There is no whiskey in small bottles with Fireball. Now the company is being sued : NPR
Smaller bottles of Fireball do not contain whisky, but a mixture of malt liquor, wine and other flavors and colors. Customers are suing the company for fraud, alleging that the packaging is misleading.
US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
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US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Smaller bottles of Fireball do not contain whisky, but a mixture of malt liquor, wine and other flavors and colors. Customers are suing the company for fraud, alleging that the packaging is misleading.
US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Consumers are suing the Sazerac Company, Inc., makers of Fireball whiskey, for fraud and misrepresentation, as the mini bottles of the alcoholic beverage do not actually contain whiskey.
The smaller bottles, called Fireball Cinnamon, are made from a blend of malt liquor and wine, while the whiskey-based products are called Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey, according to the company’s website.
The 99-cent bottles are sold in 170,000 stores, including gas stations and convenience stores, leaving some customers wondering what products they believed to contain liquor did there, the complaint said.
Upon closer inspection, customers realized the product description was “malt beverage with natural whiskey and other flavors and caramel color,” insinuating whiskey is an ingredient used in the drink, when it actually uses whiskey flavor, according to the class action, which was filed earlier this month in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (cq).
“What the label means to say is that the product contains ‘natural whiskey flavors and other flavors,’ but by not including the word ‘flavors’ after ‘natural whiskey,’ buyers who look closely will expect that the distilled spirit of whiskey was added as a own ingredient”, says the complaint.
The lawsuit further states that given the shortage of whiskey, 99 cents for a 1.7 fluid ounce bottle is overpriced.
The Sazerac Company was not immediately available for comment.
