Traditional Dishes | Irn-Bru
Irn-Bru (pronounced iron brew, is a popular carbonated soft drink produced in Scotland. It is made by A.G. Barr plc, of Glasgow. Barr's Irn-Bru is available in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Russia, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, parts of Europe, the Middle East, in some parts of Australia, and in the United States.
Irn-Bru is famous for its eccentric bright orange colour (something it shares only with the glucose drink Lucozade). The formula for Irn-Bru is a closely guarded trade secret, known only by two of Barr's board members, with a written copy held in a Swiss bank-vault. As of 1999 it contained 0.002% of ammonium ferric citrate, sugar, 32 flavouring agents (including caffeine and quinine) and colouring (E110, E124). It is advertised as having a slight citrus flavour, but many have differing opinions of the exact taste of Irn-Bru. One of the key ingredients is said to be barley while another rumour holds that seaweed is a major contributor to the taste.
Irn-Bru was first produced in 1901, under the name Iron Brew. In 1946, a change in laws required that the word "brew" be removed from the name, as the drink is not technically brewed. The chairman of the company came up with the idea of changing both halves of the name to a phonetic spelling, giving the current Irn-Bru brand.
It has long been the most popular soft drink in Scotland, outselling Coca-Cola, but recent fierce competition between the two brands has brought their sales to roughly equal levels. It is also the third best selling soft drink in the UK, after Coca-Cola and Pepsi, outselling high-profile brands such as Tango, Fanta, Dr Pepper, Sprite and 7-Up.
Irn-Bru's advertising slogans used to be "Scotland's other National Drink", referring to whisky, and "Made in Scotland from girders", though the closest one can come to substantiating this claim is the 0.002% ammonium ferric citrate listed in the ingredients.
Irn-Bru is also widely reputed to be an excellent cure for hangovers!