Ale-8 has been quenching Kentuckians’ thirsts for years. But what flavor is best?

It’s the official soft drink of the Commonwealth of Kentucky (no, really it is) and just a crowd favorite everywhere you go in our fine state: Ale-8-One.

This ginger and citrus-flavored soft drink, or soda or pop depending on your preference, has been quenching the thirst of Kentuckians for nearly 100 years. While not the official state drink of Kentucky, that honor goes to milk (again, really), Ale-8 is a beloved beverage bedrock that has seen many different varieties over the years.

You’ve got the classic Ale-8, cherry Ale-8, orange cream soda, blackberry and most recently peach. Of course, this begs the inevitable question: Which flavor is the best?

We can all agree that in terms of regional pops, Ale-8 is the superior one; apologies to any Cheer Wine aficionados reading this. Yet with an expanding flavor palette the question must be asked and we here at the Lexington Herald-Leader are posing that question to you, our dear readers.

Tell us your favorite Ale-8 flavor in our poll below. You can vote as many times as you’d like because remember that this is just for fun and is not a scientific poll by any means.

While not different flavor variety, per say, a separate option will be included for the diet Ale-8, which is caffeine free and contains no sugar.

May the best flavor persevere for many more years to come.

This story was originally published May 23, 2023 at 6:00 AM.

Andrew Henderson

Lexington Herald-Leader

Andrew is the deputy audience editor for McClatchy’s mid-sized and smaller newsrooms. His home newsroom is the Lexington Herald-Leader and he occasionally writes opinion columns for the paper. He was previously the editor of the Oldham Era and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. Andrew is from Olive Hill in Carter County.