While it's not my favorite hot sauce, I have a ton of respect for the product Tabasco puts out (and do really like it too).
The taste is very unique. Every other major brand of hot sauce has been copied with moderate success. TP/Crystal/Louisiana are all pretty similar. Replace one with the other and you don't lose much. Sriracha has plenty of decent imitations. And that's really true of damn near any food/drink category. The industry leader gets copied with decent success.
But not Tabasco. Nothing tastes like Tabasco. Incredible feat for an industry leader.
Also, people point the vinegar being the first ingredient like it's a bad thing. It's all the more impressive that vinegar is the first ingredient, yet it's so much hotter than all the other "Louisiana style" hot sauces that list chiles as the top ingredient. Must be something with the aging, but I have no idea how they pull that off. The rest of the industry hasn't either.
When I want that sharp vinegar bite with good heat, it's gotta be Tabasco (usually, I get that craving the most with eggs). Louisiana Gold is the closest I've seen, but it's a different animal (like it more overall than Tabasco).