Vernors, in my opinoin, is absolutely unlike other American
ginger ales. You can actually taste the
ginger and spices, as opposed to that vague
lemony taste of brands such as Canada Dry and Schweppes. As a testimony to this, it is indeed true that many Vernors virgins, as well as the occasional experienced user, fall into
coughing and
sneezing fits upon taking that first sip.
Vernors originated in Detroit, and to this day is only sporadically available outside Michigan and a few nearby states. Originally it was even more of a local operation than it is now. Cans from when my father was growing up in the 50s bragged that the ginger ale was "Aged Four Years in Oak Barrels." Sometime later he remembers that the text was subtly changed to "Aged For years in Oak Barrels," indicating that they were already skimping on that oak barrel time.
I suspect that there are no longer any oak barrels - nor time spans beyond hours - involved in the process of making Vernors from carbonated water, corn syrup, and natural flavors, and there probably haven't been for the extent of my lifetime, but its still a first rate soft drink as those go.