Ale-8-One is a regional cult beverage that Cincinnatians aren’t afraid to go cuckoo over. The Winchester, Kentucky soda has been sold in a nostalgic green glass bottle since the 1920s and it is, still, the only soft drink invented in Kentucky. It tastes kind of like ginger ale and Sprite had a baby? It’s also less bubbly and less bad for you than other sodas — well, it has less calories, at least.
But last spring, the company introduced its first new flavor in 92 years: Cherry Ale-8-One. Cherry Ale-8-One is made with real cherries, contains no artificial colors or sweeteners and has only 120 calories per 12-ounce serving. And each batch is hand blended by owner Fielding Rogers, great-great nephew of Ale-8-One founder and soda inventor G.L. Wainscott.
“Uncle Lee had notoriously high standards, and we feel sure he would be proud of what we have created with Cherry Ale-8,” said Rogers in a press release, referring to uncle Wainscott. “As a proud family-owned company, we had to be confident that any new flavor was ‘Wainscott Worthy’ before we offered it to our fans.”
After a successful run in Kentucky, the company is introducing it to the Cincinnati market, specifically in Kroger stores.
“We are very excited that Kroger has shown confidence in our family-crafted beverages and made them available to its customers,” said Ale-8-One president and chief operating officer Ellen McGeeney in the same release. “As our company grows and adds new products, we will continue to remain committed to our high-quality standards and company values that have been so important to us for nearly a century.”
Six packs ($3.99) of the clear-bottled red soda are now available in select Kroger stores across the Greater Cincinnati area.
Learn more about Ale-8-One at ale8one.com.
This article appears in Jan 16-23, 2019.