Fireball Cinnamon Whisky
| File:Fireball Cinnamon Whisky Logo.png | |
| 150px | |
| Type | Cinnamon flavored Canadian whisky liqueur |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sazerac Company |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Introduced | 1984 |
| Alcohol by volume | 33% by vol (66 proof) |
| Flavor | cinnamon |
| Ingredients | Canadian whisky cinnamon sweeteners |
| Website | fireballwhisky |
Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is a cinnamon-flavored whisky-based liqueur produced by the Sazerac Company. Its foundation is Canadian whisky, and the taste otherwise resembles the candy with a similar name, Ferrara Candy Company's "Atomic Fireball" candy.[1] It is bottled at 33% alcohol by volume (66 U.S. proof).[2]
According to the official Fireball website, the product was developed in Canada in the mid-1980s, and for a long time was little known outside of Canada.[3] Fireball is now also widely available in the United States and various other countries.[4]
Contents
History
The product was part of a line of flavored schnapps developed by Seagram in the mid-1980s.[2] The manufacturer's story line is, in part, that it was the product of a Canadian bartender's efforts to warm up from an Arctic blast. The Sazerac Company purchased the brand rights and formula from Seagram in 1989.[2]
It was marketed as "Dr. McGillicuddy's Fireball Whisky".[2] Ostensibly, the named doctor was Dr. Aloysius Percival McGillicuddy, more commonly referred to as "the shot doctor"[2] who was "born" in the year 1808.[5][upper-alpha 1] Later, in 2007, the product was rebranded as "Fireball Cinnamon Whisky".[6]
An April 2014 article in Bloomberg Business Week said "It's also one of the most successful liquor brands in decades. In 2011, Fireball accounted for a mere $1.9 million in sales in U.S. gas stations, convenience stores, and supermarkets, according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Last year [2013], sales leapt to $61 million, passing Jameson Irish whiskey and Patrón tequila."[2] In 2012 and 2013, the product had a surge in popularity, which the company achieved by using social media, cultivating bartenders, word of mouth, and a relatively small advertising budget.[1][7] In 2013, it became one of the top ten most popular liquors, displacing Jose Cuervo tequila.[8] The Bloomberg Business Week article said that based on current trends, the brand was in position to overtake Jägermeister in popularity.[2]
In early 2012, the Sazerac company sued Hood River Distillers over the allegedly confusing trade name and marketing of its product, SinFire Cinnamon Whisky.[9][10][11]
The brand's label was designed by Ross Sutherland, who's also designed labels for Black Magic rum, Wheatley Vodka, and some other brands.[citation needed]
Ways of serving it
"Straight shots" or on the rocks are preferred methods to drink it.[1] The Sazerac website says "the cinnamon flavor is often used for shooters but can add character to a mixed drink."[7]
However, various cocktails also use Fireball as an ingredient,[12] and the company has encouraged the development of such cocktails.[1] They include "Cinna-Rita", "Fire Nut Ball", "Hot Cherry Fizz", "Red Apple Spice", and "Ring-of-Fire".[13] Another is a blend of Irish coffee called "Fire Starter Coffee".[14] An "Angry Balls" mixer is a combination of Angry orchard cider and Fireball cinnamon whisky.[citation needed] Listed concoctions made with Fireball include: 1. The Hotter Toddy (with tea, honey, and lemon); 2. Ciderball (with hard cider); 3. The Drunken Dessert (with hot chocolate); 4. The Ultimate French Toast Shot (with Butterscotch liqueur and Baileys Irish Cream); and 5. The F-Bomb (with Red Bull).[12] The latter energy drink bomb shot may be compared to the Jägerbomb.
Awards and accolades
- 2010 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition: Bronze Medal[3]
- San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Gold Medal[3]
- BTI Best Buy Bar Competition: Silver Medal, "Highly Recommended"[3]
- International Review of Spirits: Silver Medal, "Highly Recommended"[3]
- San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Bronze Medal[3]
- International Wine & Spirits Competition: Bronze Medal[3]
Health concerns
In 2014, Finland and Sweden banned the sale and recalled some sold batches of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, saying it contained more of the chemical additive propylene glycol than was allowed under European Union regulations.[15][16][17][18] Although not part of the EU, Norway also decided to ban the product.[16] The company responded by saying the product was "perfectly safe to drink" and called it a "small recipe-related compliance issue" related to the difference in regulations between the North American and European markets.[19] The recalled batches were replaced with a compliant product, and sales of the EU-compliant formulation were allowed to resume.
In popular culture
- It is the whiskey referred to in the Florida Georgia Line song "Round Here" (which says "That Fireball Whiskey whispers Temptation in my ear"[20]).[upper-alpha 2]
- Fireball is also mentioned in the song "Ready Set Roll" by Chase Rice in the line "hit the spot like a fireball shot".
Similar products
Cinnamon has become an important flavoring for many kinds of liquor, and is touted as a way to increase sales.
