“Scotland’s other national drink”
January 16th, 2008
In 1901 the Scottish company A. G. Barr developed a new caffeinated soft drink with a wonderfully radioactive looking orange glow, Iron Brew. Its formula remains a closely guarded secret - only two people in the company know it (the formula is kept in a bank vault) - but apparently it’s made “from iron girders”, hence the rusty colour, and great for young men who feel the need to add a bit of iron to their muscles.
In 1946, proposed new food labelling regulations (now where have we heard that before) stipulated that brand names should be ‘literally true’. Barr’s Iron Brew did contain iron (from the girders of course) but was not brewed, so a new spelling evolved and Irn Bru was born.
Today it’s probably the best selling soft drink in Scotland, one of the few countries where another drink outsells Coca Cola, and is known as “Scotland’s other national drink”, the other being whisky of course. Personally I think of the experience as delightfully sweet bubblegum mouthwash. That’s not the whisky, in case you wondered. 
I have been known to indulge in a wee dram of both our national drinks. Both offer a distinctive sensation for your tastebuds, one warms the cockles of your heart from top to toe, while the other delicately washes down your pie and chips. Make up your own mind.
And don’t forget to try two other Scottish icons, Tunnocks Caramel Wafers and Tunnocks Tea Cakes (they deserve their upper case status). The Tea Cakes come wrapped individually in silver foil with groovy red radiating stripes and shout “eat me” as your mouth starts to salivate. More tastebud sensations, and available nearly 
everywhere including Saudi Arabia apparently (but why go there when you can eat them in Scotland?).
Have you had your Tea Cake and bubblegum mouthwash today? Don’t leave Scotland without them.
Entry Filed under: Scotland, Scotland news, Scotland's food & drink
7 Comments Add your own
1. Liz, New York | January 17th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Didn’t try the iron bru but the tea cakes, oooh, always want another, just like the Scottish men. Hard to find here, tea cakes too, but well worth the wait. Need to come back.
2. Paul, Ireland | January 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
I have a friend from Edinburgh who swears that warmed Irn Bru is a great cure for when you have the flu. I must admit I could never acquire a taste for the stuff myself hot or cold - I much prefer the whiskey oops - whisky!
3. Douglas Hart | January 25th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
How about this Paul? Next time you feel a cold coming on, warm your whisky, add coffee & brown sugar, float some double cream on top and sit back and feel better. On the other hand, why wait for a cold? There’s much to be said for preventative medicine.
Now I know you could use some other substances instead of good Scotch whisky (why would you of course?), and we could argue over who invented Gaelic or Irish coffee first, but I don’t think there could be any doubt about who invented Irn Bru & whisky with coffee, sugar & cream.
Don’t try this at home - professionals only!
4. myguideScotland expert&hellip | February 5th, 2009 at 11:07 am
[...] Scottish government guidelines say haggis is nutritionally sound enough to serve once a week for school lunches (perhaps that is why so many Scots have ginger hair, or maybe that’s the Irn Bru?). [...]
5. Irortevenomof | November 27th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Truthful words, some truthful words man. Made my day!
6. Dentists Glendale | December 22nd, 2009 at 7:10 am
They have really unique flavor! I want to try their tea cake. Their bubblegum mouthwash looks interesting too. I think I want to go there and experience those.
7. SEO Company | January 29th, 2010 at 3:26 am
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