Ale-8-One facts for kids
Official Ale-8-One Logo
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| Type | Soft drink |
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| Manufacturer | Ale-8-One Bottling Company, Inc. |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Introduced | 1926, 99 years ago |
| Flavor | Ginger ale/citrus |
| Variants |
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Ale-8-One, often called Ale-8, is a popular soft drink. It tastes like ginger and citrus fruits. You can mostly find it in stores across Kentucky. It is bottled by the Ale-8-One Bottling Company in Winchester, Kentucky.
Contents
How Ale-8-One Started
The recipe for Ale-8-One was created by G. L. Wainscott. He was a soda maker in the 1920s. Wainscott had been making soda in Winchester, Kentucky since 1902. His first main drink was Roxa-Kola, made in 1906.
When making Ale-8-One, Wainscott used ideas from ginger recipes. He learned these recipes in northern Europe.
Choosing the Name
Wainscott started bottling Ale-8-One in 1926. He held a contest to pick a name for the new drink. The winning name was "A Late One." The name "Ale-8-One" is a clever play on words. It means the drink was "the latest thing" in soft drinks.
Growing the Company
In 1935, Wainscott bought a stable in Winchester. He turned it into a bottling factory. This helped him make more soda.
When Wainscott passed away in 1944, his company was split. Half went to his wife, and the other half to his employees. In 1954, his wife's share went to her brother, Frank A. Rogers Sr.
Rogers bought the rest of the company in 1962. He then created the Ale-8-One Bottling Company. He made his son, Frank Rogers Jr., the manager.
New Factory and Focus
The Ale-8-One Bottling Company built a new factory in Winchester in 1965. They stopped making Roxa-Kola in 1968. (But it will return in October 2023!) By 1974, they stopped making all other drinks. They wanted to focus only on Ale-8-One. The Rogers family still owns and runs the company today.
What's in Ale-8-One?
The recipe for Ale-8 is a very old family secret. Only two people know the exact ingredients. These are Frank A. Rogers III, a former company president, and his oldest son, Fielding Rogers, the current president. Scientists have found that Ale-8 has less caffeine. It has less than popular sodas like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or Mountain Dew.
Different Kinds of Ale-8
In 2003, the company released Diet Ale-8. This was their first new product since 1926! Diet Ale-8 was renamed Ale-8 Zero Sugar in 2020. It has 44 mg of caffeine and no sugar. It uses special sweeteners called acesulfame potassium and sucralose.
More Zero Sugar Options
Caffeine Free Diet Ale 8 came out in March 2011. It is now called Caffeine Free Ale-8 Zero Sugar. This version has no caffeine and is sweetened with Splenda.
New Flavors
In 2018, Cherry Ale 8 was released. This was the first flavored Ale-8-One. It first came out in soda fountains. Later, you could buy it in bottles. A zero-sugar version of Cherry Ale-8 came out in 2020.
In April 2019, Ale-8-One announced a new orange cream soda flavor. It became available in May that year. In May 2022, Blackberry Ale-8 was released in bottles. Peach Ale-8 came out in May 2023 as a special limited edition.
In 2023, the company announced that Roxa-Kola would return. It had not been made for 55 years! This limited edition celebrates the company's 121st birthday.
Where to Find Ale-8
For many years, you could only find Ale-8 in central and eastern Kentucky. In April 2001, the company started selling it in southern Ohio and southern Indiana. This happened through a deal with Coca-Cola Enterprises. Later, they added eastern Tennessee and parts of western Virginia. You can also find it in some areas of West Virginia.
In July 2015, Ale-8 planned to sell its drinks in Indianapolis.
Across the Country
In 2016, Cracker Barrel restaurants started selling Ale-8 nationwide. In 2017, The Fresh Market stores also began selling Ale-8 and Diet Ale-8. You can find them in stores across the eastern and Midwestern United States.
Other Products
In 2006, the Ale-8-One Bottling Company introduced Ale-8-One Salsa. It started as an experiment. But it became a regular item at Kroger stores and online. A student from Sullivan University inspired the salsa. They won a contest by making a salsa dish using the soft drink. This contest celebrated the company's 80th anniversary. Soon after, Ale-8-One Barbecue Sauce was also released.
See Also
- Craft soda
