In 1868, Edmund McIlhenny harvested his first tabasco pepper crop from which he created a piquant sauce to enliven the flavors in foods for family and friends. The creation of this simple sauce would unwittingly change the way the world eats forever. Today, 150 years later, the same three ingredients that made his Tabasco Sauce – tabasco peppers, salt and vinegar – are aged and bottled by Edmund’s family on Avery Island, the process virtually unchanged.

The careful craftsmanship and versatility of Tabasco Sauce have made it a friend of chefs, home cooks, bartenders and food lovers for a century and a half. On the occasion of its 150th anniversary, McIlhenny Company, the maker of Tabasco Sauce, will mark this historic milestone with a yearlong celebration dedicated to the people who have made “that famous sauce Mr. McIlhenny makes” a staple on tables, indispensable in kitchens and an essential ingredient in classic and contemporary recipes worldwide.

Tabasco Sauce is a unique global brand not only for its ubiquity but also for its versatility. The iconic red-capped bottle with the diamond label is sold in more than 185 countries and territories and labeled in 22 languages and dialects. This instantly recognizable pepper sauce is just as at home in main street diners, hole-in-the-wall dives and the finest dining establishments as it is in the home pantries, kitchen tabletops and handbags of food lovers all over the world.

“My family and all of us at McIlhenny Company are truly humbled by the love we’ve seen for Tabasco Sauce that has brought us to this incredible anniversary,” says Anthony A. Simmons, President and CEO of McIlhenny Company and fifth-generation McIlhenny family member.

“I don’t know if my great-great-grandfather ever dreamed that his backyard start-up would have given rise to an entirely new food category. One hundred and fifty years later, I’m certain he’d be pleased to have brought so much great tasting food to so many people in so many places all around the world. It’s exciting to imagine where Tabasco Sauce will go and how it will be used over the next 150 years,” he notes.