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Beverage Day
"🎶 There was Pepsi, Coke and Vimto,
Ginger Beer and Lemonade
But when they asked me "whit d'ye want"
This is what A said:
Irn Bru, Irn Bru
Built ye up, when ye grew
It's the only thing to do
Drink Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru"
~ Irn Bru, Scocha, 2011
Feeling a bit peckish? There’s nothing quite like a Tunnock’s Tea Cake—and only one proper thing to wash it down with: Irn-Bru, Scotland’s famously cheeky “second favourite drink.”
And now, thanks to this iconically coloured tartan, there’s always the option of kilting up and making the sort of entrance that doesn’t go unnoticed, with colours that call to mind something fruity, fizzy, and lightly spiced.
The story behind this quintessential Scottish soda is a bit more winding than expected. An early version, called Ironbrew, appeared in the United States in 1889, marketed as “the ideal American drink,” with a dark color not unlike its rival, Coca-Cola. By 1898, “Iron Brew” had made its way to Britain via London’s Stevenson & Howell, complete with a memorable strongman trademark—more a general symbol of strength than something tied to any one maker.
Not long after, A.G. Barr produced its own version, built on a distinctive recipe that would ultimately outlast the rest. As the years passed and Irn-Bru became the enduring name, earlier imagery and associations gradually settled around it, even if they did not begin there.
Origins aside, today’s Irn-Bru's flavour profile is rather hard to describe. Common flavor descriptions often mention:
Citrus-forward – often compared to orange soda, though less obvious and more blended
Sweet, almost candy-like – a bright, sugary profile that doesn’t lean too heavy or syrupy
Subtle spice or ginger note – some detect a faint warmth, similar to very mild ginger or spice
Bubblegum / cream soda hints – especially in the aftertaste
Slight metallic tang – not unpleasant, but part of that “iron girders” mystique
As they say, Irn-Bru gets you through! 🧡 💙 🤍 🥤 🥤 🥤
The number one soft drink in Scotland is Irn-Bru, which has its own special tartan based on its brand label.
Designed in 1969 as the Barr tartan (referencing Irn-Bru manufacturer A.G. Barr), by Howe design, it was redesigned in 1996/97 by Kinloch Anderson and the name changed to Irn Bru.
The current ‘Irn-Bru’ trademark was first registered in 1946, and the tagline ‘Made in Scotland from girders’ (hinting at its rusty coloring) was used to sell Irn-Bru for several years throughout the 1980s.
Though the ‘girders’ were often thought to be a reference to the ‘rust’ colour of the drink, Irn-Bru does in fact have 0.002 per cent ammonium ferric citrate listed among its ingredients – a food additive containing iron hydroxide.
Allegedly, only three people in the whole world reportedly know the recipe for making Irn-Bru, which supposedly contains 32 ingredients/flavours!
The keeper of the recipe, Robin Barr has revealed that most of the secret recipe ingredients come from India – which is why the mascot in the early days was a little Indian boy called Ba Bru, inspired by the character of ‘Sabu’ in Rudyard Kipling’s book ‘Sabu The Elephant Boy’.
Many people experience the drink as as a combination of "bubblegum," "barley sugars", "citrus," and "bitter" notes (quinine), though even referring to the flavour as "bubblegum" is a controversial topic.
In 2018 as a result of a sugar tax levied on soft drink manufacturers, Irn-Bru will change its secret recipe!
Regardless, you can track your Irn-Bru relationship through you memory of its advertising slogans:'Scotland's Other National Drink', 'The Soft Drink for Hard Men', 'Made in Scotland from Girders', 'Phenomenal', and most recently in 2012, 'Irn-Bru gets you through'.
For a gallery of the different labeling throughout the years, click the Irn-Bru bottles of today.
And should you want to sing the entire Irn Bru song by Stephen Clark with all verses here it is:
When A was wee the kids would ask for ginger when they played
For that's the name they gave to every drink they ever made
There was Pepsi, Coke and Vimto, Ginger Beer and Lemonade
But when they asked me "whit d'ye want" This is what A said
Irn Bru, Irn Bru
Built ye up, when ye grew
Its the only thing to do
Drink
Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru
When yer aulder its a different kind o drink ye want to sip
Ye'll settle for a pint or three and finish wi a nip
When ye wake up in the morning and yer face is turning green
Ye need the greatest pick me up the world has ever seen
Irn Bru, Irn Bru
Picks ye up, when yer foo
Its the only thing to do
Drink
Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru
And when yer in the twilight years, an' getting auld an' grey
Some folk wull eat an aipple juist to keep the doc away
They say the tune is sweeter on an aulder violin
An a wee bit amber nectar gets ye jumpin' oot yer skin
Irn Bru, Irn Bru
Makes ye feel, brand new
Its the only thing to do
Take a swig, dance a jig any time ye like
On a train, in a plane, even on yer bike
Its hard ti beat, it tastes as sweet Scotland when they score
Its in the veins o Hampden when the Tartan Army roar
Irn Bru, Irn Bru
Built ye up, when ye grew
Its the only thing to do
Drink
Irn Bru, Irn Bru
Picks ye up, when yer foo
Its the only thing to do
Drink
Irn Bru, Irn Bru
Makes ye feel, brand new
Its the only thing to do
Drink
Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru
Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru, Irn Bru
For more about Irn Bru's latest incarnation in terms of branding, click the bottles!