Move Over Allen’s … Fireball Is Now Maine’s Favorite Liquor

I never thought in all my years, I would ever see the day when Allen's Coffee Brandy was ever knocked out of the top spot as Maine's most beloved booze. I mean honestly, of myself and all my friends, I guarantee for most of us, Allen's was our first foray into the world of alcohol.

When you start out, a lot of times you just don't have the taste for alcohol. It's bitter, it burns, and it's revolting. So coffee brandy was a way to test the waters without wanting to throw up from the taste. Lord knows most of us all threw up from the effects, but that's whole different tale that we don't need to get into here.

According to the Bangor Daily News, Massachusetts based Allen's had dominated the market since 2004, and likely beyond that. But thanks to some crafty guerrilla-style marketing by New Orleans based Sazerac, the parent company that also owns the famed Dr. McGillicuddy's brand, Fireball has pretty much doubled its sales every year, culminating in more than $10 million in sales last year. Compared to 2013 in Maine where they pulled in less than a million dollars.

A good portion of those Fireball sales came in the from "nips," which are small 50-milliliter bottles that you sadly often seen on the side of the road or in parking lots. They've been quite a controversy in Maine in the past. There was even some talk in state legislature about outlawing the small bottles, as they were thought to contribute to drinking and driving, according to another BDN article.

Who knows if Fireball will have the longevity to keep it up. Times passes, and tastes change. Right now some folks might be seeing coffee brandy as the shag carpet of booze. Others may just want to save a few calories and eliminate the milk. Or, some folks might just like the spicy blast.

Either way, history has been made.