Kentuckys best kept secret Ale-8-One

[dave ziegler]

Having gone to Kentucky many times when my Mom was living I found a wonderful Kentucky best kept secret back then Ale-8-one Ginger Ale it is just wonderful with Bourbon! It is a special Ginger Ale only made in Winchester KY made since 1926 it is a mix of fruit flavors and ginger and with Whiskey it is just awesome. I was lucky enough to have someone bring me some last summer after years and been using it since! So not only do great Whiskies come from KY but also an amazing Ginger Ale. I first found it back in the early 1980's and always brought some home. If you Live there give it a try as the soda you use to mix!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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[jburlowski]

And it's great on its own, as well.

[ggilbertva]

Dave,

I picked up some of the Ale-8-one on the recommendation from Chuck Cowdry. Another great ginger ale is Blenheim's. There's diet, regular and spicy. the spicy is very strong and goes very well with a higher proof rye.

[craigthom]

I'm a big fan of Blenheim's, too. I like the current product, but it's probably my imagination that it was better before the South of the Border folks bought it and put it in those tall clear bottles.

[BourbonJoe]

We were going to pick some up while in Kentucky, especially since Smokinjoe told us where we could get it......but we forgot. Next time.

Joe :usflag:

[smokinjoe]

Don't forget, that if you have a real hankerin' for it, you can order it from their website.

[Lost Pollito]

Having grown up in the bluegrass, I always have a hankerin for some ale-8. I may have to order some. Thanks for the tip Joe.

[boone]

Don't forget, that if you have a real hankerin' for it, you can order it from their website.

Ale-8-One was on the "to get" list to be included in the Kentucky Drawl table during the BTOTY competition....

Well...I'm not a big fan of ginger ale so I just assumed that it would be on my grocery store shelf...Wrong...New Haven had none...Bardstown Wal-Mart and Kroger had none...Elizabethtown, Kroger and Wal-Mart had none...same with Hillview none at Wal-Mart and Kroger After all those rounds I decided to let it go...

I see that it's bottled in Winchester, KY http://ale8one.com/..

[dave ziegler]

Ale-8-One was on the "to get" list to be included in the Kentucky Drawl table during the BTOTY competition....

Well...I'm not a big fan of ginger ale so I just assumed that it would be on my grocery store shelf...Wrong...New Haven had none...Bardstown Wal-Mart and Kroger had none...Elizabethtown, Kroger and Wal-Mart had none...same with Hillview none at Wal-Mart and Kroger After all those rounds I decided to let it go...

I see that it's bottled in Winchester, KY http://ale8one.com/..

Bettye Jo it is awesome Ginger Ale all the years I have not been to KY I have remembered it well My boss was down Last yr and got me some it is a Product of Winchester Ky only and a true KY secret! Also wanted to say again How Much I love your Evan Williams Egg Nog I will be getting a case of it again this year went through 1 1/2 cases last 10 months! I like it with Beer and the Bourbon Flavor just jumps out! Another Great product from Heaven Hills!

Dave Z

Old Hickory America's Most Magnificent Bourbon

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[boone]

We just finished a 21,000 case order of egg nogg last night...We've been pumping it out in mass quantities...We can't keep up...next week we start 12 hour shifts ... plus Saturday. No life, till we catch up

[shoshani]

I grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, and for a period of time...I'm wanting to say 1978 to 1988 or so...Ale-8-One was bottled by our local family-owned Coca-Cola bottler (remember those? ) under an agreement with the folks in Winchester. We even had a mix of older "It GLORIFIES!" bottles with the newer style. I think that was the first and only time Ale-8-One ever left its home territory.

Here in Chicago we are fortunate to have that Detroit specialty, Vernors. It's also a ginger ale, but of the fruity/spicy/peppery variety rather than the dry variety. Vernors is good, but is improved with a splash of Baby Saz. (Baby Saz also improves Barq's; in both cases there is an affinity between the two flavors that just meshes so nicely.)

Yeah, putting good whisky into soda pop is sacrilegious, but I've been a reprobate since I first noted an affinity between root beer and Bonded Old Forester back in the 1980s ...

[BourbonJoe]

We just finished a 21,000 case order of egg nogg last night...We've been pumping it out in mass quantities...We can't keep up...next week we start 12 hour shifts ... plus Saturday. No life, till we catch up

Hang in there BettyeJo. I'd rather work overtime than have no work and be cut back to 4 days. Besides that's why God invented Bourbon.

Joe

[craigthom]

I like my ginger ale hot and dry. I haven't found a brand other than Blenheim that really impresses me.

I can bring some Ale-8-One down next year. I know they've got it at Meijer. I think they have it at the Krogers here.

[cowdery]

Kroger's in Louisville always has it, although I haven't been able to find the cans lately, only the bottles. Liquor Barn usually has it too.

