Why don't you just re-blend the LKK or Tabasco brand stuff yourself? Pour it into a bowl, add sugar + salt, spice or whatever error you think needs corrected or mix both together if that's a successful taste experiment, then pour back into bottle.
Also, if I'm not mistaken, the LKK version vs Huy Fong is mainly a difference in fermentation. Tabasco IIRC does a lot of fermentation on their hot sauces. So if the initial taste of LKK is close, but after taste way off, it might not be an ingredient issue, but a fermentation difference.
If you go all out and make yourself a batch or two of a DIY Sriracha and test the flavors at 0/1, 3, 5 and 7-10+ days days ferment before you boil to lock in the flavor, you might understand what I mean. I believe some people "cheat" and put in a splash of fish sauce or rice vinegar in their DIY Sriracha for that aftertaste.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23...riracha-sauce/
I honestly believe that Sriracha's true secret is a mixture of low age and a longer aged mixture (ie: 3 and 10). I honestly don't think it's single batch. But I haven't done a lot of experimentation in the past to figure it out. It was just easier to pay the premium on Huy Fong and/or it was fun to have variation to Huy Fong. Less fermentation is spicier but less after taste (ie: 1 to 3 days). Longer is more complex (5+), but not as spicy.
I believe the issue with the flavor is production changes after a judge forced the company to address a spicy smell it was producing.
https://www.manufacturing.net/home/n...nd%20stop%20it.
At the time it was partial, but not major overhaul. I wonder if it affected the way things ferment/temps or something in the way they aired things out. I dunno.