McIlhenny Company’s TABASCO® Sauce Celebrates 150 Years with Anniversary Bottle

Ardagh Group (ardaghgroup.com), a leading producer of glass containers for the food and beverage industries in the United States, collaborated with McIlhenny Company, producers of TABASCO® brand products, to introduce a 150th Anniversary bottle for the world’s most famous pepper sauce.

An American tradition since 1868, McIlhenny Company has a rich history of packaging its TABASCO® Sauce in glass containers. Founder Edmund McIlhenny initially used discarded cologne bottles to distribute his TABASCO® Sauce to family and friends, before purchasing them from a local glass supplier in 1868 when he started selling to the public. Over the last 150 years, nine bottle variations have been developed with embossments showcased on the bottom of the bottle.

“Since our company’s inception 150 years ago, McIlhenny Company has produced TABASCO® Sauce in an extremely resourceful manner. Bottling our product in glass is just one part of that equation,” says Harold Osborn, Chief Sustainability Officer and fifth-generation McIlhenny family member. “What began out of necessity to manage costs has continued to this day in an effort to minimize our environmental footprint. We are committed to protecting our homeland, my great-great grandfather’s legacy and the important traditions to which we attribute much of our product’s success and staying power.”

Originally introduced in 1927, the craftsmanship and versatility of the iconic, red-capped bottle with the diamond label is now sold in 195 countries and territories and labeled in 25 languages and dialects.

The 5-ounce TABASCO® Sauce Anniversary edition glass bottle is manufactured in high-quality flint (clear) glass by Ardagh Group, and features the words “150th Anniversary” in the shoulder of the bottle.

“Ardagh Group’s collaborative design environment makes it seamless for brands to create a custom bottle design,” says Alex Robertson, Chief Commercial Officer of Ardagh Group’s North American Glass division. “From ideation to conception, our designers worked alongside McIlhenny Company to create a memorable bottle for this special milestone. We value our long-standing relationship with McIlhenny Company, and are proud they continue to package their world-famous TABASCO® Sauce in bottles manufactured at our Louisiana facility – the same state where the bottles are filled.”

Glass bottles are 100% recyclable and rated Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the only packaging material to receive that rating for foods and beverages.