BuzzBallz is range of US owned ready to drink cocktail mix currently manufactured by Sazerac Company, Inc. Originally devised as a Master's degree project it was incorporated as BuzzBallz, LLC and markets itself as an woman-owned and family-run business. it was Acquired by Sazerac in 2024. [1] The company manufacturers a wide range of beverages sold domestically and internationally and describes itself as a distillery, winery and brewery in the state of Texas. [2]
Originally devised as a college project by Merrilee Kick in Dallas, Texas while working on a high school teaching degree, the company launched in 2009 and expanded as a family-owned enterprise with assistance from her sons. [3] In a 2016 interview with Forbes , Kick described her difficulties raising money for her business. [4] It was acquired by Sazerac Company, Inc. in 2024. Sazerac is a US owned private company owned by chairman William Holdring with an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion. [5] The concept for the drink originated from the shape of a spherical glass. [3]
The companies drink range has received mixed reviews which are generally favourable in regards to taste [6] [3] [7]
Marcie Seidel of the Drug Free Action Alliance, an Ohio-based substance abuse prevention group, described the 20% alcohol content (40 proof) of the cocktails to be "really scary" and said that the packaging, which targets young people, is concerning for them. The drink also attracts controversy from various substance abuse prevention groups for it's promotion of drinking around water activities, marketing focus towards Gen Z, bright colours, bright labels and designs which are attractive to children. [8] Buzzballs are regarded as an alcopop or hard liquor in some juristictions and it's sale is restricted or prohibited to prevent underage drinking and problem drinking. Complaints in the US in regards to it's underage appeal have been dismissed as the labels contain all the legally required information. [9] Schools have reported buzzballs as being a product of abuse favoured by students, and questions have been raised over the products intended market. Retailers in the US often choose to stock the drinks behind shelves to prevent direct access by underaged persons.
Matt Merkin of Liquor.com described the cocktails as "strong, cheap and ... a lot of fun" and the line of products to have created "an underground drinking phenomenon", stating that they have "colorful containers and equally colorful names". [10]
Canadian whisky is a type of whisky produced in Canada. Most Canadian whiskies are blended multi-grain liquors containing a large percentage of corn spirits, and are typically lighter and smoother than other whisky styles. When Canadian distillers began adding small amounts of highly-flavourful rye grain to their mashes, people began demanding this new rye-flavoured whisky, referring to it simply as "rye". Today, as for the past two centuries, the terms "rye whisky" and "Canadian whisky" are used interchangeably in Canada and refer to exactly the same product, which generally is made with only a small amount of rye grain.
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a Canadian multinational conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Originally a distiller of Canadian whisky based in Waterloo, Ontario, it was in the 1990s the largest owner of alcoholic beverage brands in the world.
The Sazerac is a local variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail originally from New Orleans, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac brandy that served as its original main ingredient. The drink is most traditionally a combination of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters, and sugar, although bourbon whiskey is sometimes substituted for the rye and Herbsaint is sometimes substituted for the absinthe. Some claim it is the oldest known American cocktail, with origins in antebellum New Orleans, although drink historian David Wondrich is among those who dispute this, and American instances of published usage of the word cocktail to describe a mixture of spirits, bitters, and sugar can be traced to the dawn of the 19th century.
A bitters is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now are sold as digestifs, sometimes with herbal properties, and as cocktail flavorings.
Diageo plc is a British multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits. Distilleries owned by Diageo produce 40 percent of all Scotch whisky with over 24 brands, such as Johnnie Walker, J&B and Old Parr.
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private family-owned and -operated American distillery, founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a variety of other distilled spirits.
Southern Comfort is an American, naturally fruit-flavored, whiskey liqueur with fruit and spice accents. The brand was created by bartender Martin Wilkes Heron in New Orleans in 1874, using whiskey as the base spirit. Whiskey was replaced by a neutral spirit under the ownership of Brown–Forman. On March 1, 2016, the Sazerac Company purchased it, and reintroduced whiskey as its base spirit.
Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countries, denatured alcohol or denatured rectified spirit may commonly be available as "rectified spirit", because in some countries the retail sale of rectified alcohol in its non-denatured form is prohibited.
Brown–Forman Corporation is an American-based family-owned company, one of the largest in the spirits and wine business. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, it manufactures several very well known brands throughout the world, including Jack Daniel's, Old Forester, Woodford Reserve, GlenDronach, BenRiach, Glenglassaugh, Herradura, Korbel, and Chambord. Brown–Forman formerly owned Southern Comfort and Tuaca before selling them off in 2016.
Yukon Jack is a liqueur, made from Canadian whisky and honey. It is named after the pioneer Leroy Napoleon 'Jack' McQuesten. In Canada, it is 40% alcohol by volume, whereas in the United States, it is 50% ABV. The origin of the liqueur is unknown, but it was advertised in Maryland in the United States as early as 1946, later imported by Heublein Inc in the 1970s. It is now owned by the Sazerac Company. Yukon Jack was selected as the regimental liqueur used for special occasions and commemorations for the South Alberta Light Horse and the 19th Alberta Dragoons.
Mr. Boston, previously Old Mr. Boston, was a distillery located at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1933 to 1986. It produced its own label of gin, bourbon, rum, and brandies, as well as a few cordials and liqueurs.
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority is one of the eleven public safety agencies under the Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth. The agency administers the state's ABC laws. ABC stores are the only retail outlets in Virginia where customers may purchase distilled spirits. The profits that Virginia ABC contributes are collected from sales of distilled spirits at ABC stores, taxes collected on beer and wine sales, violation penalties and license fees. Since its establishment in 1934, Virginia ABC has contributed more than $9 billion to the Commonwealth's general fund. Virginia ABC employs more than 4,000 people statewide.
Everclear is an American brand name of a line of rectified spirit produced by the American company Luxco. It is made from grain and is bottled at 60%, 75.5%, 94.5% and 95% alcohol by volume. It has been produced since the 1920s and was trademarked in 1950. This drink is usually used for college parties or by daring mixologists. Due to its market prevalence and having one of the highest alcohol contents of any beverage, the product has become iconic with a "notorious reputation" in popular culture. Sale of the 190-proof variant is prohibited in some states, which led Luxco to start selling the 189-proof version.
Firefly Distillery is a company located near Park Circle North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It produces a line of alcoholic beverages and licenses its brand name to the Sazerac Company for its Sweet Tea Vodka.
Goldschläger is a Swiss cinnamon schnapps, a liqueur with very thin, yet visible flakes of 24-karat gold floating in it. The actual amount of gold has been measured at approximately 13 milligrams in a one-litre bottle. As of January 2021, this amounts to €0.66/US$0.75 on the international gold market.
Heublein Inc. was an American producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages and food throughout the 20th century. During the 1960s and 1970s its stock was regarded as one of the most stable financial investments, earning it inclusion in the Nifty Fifty.
Sazerac Company, Inc. is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. As of 2017, it operated nine distilleries, had 2,000 employees, and operated in 112 countries. It is one of the two largest spirits companies in the United States, with annual revenue of about $1 billion made from selling about 300 beverage brands.
Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is a liqueur produced by the Sazerac Company. It is a mixture of a Canadian whisky base with cinnamon flavoring and sweeteners, and is bottled at 33% alcohol by volume.
Desi daru, also known as country liquor or Indian-made Indian liquor (IMIL), is a local category of liquor produced on the Indian subcontinent, as opposed to Indian-made foreign liquor. Due to cheap prices, country liquor is the most popular alcoholic beverage among the impoverished people. It is fermented and distilled from molasses, a by-product of sugarcane. Desi liquor is a broad term and it can include both legally and illegally made local alcohol. The term desi daru usually refers to legal alcohol while other types of country liquor may be categorised as moonshine alcohol.
Ricard is a pastis, an anise and licorice-flavored apéritif, created by Marseille native Paul Ricard in 1932, who marketed it as the "true pastis from Marseille".