You know how I know I’m old? Because I’m 47 years old and this is my first time drinking Fireball Cinnamon Whisky! There has been so much talk about this stuff amongst the whisky blogerati (most of them had bad things to say about it) that I just had to try it for myself to see what all the fuss is about.
Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is a seriously hot commodity. According to a recent Business Insider article, retail sales have grown from just $1.9 million in 2011 to over $61 million in 2013. Now THAT’s what I call a booming business!
Hot seller or not, I’m here to determine if I like the stuff. Let’s get on with the review…
I’m not gonna bother with the “appearance, aroma, and taste” business that we usually put you poor people through whenever we review anything on this blog, because there is absolutely nothing subtle, nuanced, or complex about Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. If you put a Hot Tamale, a Red Hot, a pack of Big Red gum, oodles of simple syrup, and grain alcohol through one of those juicer thingamobbers, what would come out the other end is Fireball Cinnamon Whisky.
This stuff is thick and syrupy sweet at the onset followed immediately by a healthy cinnamon kick that keeps on building and building as you approach the finish. Once you suck it down, the hot cinnamon flavor hangs on for dear life and builds even more. When it finally fades, your lips and teeth are left with a clingy sugary coating that’ll make you wish you packed a toothbrush. I don’t hate the stuff, but I can completely understand why the youngsters drink this as a shot. This is not a sipping and savoring kind of spirit. Suck it down quick and move on to the next one. Just be sure to have a bathroom nearby because after having several of these in a row, a trip to the Porcelain God can’t be too far off.
If Fireball Whisky were a car, it would be a mid to late 60s American muscle car. Zero to sixty would be its forte, so stay far far away from the Tail of the Dragon or the Stelvio Pass, and stick to those Friday night, LA to Las Vegas high speed runs through the desert. “Vegas Baby… VEGAS!” That’s what I’M talking about!
Categories: Booze Review
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It's just the booze dancing... 
When I saw you were reviewing this, I had to immediately read it. This just made my day. I feel like Fireball is just old Hot Damn bottles with a new label. Could not agree more with the confusion on it’s popularity. Perhaps its a nice addition to Egg Nog?
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Happy to oblige! I know not of this Hot Damn stuff. Was is it a cinnamon schnapps… errr… I mean cinnamon whisky too?
As far as the egg nog, I think you’d be better off sticking to high quality high octane rum for that and go the nutmeg route.
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Haha, I love that you guys took this cinnamon liqueur(?) for a ride. My wife had some of this mixed with Angry Orchard cider (Angry Balls as it’s called) on her last b-day with some friends, and I had given it a try then. Interesting to say the least and well, let’s just leave it for those youngsters 😉
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We do the heavy lifting so that you don’t have to! The truth is that this stuff wasn’t as awful as I thought it would be. That being said, I doubt that I’ll be having it again anytime soon. As Danny Glover said in Lethal Weapon…
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Uh, Porcelain God should be capitalized, thank you. Don’t disrespect the Gods or they may rain down buckets of Fireball, Goldschlagger and Jagermeister upon our sinful heads for all of our past drinking transgressions. But honoring the Gods with such a lovely story may spare us their wrath. So, thanks!
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I’ve gotten sloppy drunk on many things throughout my imbibing career, but Fireball, Goldschlagger, and Jagermeister are three things that have never put me over the edge. Then again, I can’t say that I’ve had much of that stuff over the years.
Re: Porcelain Gods, capitalization shall be corrected shortly. Who am I to piss off the Gods?
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I had a shot of this swill at our company holiday party at Fox & Hound. This is definitely a one-trick pony and if you are not a fan of cinnamon I would stay far, far away.
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Yeah. Not much depth. Not awful, but I’m in no rush to have it again.
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