Yesterday, www.brownsauce.org received a donation from Jamie in the form of a used old style HP Sauce bottle. Thanks Jamie! This adds one more item to the small but growing number of artifacts being collected for the upcoming release of the “HP Sauce museum” section.

The bottle (pictured) is a glass 200 ml bottle still half filled with HP Sauce! It features a classic design label showing a zoomed out view of the British House of Parliament. Also on the front of the label, the Queen’s royal warrant is displayed prominently just above the “HP”. Near the bottom of the label, the slogan reads (repeated in french):

While on the side of the label:

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a bottle labeled like this, and the french would indicate this particular bottle was Canadian issue.

What’s particularly interesting is I’ve not yet been able to pinpoint the age of this bottle. I recall the label with some clarity, but HP Foods has since changed the label to the one we’re now familiar with long before I became interested in HP Sauce history. So far I’ve heard dates ranging anywhere from the mid 1990’s to the 1970’s, and those estimates could very well be right. Until recently, HP Foods rarely changed their labels. My guesstimate is, it’s at least 5 years old. Popping the cap and giving it a quick sniff didn’t reveal much however - it smells like HP Sauce. This stuff DOES keep indefinitely doesn’t it! lol

Update: After liberating this bottle from his in-laws pantry, I sent Jamie home with a new unopened bottle of original HP Sauce (squirty) to replace the one he had taken. That evening over dinner he told his in-laws about it:

Jamie: “Did you guys know you had a half full bottle of HP Sauce in the pantry?”
In-Laws: “We had a half full bottle of HP Sauce in the pantry?”
Jamie: “Yeah, it was about half full, and it had a different label than the current ones. I took it and gave it to a guy at work who collects them.”
In-laws: “There’s someone at work who collects HP?????”
Jamie: “Don’t worry, he replaced it with a new bottle. (continues eating)”
In-laws: “Okaaaaay?!”

LOL

I’ve also updated Adham’s rotating towel picture with the new “old” bottle. Classic!

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