Health concerns over Fireball Whisky

By +Brad Naylor

One of the most popular alcoholic drinks of the last few years, Fireball, has come under scrutiny after claims that it contains chemicals which are harmful to people. Some Scandinavian countries have already banned sales of the Cinnamon Whisky because of it's high levels of propylene glycol, a humectant used in the food and tobacco industry, and a close relative of ethylene glycol, antifreeze.

Fireball - makes you vomit fire

Even though the packaging has been updated, the Fireball recipe has not changed since it was created in 1984. It is not surprising that Fireball is older than most of the people who drink it considering it took so long for the drink to take off, mostly thanks to social media, but partially due to a coincidence involving the song Fireball by Pitbull, which has absolutely nothing to do with Hot Cinnamon Flavored Whisky.

Pitbull has vehemently denied any connection to the Fireball brand, pointing out that he is drinking Voli in the video, a vodka that he has personal ties with. "It's a coincidence that my song was released at the same time that Fireball started to gain traction with the young people. If I had known that it would have had such an influence on their drinking habits, I would have called it 'Voliball' and made some extra money on the side." is what Pitbull may have said if he answered our request for a comment.

Voli, Voli, Voliball

In it's 31 years nobody has shown any ill effects from drinking Fireball, aside from the obvious hazards of overindulging, so why the sudden hoop-la about the dangers of Fireball? The Scandinavians like most countries have stringent rules regarding certain chemicals, and the levels of propylene glycol in Fireball exceed the 'safe' levels defined by their governments.

According to studies conducted in the early 1970's, propylene glycol is 'not that toxic' and has been approved for use as a humectant. More recently propylene glycol has found a use in e-cig fluid. The research from the 70's shows that propylene glycol is only harmful if taken in very large concentrations which would only be possible from intravenous administration, so don't go injecting Fireball.

Scientists have joked that Fireball contains more harmful hydrocarbons than the plastic bottles it ships in, and that the young folk are doing the ecosystem a favor by metabolising the chemicals and turning them into acetic acid, lactic acid, and urine. 

Given the research and the results, why have the US Government not yet banned Fireball in the United States. If it was up to me, I would have it removed from liquor store shelves, not because of health concerns but because it tastes awful. Add to that, the fact that it's chemical make up gives you a really shitty hangover, and you already have enough evidence to protect the 21-30 demographic from making stupid decisions.

In the interest of fair reporting, propylene glycol is present in many other hard liquors and even in non-alcoholic foodstuffs. We chose to pick on Fireball since it's a horrible bastardization of whisky which has opened a Pandora's box of replicants and relatables under the newly created segment of flavored whiskey. In my eyes, and I know most of the STP team agree with me, the only flavor of whiskey which is acceptable is whiskey flavor.

Disclaimer: As a responsible publisher, this post is not intended for persons under the legal drinking age in their country of residence. We are not responsible for giving people the idea of directly injecting fireball or any other alcohol directly into the bloodstream. People have been finding dumb ways to get drunk without drinking for as long as there has been alcohol. Try doing a g**gle search for "butt chugging."

What are your thoughts on Fireball? Have you had it? Do you like it, or do you prefer your whiskey as nature intended? What's your favorite method of getting alcohol into your bloodstream? Share your life story in the comments section below.