Here's Everything You Need to Know About Fireball Whisky (2024)

FAQs

Here's Everything You Need to Know About Fireball Whisky? ›

It's a 33% ABV (66-proof) liqueur made with a mix of Canadian whiskey, sweeteners and natural cinnamon flavoring. But is it whiskey? Well, no, not really. Technically speaking, once you add sugar to a spirit and lower its ABV it becomes a liqueur rather than a spirit.

Fireball does not contain any antifreeze at all, and the suggestion is ridiculous. Sadly, this is the media's way of crafting attention grabbing headlines, but it simply is not true. We would not dream of putting antifreeze in our product.

Fireball was recalled due to concerns it contained an ingredient used in antifreeze. This ingredient is propylene glycol, otherwise known as part of the mixture used to de-ice airplanes. In 2014, Fireball was recalled in European countries because propylene glycol levels were deemed too high.

There's no whiskey in bottles of Fireball Cinnamon, so customers are suing for fraud. Smaller bottles of Fireball do not contain whiskey, but a blend of malt beverage, wine and additional flavors and colors. Customers are suing the company for fraud, alleging the packaging is misleading.

The difference between the two drinks is that Fireball Cinnamon is actually a malt-based beverage with 16.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), while Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is whisky-based and has an ABV of 33%. “The labels look almost identical,” he wrote. “That is intentional.”

Propylene glycol is an ingredient in the increasingly popular liquor Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. Its propylene glycol content is compliant with the Food and Drug Administration regulations stipulating that propylene glycol is allowable in amounts of up to 5% of the overall content of alcoholic beverages.

Although PG is generally considered safe, when used in high doses or for prolonged periods, PG toxicity can occur. Reported adverse effects from PG include central nervous system (CNS) toxicity, hyperosmolarity, hemolysis, cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, agitation, and lactic acidosis.

This fact was so unsettling to Europeans that sales of Fireball were "temporarily halted" in Norway, Sweden, and Finland in 2014, which Fireball said was "due to a small recipe-related compliance issue." The chemical that came under fire was propylene glycol, which supposedly enhances flavor by absorbing water.

Fireball Whisky is being pulled from shelves in Europe because it contains too much propylene glycol – an additive that prevents evaporation and is a stabilizer in foods. But it's not going anywhere in the United States.

Unopened whiskey doesn't go bad. Whiskey that hasn't been opened lasts indefinitely, but whiskey can expire. You just have to open the bottle. Most whiskey scientists believe that an opened bottle of whiskey lasts about 1 to 2 years—if it's half full.

What is the controversy with Fireball? ›

The lawsuit said that the Sazerac Company's representations of Fireball Cinnamon were “false and misleading” and that the bottles “appear similar” to Fireball Cinnamon Whisky bottles. Both bottles have a red cap, a yellow label with the word “Fireball” and a logo featuring a fire-breathing, dragon-like creature in red.

Chilled Fireball's spice hits a little later, while room-temperature Fireball immediately fills your entire mouth with the flavor. Store the Fireball in your refrigerator or freezer for an hour before drinking it if you want it chilled. Tip: Try reuseable whiskey stones to chill your Fireball without diluting it.

The general rule is that one 12-ounce (354-ml) beer with 5% ABV equals one shot of 40% ABV liquor.

Propylene glycol is used for a variety of industrial, cosmetic, and food production uses. In your Prestone Low-Tox, it's an antifreeze. In Fireball, it's used as a sweetener, its makers say. (And yes, according to the Centers for Disease Control, it's "generally regarded as safe for use in food.")

The original Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is 66 proof and is made of whisky with natural cinnamon flavor, according to its label. The malt beverage version's label, which says “Fireball Cinnamon” without the whisky, says it is 33 proof and made of malt beverage with “natural whisky and other flavors and caramel color.”

One of the fastest-growing liquor brands in America is being recalled in Europe over an ingredient found in some types of antifreeze. But here in America, it's still on store shelves, CBS News' Vinita Nair reports.

The maker of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky has been sued for fraud for selling a beverage that, at a glance, looks like the spicy Fireball spirit famed for its ubiquity at college parties, but which doesn't actually contain much of a key ingredient: whisky.

The most common antifreeze is an alcohol known as propylene glycol. It has largely replaced the much more toxic ethylene glycol. Methanol can also be used as an antifreeze, mainly in windshield wiper fluid.

Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is a mixture of Canadian whisky, cinnamon flavoring and sweeteners that is 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.