It used to be there were quite a few bourbons that I couldn't get in Chicago, so I would get them on my trips to Kentucky and often returned with a trunk full of whiskey. Now I can get almost everything here. I still usually pick up a bottle or two of something there, but the rest of my trunk is full of Ale-8-One. I now have some local friends hooked and I have to supply them too.

I would like to try some Blenheim because my only complaint with Ale-8-One, Vernors, and the ubiquitous Canada Dry is that none of them have that real sharp ginger flavor and once in a while I like a ginger ale with bite.

There are a few artisan soft drink makers, like Jones, although I've not found one, including Jones, that impressed me very much. I think there would be a market for a line that had more challenging flavors and less sweetness. Rather than drink a soft drink that contains artificial sweetener I'd prefer to drink one that has more flavor and simply less sweetener. Soft drinks for grown-ups, if you will.

[smokinjoe]

I picked up some more Ale-8-One at KBF last month. I do enjoy it with a hardy rye. Recently, I've been diggin' Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale. You talk about a bite. This thing will make you start coughing, if you're not careful. I've got one brewing with a Jim Beam Black right now, and it is terrific. I don't mix my bourbon or rye with anything too often. But, between Ale-8-One and Red Rock, I have two great mixers when I do.

[ThomasH]

Hang in there Bettye Jo. I worked almost solid 6 day weeks from Jan. 2002 until the Jan. 2008. My plant is now on 24/7 continuous operation with no let up in sight. Be thankful you work for a company that makes a product that is very much in demand. I once spent 9 months on layoff and while I never missed a meal or house payment, staying busy is much better. Nowadays, I still never miss a meal but no longer make house payments!

Thomas

[pepcycle]

My first two experiences with Ale-8-One ( A Late One ) happened while I was bicycle riding. A New Yorker in KY, I surely did not "blend" while biking the countryside in my Spandex bike shorts.

Seems the empty Ale-8-One bottle is the preferred Redneck projectile during bicycle rider hunting season.

I wasn't hit but I could hear the laughter of the pickup's occupants as the bottle went sailing by my head.

Over the next 11 years, I noticed thousands and thousands of broken Ale-8-One bottles on the side of the road.

I finally tried the stuff and its a little on the fruity-sweet side for a ginger ale.

I religiously wear a bike helmet when I ride. Never realized it would be more for protection against thrown objects than bustin' my skull on the pavement.

This ranks right up there with avoiding bullets during road sign hunting season.

The more numbers there are in a KY route number, the more ventilated the road signs are.

[barturtle]

This ranks right up there with avoiding bullets during road sign hunting season.

The more numbers there are in a KY route number, the more ventilated the road signs are.

The ones that actually mark a bicycle lane are quite pourous as well.:hot:

[TBoner]

I would like to try some Blenheim because my only complaint with Ale-8-One, Vernors, and the ubiquitous Canada Dry is that none of them have that real sharp ginger flavor and once in a while I like a ginger ale with bite.

Chuck, among the artisans you've sampled, have you tried Sprecher? While I stock Vernor's at all times, when I can get it, I buy Sprecher by the case. It's sharp and has true ginger flavor (and ginger sediment in the bottom of the bottle). Unfortunately, it's not always available in TX (and Canada Dry, et al. are far from ubiquitous here: one of my favorite things about northern cities is the ability to walk into any convenience store and buy a 20 oz. of ginger ale. Never seen one in a TX Quick-E-Mart).

Regards,

[cowdery]

About the c-stores, I have even picked up some acceptable generic ginger ales, although the generic sold by Jewel-Osco, the big supermarket chain in Chicago, is awful. I've never seen Sprecher. I'm also a fan of a good root beer and there is a good one here sold under the Berghoff brand. (the Berghoff is a local German restaurant and bar.) We also get Schweppes here, which is okay. I need to check at Binny's or Treasure Island, where they have more artisan products. The other thing, though, is it kills me to spend $5 for a six-pack of ginger ale, although Ale-8-One is, I think, $3.79, and I never hesitate to buy as much as I can carry.

[ggilbertva]

Another brand to try is Goya. Their ginger ale has a similar spice to Blenheim's although not as much kick but definately some ginger spice. A local favorite of mine is Old Dominion...not much spice but good flavor with a mid shelf rye like Rittenhouse or Fighting Cock.

[pepcycle]

I'm a big fan of Old Dominion beers. I didn't know they had a ginger beer.

This is a must for me.

My brother will be down in Norther Va this weekend.

I'll have him pick up a 6 pack for his house watcher.

[callmeox]

Ahhh, Sunova Beach. I was going to grab some Ale-8-One when I was at the KBF. Dangit.

[Rob K]

Is Ale-8-One actually a ginger ale? It's not labeled that way anywhere I can find.

Health food stores are a good source for good ginger ale. I love Reeds Extra Ginger Brew.

[cowdery]

The words "ginger ale" do not appear on the label. It is described merely as a "soft drink" but the recipe is described as "a combination of ginger and fruit."