Somewhat similar products – Red Stag Spiced and Kentucky Fire (both bourbon-based)[21] by Jim Beam, DeKuyper Hot Damn!, Gold Strike cinnamon liqueur containing gold snippets produced by Lucas Bols, and Goldschlager Cinnamon Schnapps containing gold flecks – which also have cinnamon as an ingredient in high potency liqueurs. 91.1 proof (45.6% ABV) Cinerator is a higher alcohol content cinnamon-favored and whiskey-based product launched in late 2014 and produced by Heaven Hill Distilleries in Bardstown, Kentucky.[22][23]
Joining the 'cinnamon-liquor band wagon' are products that feature cinnamon-infused vodka, including Smirnoff's Cinna-Sugar Twist.[24] In November 2013, Beam's Pinnacle Vodka and Cinnabon teamed up to introduce their own brand of cinnamon flavored vodka, Cinnabon Vodka.[upper-alpha 3][25] Yet another is Stolichnaya Zinamom Vodka.[26][27] Another product is Tennessee Fire by Jack Daniels.[28]
A new offering is Becherovka, which is touted as a replacement.[29]
A "sprinkle" of cinnamon and real cream is combined with Virgin Islands rum in Chila 'Orchata Cinnamon Cream Rum.[30][31]
The first cinnamon flavored Tequila is Peligroso Cinnamon Tequila – made from 100% Blue Agave – launched in March, 2013.[32] However, a cinnamon cream tequila liqueur expression called Hot Rose – made by McCormick Distilling Company of Missouri with a unique plastic package[upper-alpha 4] – antedates Peligroso.[32][33] A follower is Jose Cuervo's Cinge.[34][35][36][upper-alpha 5]
Rakomelo, that is cinnamon and honey[37] brandy concoctions, called "Cinnamon liqueur" and made with Rakı[38] or Tsipouro, are popular in parts of Greece.[39][40]
For those who wish to make their own "cinnamon liqueur" there is much controversy concerning the proper ingredients.[41] Particularly, some purported "cinnamon" (that found in "cinnamon sticks") isn't in fact cinnamon, as the latter may be banned or limited in some countries due to the presence of coumarin, despite the clinical insignificance of the chemical in its unmodified form.[42][upper-alpha 6]
Fireball has been compared to Yukon Jack, "the black sheep of Canadian liquors",[43] which is chiefly a concoction with honey and whiskey, and lacks any cinnamon.[7]
In 2015 the Sazerac company filed a lawsuit complaining that Jack Daniels had infringed its Fireball trademark while marketing Tennessee Fire, a cinnamon flavored Tennessee whisky[44]
See also
.svg){kind=small}
- "Sex on Fire" is Sex on the Beach with Fireball Cinnamon Whisky in place of the vodka.
- Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd.
Notes
- ↑ See his apocryphal will where he "present[s] the recipe for Dr. McGillicuddy’s Schnapps, whose intense taste made me a bit of a legend in these parts." Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[unreliable source?]
- ↑ Goldschläger may also have been referred to in the song "Hell raisin' heat of the summer" by Florida Georgia Line with the line "and the gold flakes glimmer in the cinnamon booze". As noted earlier, gold foil and cinnamon liquor appear in several products. In addition to the other listed gold-enhanced liquors, Goldwasser is from Poland and Schönbrunner Gold Liquer is from Austria, but neither is cinnamon-based.
- ↑ It "offers lip-smacking indulgence that combines the decadent flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar and rich cream cheese frosting with hints of caramel to create a taste reminiscent of warm, freshly baked cinnamon rolls. At 70-proof, the product is smooth, five-times distilled and can be served chilled, on the rocks or mixed in festive cocktails at any brunch or get-together." Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "As for the flavor: I work with words a lot, but I don't have the verbiage necessary to convey just how bad a beverage this is. . . ." Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "If you're in the market for boozy Red Hots, Jose Cuervo's Cinge should do the trick. Clocking in at 35 percent alcohol by volume, this syrupy hooch has about as much in common with tequila as Fireball does with whiskey." Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Coumarin is currently listed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States among "Substances Generally Prohibited From Direct Addition or Use as Human Food", according to 21 CFR 189.130 Food and Drug Administration but some natural additives containing coumarin, such as the flavorant sweet woodruff are allowed "in alcoholic beverages only" (21 CFR 172.510). In Europe, popular examples of such beverages are Maiwein (white wine with woodruff) and Żubrówka (vodka flavoured with bison grass). In the late 1970s, the latter drink disappeared from shelves in the United States, and it was thereafter renamed and reformulated for U.S. distribution. In addition to the Coumarin problem, American authorities determined that the trademark on Żubrówka brand was diluted and unenforceable, as it was a generic name, like "Aspirin". Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Fireball Cinnamon Whisky Brand Portfolio Entry on official web site.
- ↑ Distributors list on official web site.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
