Ale-8-One

Ale-8-One, known colloquially as Ale-8 or Ale 81, is a regional ginger ale-like soft drink, distributed only in Kentucky and portions of neighboring US states Indiana and Ohio. Bottled in small-town Winchester, Kentucky since 1926, the champagne-colored drink was concocted by G.L. Wainscott, who had been experimenting with carbonated beverages since 1902.

In a contest to name the drink, "A Late One" was chosen as the winning entry. Wainscott conceived the name "Ale-8-One" and the logo as a pun, suggesting that the drink was "the latest thing" in soft drinks.

Long available only in Kentucky, in April 2002 the Ale-8-One Bottling Company expanded its distribution to areas of Ohio and Indiana through an agreement with Coca-Cola Enterprises. In 2003 the company announced limited distribution of Diet Ale 8, their first new product since the invention of the original.

Despite persistent local rumors of a buy-out by beverage giant Coca-Cola, Ale-8-One continues to be a small, family-owned enterprise. The current president is Wainscott's great-nephew, Frank A. Rogers, III.

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