Irn-Bru facts for kids
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Sugar free Irn-Bru in a glass, with the associated silver sugar free variant can
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| Type | Carbonated soft drink |
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| Manufacturer | A.G. Barr |
| Country of origin | Scotland |
| Region of origin | Glasgow and Falkirk |
| Introduced | 1889 (as Iron Brew) 1899 (test launch) 1901 (officially) 2018 (new recipe) |
| Discontinued |
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| Colour | Orange |
| Ingredients |
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| Variants |
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Irn-Bru is a popular Scottish fizzy drink. Many people call it "Scotland's other national drink" after Scotch whisky. It was first introduced in 1901. The drink is made by a company called A.G. Barr in Westfield, Cumbernauld, Scotland.
You can find Irn-Bru all over the United Kingdom. It is also sold in many other countries where Scottish people live. Irn-Bru has been the best-selling fizzy drink in Scotland for over 100 years. It is even more popular there than big global brands like Coca-Cola.
The taste of Irn-Bru is quite unique and hard to describe. The company even uses this fact in its advertisements! People have said it tastes like Tutti frutti, bubble gum, or even cream soda. Some also notice a slight taste of iron or rust, which people jokingly call 'girders'.
The drink was first sold as "Iron Brew." But in 1946, the law changed. It said that product names had to be "literally true." Since the drink did not contain much iron and was not brewed, the company changed its name. That is how it became "Irn-Bru," the name we know today. Irn-Bru has been Scotland's favourite soft drink for a long time. It sells about 20 cans every second across Scotland.
Contents
What is Irn-Bru?
Its Look and Taste
Irn-Bru is famous for its bright orange colour and special flavour. It contains sugar, flavourings, and a tiny amount of ammonium ferric citrate. It also has caffeine and quinine (though not in Australia). Two colourings, Sunset Yellow FCF and Ponceau 4R, give it its orange look. In 2010, the company agreed to a voluntary ban on these colourings. However, as of August 2025, Irn-Bru still uses them.
How Irn-Bru Started
The very first "Iron Brew" drink was made in New York in 1889. Many companies copied this popular drink. A similar drink was launched in London in 1898. Many local bottlers in the UK then started selling their own versions.
A.G. Barr and Robert Barr launched their own Iron Brew drink in Scotland. This was at least two years before its official launch date of 1901. Records show it was already selling well by May 1899. The strongman image used on Barr's labels was first trademarked by another company in 1898. Barr's bought their labels and many flavours from this company.
The Name Change to Irn-Bru
Barr's applied to trademark the name "Irn-Bru" in July 1946. The company started selling the drink with this new name in 1948. The name change happened because of new rules about product labels. These rules stopped companies from making false health claims. They also set standards for drinks that claimed to contain minerals like iron.
However, there was another reason for the unusual spelling. "Iron Brew" had become a common name for similar drinks. By using "Irn-Bru," the company could protect its unique brand. This helped them benefit from their popular wartime comic strip ads called "Adventures of Ba-Bru."
Irn-Bru's Popularity and New Types
In 1980, "Low Calorie Irn-Bru" was introduced. It was later renamed "Diet Irn-Bru" in 1991 and then "Irn-Bru Sugar Free" in 2011. An energy drink version, Irn-Bru 32, was launched in 2006 but was later stopped.
Irn-Bru has been Scotland's most popular soft drink for a long time. It even outsells Coca-Cola there. It is also one of the top-selling soft drinks in the whole UK. This success in its home country is quite rare. Only a few other local drinks have managed to stay more popular than big global brands.
Irn-Bru's old advertising slogans included "Scotland's other National Drink." This referred to whisky. Another famous slogan was "Made in Scotland from girders." This was a playful nod to the drink's rusty colour. It also hinted at the tiny amount of ammonium ferric citrate in it.
In autumn 2011, a special limited edition called "Fiery Irn-Bru" was released. It had the classic Irn-Bru taste with a hint of ginger.
For many years, Irn-Bru was sold in reusable glass bottles. You could return these bottles to the shop for a small refund. This was a popular scheme in Scotland. However, the company stopped this in 2016 because fewer bottles were being returned.
New Look and Recipe Changes
In 2016, Irn-Bru got a new logo. It was designed to look strong and industrial. A new sugar-free version called Irn-Bru Xtra was also launched.
In January 2018, Barr changed the recipe of Irn-Bru. This was because of a new sugar tax in the UK. By reducing the sugar, Irn-Bru became exempt from this tax. The company said most people would not notice the difference. However, some fans were upset and tried to stop the change. They even stocked up on the old, more sugary version.
In May 2019, Barr launched a new energy drink called Irn-Bru Energy. In October 2019, they brought back "Irn-Bru 1901." This version used the original recipe from 1901. In March 2021, "Irn-Bru 1901" became a permanent part of the Irn-Bru range.
Irn-Bru was the only soft drink sold at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. This was due to a sponsorship deal. A US politician, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, tried Irn-Bru at COP26 and said she loved it. She thought it tasted like a Latino soda called Kola Champagne.
