both of us.
Plus, he’ll put any picture of your choosing on a label for you. Family dog… your dad… your best friend hula hooping… you get the idea.

I will heap my praise upon the growing pile of steamy, spicy WMD love. Giac K and I went here with our Philly host Christopher R. Most hot sauce stores are fun because of hilarious painful flatulence related names (ex. Bayou Butt Burner, Ass on Fire, etc, etc), but WMD is one of the few that simply brings it without worrying how clever their name or label is.
The owner is clearly someone who cares passionately about the sauce he makes as well as someone who loves his job. He was very enthusiastic in sharing his creations with us when we asked to sample his «ghost pepper» sauces. I want to have a business or job that makes me as happy as making hot sauce seems to make this guy.
Anyway, the ghost peppers. These carrot based hot sauces made my trip down to Philly worthwhile all by their lonesome. There is so much flavor packed in each level in addition to the heat. And good lord is the heat there. You may not pick up as much when sampling, but once you get a bottle home and pour it on your meal, you will most definitely feel it.

For a good review, you can read Christopher R.‘s — but let me just tell you that the proprietor not only allowed us to sample hot sauces, but when all three of us wanted Nuclear level hot made from ghost peppers — and he only had two bottles left — he threw in two extra bottles of his tomato based versions. Good man.
Also, some guy from some school was taking pictures of us eating? That better have been for a school project, because if I end up on some shady internet fetish site… well that would be terrible.

I had previously stopped into WMD Hot Sauce a couple months ago and, after being offered a number of samples by the friendly owner/​proprietor, left rather pleased with the carrot hot sauce I purchased. It had good flavor and an interesting type of heat but I was in no hurry to return. That all changed when I heard (via Meal Ticket —
) that they were now messing around with some serious heat: bhut jolokia.
My friends and I were given the opportunity to sample all five hot sauces he had formulated thus far (one, actually the hottest, containing a blend of peppers rather than pure bhut jolokia). Our reactions were just short of this:
. The heat is incredible but the best part is that its not just pure heat, its also a very unique kind of heat that builds and builds then dissipates over a short period of time. The sauces all also retained a very good flavor, something often lost in pursuit of heat.
In the end, I purchased the hottest pure bhut jolokia sauce and look forward to testing the limits of my heat tolerance again. If its good enough for the Indian military to weaponize (
), its good enough for my chili.

For all you hot sauce lovers out there — get your fire-​eating selves into this joint. It not only has a pretty extensive collection of a variety of hot sauces but the owner Bobby Bolder does his own collection of hot sauces. To add the cherry on top — you can also personalize your own hot sauce to your tastes.
You really can’t go wrong here especially since Bobby lets you try out some hot sauces so you know what you are getting yourself into. And in case you can’t handle the heat… (:cough: PANSY: cough: … jk!) he’s also got some milk on hand to put out the fire. ;)

Normally I only review restaurants. This is my second departure from that rule. It’s because if you love Hot Sauce WMD is your spot. The guy has his own line of sauces called Bobby Boulder which come in three heats across four flavors.
Kelly is a tomato based sauce — which an extremely fresh start and a slow burn on the finish.
Cleo is Carrot based — sweet and interesting flavor-​wise. I’m really excited to try this on eggs… but I could see myself just drinking it from the bottle as well.
Spike is a Jamaican jerk sauce — peppery and herby. It screams to be used on poultry and will probably be a feature ingredient in my 2010 rib recipe.
Tony is mango based. Sweet — but not my favorite of the two. However — I think it wold be killer as a bar-​b-​que sauce. Need to taste it again when I get in that sort of a mood.
The shop will also custom make sauces or labels for you — something I’ll be looking forward to testing out in the spring. Non-​WMD brands of hot and bbq sauces are also carried ranging from mild to «you-have-to-sign-a-waiver-it’s-so-hot.» (No — I mean literally… like he sells food additives…)
Rob (the guy behind the counter when I was there) was extremely friendly and helpful — walking me through what he had and letting me try a bunch as well. Prices are mild for what you’re getting — most prices around $ 5 – 6 a bottle.
If heat’s your thing — or you’re serious about grilling — check this place out.