Winchester residents will get the first taste of the official Orange Cream Ale-8 on April 18.

Ale-8-One will first share the orange cream flavor at a fountain release on April 18 at the BP, 1333 Fulton Road, across from Rural King. It will remain on fountain there throughout the summer season.

The flavor will officially hit the shelves in early May, Marketing Director Chris Doyle said.

“We’re super excited,” Doyle said. “We’ve had a great response on social media so far.”

Orange Cream Ale-8 has been in the making for a couple of years; it was one of many flavors with which the company has experimented.

“This one floated to the top,” Doyle said.

Orange Cream is the second new flavor for the company in 93 years. Ale-8 released a cherry flavor last year.

The new Orange Cream Ale-8 has notes of orange and sweet vanilla cream for a distinctive soda, according to a release. It is also only 120 calories.

More than 200 Winchester and Lexington residents have already tasted the new flavor. Some have said it tastes like a dreamsicle.

“It’s made with all sugar, all natural flavors, no artificial colors,” Doyle said. “It’s got this nice, fresh orange flavor and vanilla which it gives it that nostalgic orange cream soda flavor.”

Doyle said the new light and bright drink also complements Ale-8’s secret recipe, as test-tasters said Orange Cream Ale-8 still had that Ale-8 flavor.

Orange Cream Ale-8 will be sold in single-glass bottles in four-packs for under $3 and will be available while supplies last, which Doyle said he estimates would be until the end of summer.

“The orange cream will not be permanent,” he said.

Orange Cream Ale-8 will only be available in some regions of Kentucky, including Lexington, Elizabethtown, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Corbin and southeastern parts of the state.

Retailers that will carry Orange Cream Ale-8 include Kroger, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco and Speedway. Fans can also purchase Orange Cream Ale-8 on the company’s website.

In a news release, Fielding Rogers, the fourth-generation owner of Ale-8, said he used the handwritten notes of the company’s founder George Lee Wainscott when combining the Ale-8 secret recipe with the new orange cream flavor.

“Taking inspiration from Uncle Lee’s innovative spirit, we combined his secret Ale-8-One recipe

with vanilla and orange to recreate a smooth, nostalgic soda — Orange Cream,” Rogers said. “I think he would approve.”

Doyle said Ale-8 fans could expect more limited edition and seasonal flavors in the future. For now, they can look forward to trying Orange Cream Ale-8 soon.

“We are ready for the madness,” he said.