Scotland has not just one national drink but two – we have whisky and we have Irn Bru. They also work in combination though that is not the sort of drink one would have in polite company. More the sort of cocktail you might enjoy at Legends (formerly Opium) on the Cowgate after seeing a bunch of Fringe shows. I like the pair of these drinks because, though not completely unique to Scotland they say something important about our culture and also partly might explain why we do not have long lifespans relative to the English.
But then again, at least we don’t have to be English!
Anyway, enough joking around, what is the deal with whisky and irn bru? Why do we have two national drinks? Which is the more economically important (whisky)?
Whisky
Whisky has been enjoyed in Scotland going back to the fifteenth-century when it first appeared in the royal courts record. It has become a distinct part of our culture quite recently, essentially the 1800s was when it became an international export good thanks to the attentions of our favourite German king, George IV. He shows up briefly in our Burns Night article because he is truly one of the unsung heroes of traditional Scottish romanticism. Essentially, the king came to Scotland and decided he wanted to start regular deliveries down to London where it became popular worldwide.
What is whisky?
Whisky is a distilled spirit which has been matured in an oak cask. Scotch whisky is different form some other whiskies around the world because the type of cask generally used is recycled. The distilled spirit is transferred to the pre-used casks for maturing. This means that the maturing process, where the majority of the flavour comes from, can be quite unique between different types. Often the casks used for Scotch whisky were used for American whiskey or occasionally sherry. More recently, distilleries have been mixing it up and trying to mature whisky in all sorts of different barrels, with occasionally weird results.
There’s an actual legal definition here but the short answer for Scotch whisky is that it is a whisky produced in Scotland from malted barley and Scottish water. It is not supposed to leave the country during maturation and must be matured for at least 3 years.
Let’s move on to Irn-Bru
Irn Bru
The other national drink of Scotland, Irn Bru has been a mainstay of Scotland since 1901. It has become a core part of Scottish culture. This is in part helped by their great marketing campaigns. My favourite was when they did a version of The Snowman – it is peak Scottish humour. It is hard to describe to outsiders who come to it with different expectations of what an orange coloured drink should taste like.
What is Irn Bru and what does it taste like?
Irn Bru is basically a fizzy drink. A soda if you are the majority of the US. Pop if you are from the Midwest. Juice if you are in Scotland which might explain our lifespans.
The promotional saying back in the day is it was “made from girders” and it is a hint metallic. Irn Bru is quite sweet. It is carbonated. The level of fizz is definitely greater than Coca-Cola.
Whisky and Irn Bru as National Drinks
Both drinks position as Scotland’s National Drink is not recognised by any legal authority. Unlike the US where every State has an extensive list of state symbols, the UK does not have national drinks. (Fun fact, in the US most states that have a State Drink have went with the uncontroversial option of ‘Milk’. Even Kentucky which is famous for Bourbon).
Whisky nonetheless became this archetypal drink for Scotland. When people imagine Scotland, they are imagine a strapping man (or woman, occasionally) in the Highlands, with a kilt and whisky.
Amazingly, Irn Bru is said to have been invented to stop steelworkers drinking too much. This makes a lot of sense because drinking on the job used to be quite a regular occurrence throughout human history and employers often tried to find ways to cut back.
Formerly, Scotland was on of only a handful of countries on the planet where Coke was less popular than a local beverage. This gave it a lot of credence and respect as Scotland’s national drink. We were one of the few bastions holding back the tide of Americanisation worldwide! Sadly, at least according to this post by Scoffable, that position might have changed due to the sugar tax. Irn Bru changed their classic formula to control prices but Coke knows what happens if you change a formula and decided customers would rather take the financial hit. Coke was probably right. Irn Bru have since risen to the challenge by bringing back sugar and upping their prices. It remains to be seen how well this affects sales, but this promotion they’re doing next month to give away £10k gold bars to contest winners will likely start a frenzy.
Is Whisky or Irn Bru more internationally well known?
Whisky.
Whisky sells 1.4 billion bottles every year. There’s a reason it is Scotland’s biggest industry after oil. It also supports our tourism industry in huge amounts due to the number of people who want to come here to see where it’s made.
Irn Bru in contrast made its biggest sales ever of £420 million, which is not small by any measure. It is however dwarfed by the titan that is the whisky industry.
Still, regardless of which is more internationally renowned I can see Irn Bru carrying on as Scotland’s other national drink for years to come. It is in many ways more inclusive than whisky because it is not alcoholic and it is a lot cheaper. It is an acquired taste but so is most whisky. If you want to have your real, authentic Scottish experience you must have Irn Bru when you come. If you don’t have Irn Bru and a cheeky piece of tablet, did you even visit?
How many of you have tried whisky and irn bru and what did you think?
The writer of this piece uses irn bru to refresh his energy supplies and whisky to soothe his throat, buy him some on a tour!
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