I'm about three months from what I consider the best day of the year - May 1st, the opening day for getting back to camping. I miss the fun with friends around the campfire on weekend evenings.

Of course, the food and beverages help make the evening around the campfire even more fun. A few summers ago, a specific type of whiskey was making its way around the campfire - Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. Among all the other types of alcoholic beverages my camp friends consume, this one seemed to be a very popular one.

You've probably seen the product in liquor stores, and even those mini bottles sold at convenience stores as well, which seems a bit odd to me since it's a type of whiskey, and whiskey is only sold in liquor stores. Well, is it really whiskey?

First of all, why is 'whiskey' spelled 'whisky' in the Fireball name? Well, according to the Fireball website FAQ page:

Fireball Cinnamon Whisky traces its roots back to the cold land of Canada, where “whisky” is spelled without the letter E and people ride “toboggans” instead of sleds. Strange place.

Fireball makes a Fireball Cinnamon in mini-bottles and a Fireball Cinnamon Whisky product. The bottles look similar to each other, but the Fireball Cinnamon is actually a malt beverage that is 16.5 percent alcohol by volume, versus the Fireball Cinnamon Whisky which is 33 percent ABV.

According to NBC 5, Sazerac Company, the makers of Fireball are involved in a class-action lawsuit, calling out the company for misleading customers with their labeling. The Fireball Cinnamon labeling says "Malt Beverage with Natural Whisky & Other Flavors and Caramel Color,” and that could confuse consumers thinking these mini-bottles contain whiskey in smaller print.

The NBC 5 article mentions that the Sazerac Company responded by saying that the Fireball Cinnamon can be differentiated from the Fireball Cinnamon Whisky by “the words Fireball Cinnamon on the front label, without ‘Whisky.’"

I suppose it's a case of reading the label before buying. Will the lawsuit hold up? Time will tell. In the meantime, I'll enjoy a glass of whiskey while this all pans out.

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