Why’s Fireball Whiskey Leaving A Bad Taste In Wyoming’s Mouth?

A report was released by USA Today that a lawsuit has been filed against the maker of Fireball Whisky, Sazerac Company Inc.

The reason for the lawsuit, some mini bottles of Fireball don't actually contain alcohol and it's misleading to consumers.

Fireball was developed by Seagram's back in the mid-1980's and marketed as Dr. McGillacuddy's Fireball Whisky, then re-branded as Fireball Cinnamon Whisky in 2007.

In 2020, a new version of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky was released that is just called Fireball Cinnamon, but the two aren't the same. The difference is that Fireball Cinnamon, doesn't contain any whisky, only whisky flavors and colors. It's being sold for just $.99 at locations that aren't allowed to sell whisky, but can sell wine, beer and malt beverages.

Because the two bottles look almost identical, with the exception of the word Whisky not being on Fireball Cinnamon bottle, people feel they are getting duped and wouldn't have ever purchased the mini-bottle if they would've known.

 The lawsuit was filed by Anna Marquez because according to the lawsuit she:

 expected Fireball Cinnamon was Fireball whisky and/ or contained whisky in a non-de minimis amount.

She also claims she

paid more for the Product than she would have had she know the representations and omissions were false and misleading, or would not have purchased it.

The interesting part about the situation is, there's still alcohol in the Fireball Cinnamon, just not as much as Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. Actually it's 1/2 of the ABV (alcohol by volume). The whisky is 33% abv, the cinnamon is just 16.5% abv.

The lawsuit says that people in Wyoming, North Dakota, Idaho, Alaska, Iowa, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Arizona, South Carolina and Utah that bought the Fireball Cinnamon during the previous time period can be covered in the suit.

The suit is seeking over $5 million.

Pouring a little Fireball into your hot toddy is a good idea, but make sure you're getting the real deal.

Check out these other ways to drink Fireball.