Where Irn-Bru is Made
Irn-Bru is made in Westfield, Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire. Barr's moved their main production there in the mid-2000s. Before that, it was made in Parkhead, Glasgow. In 2011, the factory in Mansfield closed. This made the Cumbernauld plant the main place for production. Irn-Bru is also made in Sheffield, England.
How Irn-Bru is Advertised
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Barr's has always promoted Irn-Bru actively. Early ads featured famous wrestlers and Highland Games athletes. In the 1930s, they started a long-running comic strip ad series called "The Adventures of Ba-Bru." This ran in newspapers until 1970.
Barr's often connects Irn-Bru with Scottishness. This comes from its claim of being Scotland's most popular soft drink. The slogan "Made in Scotland from girders" was used for many years. These ads often showed Irn-Bru drinkers becoming super strong or magnetic.
In 2000, a new advertising campaign started. It aimed to show the "extraordinary appeal of Irn-Bru." One ad showed a grandfather taking out his false teeth to stop his grandson from drinking his Irn-Bru. Another ad featured an older person in a wheelchair stealing Irn-Bru from a shop.
In 2004, the company came up with a new idea: "Phenomenal." In 2006, they launched their first Christmas adverts. One was a funny version of the Christmas cartoon The Snowman. This ad even got American audiences interested in Irn-Bru. A sequel to this ad was released in December 2018.
A 2009 ad showed high school students singing a musical number. The song's chorus was "It's fizzy, it's ginger, it's phenomenal!" This ad was a parody of High School Musical. In 2012, the slogan changed to "gets you through." This showed people drinking Irn-Bru to help them in tough situations.
Barr also made special limited edition bottles of Irn-Bru. These bottles had Scottish names like 'Fanny', 'Senga', 'Rab', and 'Tam' on the label. This was similar to a campaign by Coca-Cola.
Some Irn-Bru TV ads have caused discussion. One ad from 2000 showed a family singing. The mother sang, "...even though I used to be a man." This ad was later taken off air because some found it offensive. Another ad in 2003 showed a midwife trying to get a baby from its mother's womb. Some found this upsetting.
Other ads that caused discussion included a young woman in a bikini with the slogan "Diet Irn-Bru. I never knew four-and-a-half inches could give so much pleasure." Another showed a cow with the slogan "When I'm a burger, I want to be washed down with Irn-Bru." This ad received many complaints. A billboard with a sad goth and the slogan "Cheer up Goth. Have an Irn-Bru." was also criticised.
Other Irn-Bru Products
McCowan's used to make Irn-Bru Bars. These were chewy, fizzy, orange sweets that tasted strongly of Irn-Bru. Production of these bars ended in late 2005. Some special ice cream shops in Scotland also sell Irn-Bru sorbet.
Irn-Bru can also be mixed with alcoholic drinks like vodka and whisky. Barr once launched a drink that mixed Irn-Bru and Bell's whisky. However, this drink was not very popular and was stopped.
Irn-Bru Around the World
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Australia
In Australia, Irn-Bru was made and sold under a special agreement until 2009. It was available in different bottle sizes. After some production issues, it is now imported directly from the UK. You can find it in the international sections of big supermarkets.
Canada
Irn-Bru sold in Canada did not have caffeine until 2011. This changed after Health Canada allowed caffeine in non-cola soft drinks. Now, bottles of Irn-Bru in Canada say "Now Contains caffeine." Irn-Bru is imported from Scotland and sold in many Canadian supermarkets.
In 2014, there were incorrect reports that Irn-Bru was banned in Canada. However, the Canadian government stated in October 2020 that Irn-Bru is not banned. It has been sold in Canada for over ten years and continues to be available.
Europe
Irn-Bru is sold in many European countries. These include the Republic of Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Malta, Greece, and Cyprus. By July 2024, A.G. Barr was making a lot of sales from Irn-Bru in England alone.
Russia
Irn-Bru started being sold in Russia in 1997. By 2002, it was their third best-selling soft drink. Its popularity was thought to be because it tasted similar to some old Soviet-era soft drinks. However, on March 4, 2022, A.G. Barr stopped selling Irn-Bru in Russia.
United States
Since 2002, Irn-Bru sold in the United States has been made to follow US food colouring rules. Some colourings used in the UK are not allowed in the US. So, Barr uses different approved colourings for the US version. The labels also meet US standards for nutrition information.
Other Iron Brew Drinks
Many other companies make their own "Iron Brew" drinks. Some supermarkets like Aldi, Asda, and Lidl sell their own brand versions. There is also a company in Connecticut, US, called Foxon Park Beverages, that makes its own "Iron Brew" soda.
See also
In Spanish: Irn-Bru para niños
- Iron Brew – a similarly named South African soft drink
- List of brand name soft drink products
- List of soft drink flavors
- List of soft drink producers
- List of soft drinks by country
