re: The most popular liquor in every state - Business Insider

It used to be when you would go ice fishing or ice skating or tailgating in late fall or any other outdoor cold weather activity up north here you would drink schnapps or blackberry brandy. Then when Jagermeister came around people started drinking that. Fireball is just an extension of that pastime. If you keep in mind that cinnamon or peppermint schnapps (30 proof, sweet shots) were popular then it is no surprise that something like Fireball is also popular. Also, when you are doing those outdoor winter activities you want to take a shot of something that will warm you up a bit, not knock you out like a high proof whiskey, that is why the lower proof is better for those activities, so you don't end up freezing to death, passed out in a snowbank.

So once you start drinking that stuff in the wintertime it is only natural you will come to like it and end up throwing a bottle of it in the cooler for when you go out boating or fishing, or to just pass around while your having a few beers with the guys.

Hence the popularity of Fireball up north here.