Kaunas sits at the meeting of the Nemunas and Neris rivers, with cepelinai and the bread of the old town cafés running through its food culture. Kanda žandą, an independent small-batch hot sauce producer in Kaunas founded by Daumantas Mikalčius, has taken silver in Medium Chili Sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition, with Rūksta Nelabasis, Lithuania's only podium at EHSA this year.
Kanda žandą is hand-made in small batches by Daumantas Mikalčius out of a small kitchen in Kaunas. The range leans on bold flavour combinations and humour, with heat that runs from warm and approachable to seriously spicy. Rūksta Nelabasis, Lithuanian for "Smoked Devil," is the medium-heat anchor of the line.
Nathan Austin on Rūksta Nelabasis:
"Three different chilies on one label is unusual at the medium tier: habanero for the fruit-and-tropical heat, jalapeño for the green note, cayenne for the clean burn. Honey and smoke pull it closer to a glaze register than a table sauce, which is where the 'Smoked Devil' name actually earns itself." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Rūksta Nelabasis took silver in Medium Chili Sauce: a smoky, warm, slightly sweet and properly spicy sauce, built around habanero, jalapeño and cayenne peppers combined with honey, smoke and a gentle acidity. Designed as a versatile medium-heat sauce that works across grilled meats, sandwiches, vegetables, eggs and barbecue food.
"From a small kitchen in Kaunas to a Silver Medal at the European Hot Sauce Awards, that's honestly insane to say out loud. We're just passionate about making bold sauces with personality, and this means the world to us." – Daumantas Mikalčius, Kanda žandą
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 ran over 200 sauces from across the continent through blind tasting this year, scored on five criteria by a deliberately mixed panel of chefs, sommeliers, critics and chilli specialists. Rūksta Nelabasis came out of a one-person Kaunas kitchen against a continental Medium Chili Sauce field of seventy entries.
"Medium is the category most hot sauce drinkers actually live in. Heat that works, flavour that holds up, balance you can use daily. Landing in the silver tier blind, from a small Kaunas producer, is a real result, and Kanda žandą is exactly the kind of maker EHSA exists to put on the map." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
Rūksta Nelabasis is available through Kanda žandą at kandazanda.lt. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=kanda-zanda.
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 are announced ahead of the Berlin Chili Fest, 29–31 May 2026. Republic of Heat's EHSA 2026 Top 3 winner box is live at republicofheat.com/de-en/discovery-set/euhsa_top3, with further EHSA selection boxes at republicofheat.com/de-en/hot-sauce-sets.
PRESS RESOURCES Reveal video on YouTube, embeddable: - Medium Chili Sauce: https://youtu.be/t6_GvbkBCM8 Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ooRlTfiTAvE_26IT3D9YOzvvGGbEyKB7?usp=drive_link
ABOUT KANDA ŽANDĄ Kanda žandą is an independent small-batch hot sauce producer based in Kaunas, Lithuania, founded by Daumantas Mikalčius. The range is hand-made in small batches and built around bold flavour combinations, humour and a spread of heat levels, from warm and approachable to seriously spicy. The flagship sauce Rūksta Nelabasis, Lithuanian for "Smoked Devil," combines habanero, jalapeño and cayenne peppers with honey, smoke and gentle acidity. Website: kandazanda.lt
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 200 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a European hot sauce subscription designed to show off the flavours coming out of Europe and help solve the distribution problem independent makers face. Founded June 2025 in Berlin by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked craft sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU each month. Press partner of the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026. republicofheat.com.
PRESS CONTACT Press: Republic of Heat, on behalf of European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
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