Fireball is about the farthest you can get from tasting any trace of alcohol but still feeling the effects. It is one of the most successful liquor brands around and brings in more sales than Patrón. In the United States alone, it brings in over $61 million annually. However, this liquor is quickly losing its appeal after people discovered that it contains an ingredient also used in anti-freeze.
Propylene glycol is used to make Fireball taste sweeter, but it has a wide variety of completely unrelated uses as well. It can be found in tons of things such as medicine, hair products, and non-toxic anti-freeze. There is a strong debate over the possible health risks of propylene glycol. The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry claims that it can have “toxic effects in some circumstances" but it is being used in a “less toxic alternative called ethylene glycol." Furthermore, the FDA has declared propylene glycol as “generally safe," but it is hard not to question how it is safe to drink something that is also used in anti-freeze.
Although the U.S. doesn’t seem to have a problem with this, Europe isn’t so trusting. Norway, Sweden and Finland have all recalled Fireball completely because the amount of propylene glycol does not comply with their health standards. However, Fireball only contains one-eighth of the amount of the chemical allowed by the FDA in America.
Fireball is very popular in the United States, especially among college kids. It is one of the sweetest alcohols out there, but there is something unnatural about how the taste of alcohol can be completely masked by that insanely strong cinnamon taste. The recall in Europe has people questioning just how safe the ingredients are in Fireball. If three countries have completely discontinued the selling and consuming of Fireball, it is at least worth looking in to. However, if the company were to remove some of the propylene glycol, the brand would quickly lose its promise in their slogan “tastes like heaven, burns like hell."
Although Europe has taken a stand against the high amount of propylene glycol in Fireball, the United States does not seem to be in agreement. There has been no indication that they plan on recalling Fireball from store shelves anytime soon. This may seem like good news for the Fireball brand, but once word spreads that Europe finds this drink unsafe, people in America might start joining in on the strike. Either way, the word is out.
