REVIEW: McDonald’s Special Edition Gold Sauce

Honey mustard has been a McNugget option for years at McDonald’s. On very rare occasions, I’ve gotten it with a nugget order. But it’s so rare that I can’t even remember the last time I had it. It might’ve been during the original Snack Wrap years.

My usual choice has been Hot Mustard, and if it ever goes away, I will use whatever power I have to make sure that McDonald’s Corporate will regret that decision, which the folks there will totally ignore while they swim in money like Scrooge McDuck.

Like Scrooge McDuck, McDonald’s is also into gold, more specifically, it has a new Special Edition Gold Sauce. According to the chain, “it’s a harmonious blend of vinegary North Carolina BBQ sauce, infused with notes of honey, smoke and mustard.”

It’s available in a dipping cup for McCrispy Strips and Chicken McNuggets, as well as with McCrispy Chicken Sandwiches and the Snack Wrap. Since I’m just a regular guy rolling in credit card debt and not Scrooge McDuck rolling in gold, I skipped the chicken sandwiches and went with the Snack Wrap and McCrispy Strips.

In my McCrispy Strips review, I wrote that I thought the Creamy Chili Sauce that debuted with them was as good as my beloved Hot Mustard. But I’m going to kick that Creamy Chili Sauce to the curb because this Gold Sauce tantalizes my taste buds more and I think it should be permanent.

The sweet, smoky, and mustard-y flavors pair much better with the seasoning in the McCrispy Strips’ breading. I like it so much that while devouring and dipping the chicken strips, some sauce landed on the back of my hand, and without pausing, I licked it off. So I guess it’s back of the hand lickin’ good.

While I highly recommend it as a dipping sauce, I can’t say the same about it in a Snack Wrap. I felt there’s not enough of it within the flour tortilla to showcase its delicious flavor. Instead, the tortilla muzzled it.

To get a satisfactory level of taste, I dug out some Gold Sauce from one of the containers that came with my chicken strips and added it to the wrap. But the default amount does not cut it. Fortunately, you can order a dipping cup of it for a quarter, which I highly recommend if you get the Snack Wrap.

I’ve been really into Carolina BBQ sauce recently, so that might’ve come into play into how much I love McDonald’s Gold Sauce. My taste buds don’t want it to ever leave. If you want suggestions, McDonald’s, as I mentioned before, the Creamy Chili Sauce can go. Or kick Honey Mustard to the curb, and replace it with this.

Purchased Price: $6.19 (4 piece McCrispy Strips), $3.99 (Snack Wrap)
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Sauce), 5 out of 10 (Snack Wrap)
Nutrition Facts: (just the sauce) 90 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of sugar (including 5 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.