Whenever you next pop by a gas station or convenience store, whilst you're waiting for the cashier to take your payment, just take a look down at the glass panel right below you embedded into the counter. If not, just take a quick look around to your left or right, to one of those cardboard trays, and almost certainly you'll find this really retro looking bottle of honey-coloured alcohol that almost looks too gimmicky to be taken seriously - that's Fireball. And it has such a cult following that every year it outsells Jose Cuervo's tequilas, Jameson Irish whiskey and even the Jagermeister. 

That's no small sum. 

Everyone you could imagine under the sun is into taking Fireball shots. Comedian and podcaster Bobby Lee even confessed to living on Fireballs for a period of time.

So who's buying all of these? If you look around the Internet, you'll find Reddit threads of folks talking about how they're in an endless cycle of downing Fireballs, or Youtube videos of folks proving a point by finishing an entire bottle in one breath. It's almost become a flex with folks from all over.

But what is Fireball?

Fireball was originally developed in the mid-1980's as a flavoured schnapp by the once major spirits conglomerate Seagram. The marketing story at the time was that it was devised by a Canadian bartender who had wanted to warm up from an Arctic blast. Eventually though the brand and formula was acquired by Sazerac just around the turn of the 1990's. Sazerac is of course one of the most premier producers of American whiskies and Bourbons, with brands such as Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Blanton's, George T. Stagg, Pappy Van Winkle, and so much more. Initially, Sazerac had marketed it as Dr. McGillicuddy's Firewater Whisky, made from a base of Canadian whisky, along with cinnamon flavouring, and a bunch of other top secret stuff that's not disclosed.

But Fireball sounds so much better, doesn't it?

And so in 2007, the cinnamon whisky (but really it's more of a liqueur) was rebranded as Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. As for its kitschy aesthetic, that's the product of one Ross Sutherland, the man also responsible for other Sazerac labels such as the Wheatley Vodka.

So how did Fireball become one of the world's best selling spirits?

In 2011, Fireball made just US$1.9 million in sales, but by 2016, the brand had made over US$150 million.

This almost quiet but staggering rise in popularity is thanks to the brand's incredible use of social media and word of mouth. The liqueur played into this larger than life reputation of being incredibly fiery and fierce, and turned itself into a challenge for folks to face up to the Fireball. Bartenders were also galvanised to get its customers to try Fireball - after all, if you're going to ask your bartender to hook you up, you just gotta put up and show up when they hand you that shot of Fireball. Stunningly, the brand had for the most part operated on an incredibly tiny advertising budget (albeit with amongst the best national distribution network thanks to Sazerac), and thus largely pursued a grassroots strategy.

One such instance can be traced back to the Beer Can Alley, a little bar in Des Moines, Iowa, where it caught the attention of several Country musicians, who began referencing Fireball in their songs which became popular, and at the same time catapulted Fireball's own infamy.

And so, having seen these little miniatures of Fireball at gas station and convenience store counters, we decided we had to taste test this whisky with a global cult following.

How does it hold up? We find out! 

Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, 33% ABV - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Energy Drink Gold

Aroma: Chai Latte

Taste: Sweetness of chai latte without the milk, marsala spices, along with some caramel. Thicker, rounded, almost syrupy in mouthfeel. It's almost like a spiced honey. It's not in any way sharp or prickly. It actually has a very nice richness to it.

Finish: Here's where the cinnamon hits - it comes through as a spice. It's the cinnamon that drives the warmth. More on honey. It's alittle nippy, but again it's driven by the cinnamon. Very comforting warmth.

My Thoughts

Did I have my doubts when I first saw it pour out this electric golden colour? Sure.

Was I totally wrong? 100%.

This was a total surprise! It's almost as if they found a way to distill the essence of a chai latte and turn it electric gold and syrupy. Forget the fiery aesthetics, this isn't even spicy - what it is, is spiced. And there's a big difference. This is giving marsala, chai, cinnamon powder spice, versus a sort of hellish, chilli or hot sauce spiciness. In fact, it's almost comforting - it feels like a warm hug.

And beyond how it tastes, you couldn't even fault it for how it smells or its texture - the former being pure chai latte, and the latter being syrupy, rich and rounded. If anything it's only just a little nippy on the finish, but to atone for that, you get a really satisfyingly deep warmth, the sort you imagine would be perfect in the middle of winter.

What's even wilder is that all that's ready to go the moment you pour it out. There's no prep work needed and you don't even have to mix it with anything (or you could add ice if that's your preference). If anything, its exaggerated reputation probably comes from unwitting folks chugging it down - in which case you'd be no different from a person who didn't realise you were on a railway track and got a heavy metal kiss from an oncoming train. 

As I've always advocated, sip it, don't chug it. Fireball? More like chai latte and warm hugs.