One of Winchester’s most well-known businesses will celebrate another milestone Wednesday.
Eighty-five years ago today, Ale-8-One founder G.L. Wainscott sold the first bottle of the local soft drink. According to a press release from the Ale-8-One Bottling Co., Wainscott was a 20-year veteran of the soft drink industry when he created the Ale-8-One recipe. At the time, Ale-8-One joined a line of products like Roxa Cola, but by 1968, the company dropped the cola to exclusively market Ale-8.
“We’ve got some very loyal customers,” company president Fielding Rogers said. “We really appreciate that. ... We’ve got a lot of people from Winchester that love the product.”
Rogers is the great-great-nephew of Wainscott, and ustill uses Wainscott’s handwritten notes to mix the soft drink, according to a company statement. The technique was passed down from his father, Frank A. “Buddy” Rogers III and his grandfather, Frank A. Rogers Jr.
The company has no official celebrations planned for the day, but the public is invited to share stories about Ale-8-One.
“I’d say it’s producing a qaulity product, serving the customers, and the nostalgia of being Kentucky’s soft drink,” Rogers said of the company’s longevity.
The company also recently introduced caffeine free diet Ale-8-One, and Rogers said marketing efforts will be focused on promoting the new product in the coming months.
The Sandstone Arches Restaurant at Natural Bridge State Resort Park will mark the occasion with a special buffet dinner featuring dishes prepared with Ale-8-One. The dinner is $12.99 per person and begins at 4 p.m.
Eighty-five years ago today, Ale-8-One founder G.L. Wainscott sold the first bottle of the local soft drink. According to a press release from the Ale-8-One Bottling Co., Wainscott was a 20-year veteran of the soft drink industry when he created the Ale-8-One recipe. At the time, Ale-8-One joined a line of products like Roxa Cola, but by 1968, the company dropped the cola to exclusively market Ale-8.
Rogers is the great-great-nephew of Wainscott, and ustill uses Wainscott’s handwritten notes to mix the soft drink, according to a company statement. The technique was passed down from his father, Frank A. “Buddy” Rogers III and his grandfather, Frank A. Rogers Jr.
The company has no official celebrations planned for the day, but the public is invited to share stories about Ale-8-One.
“I’d say it’s producing a qaulity product, serving the customers, and the nostalgia of being Kentucky’s soft drink,” Rogers said of the company’s longevity.
The company also recently introduced caffeine free diet Ale-8-One, and Rogers said marketing efforts will be focused on promoting the new product in the coming months.
The Sandstone Arches Restaurant at Natural Bridge State Resort Park will mark the occasion with a special buffet dinner featuring dishes prepared with Ale-8-One. The dinner is $12.99 per person and begins at 4 p.m.
