Why Irn-Bru was forced to change its original name
Ella Scott
Featured Image Credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Era-defining moments from 1901 include: Queen Victoria dying, the first Morse code radio signal being sent across the Atlantic Ocean from England, and two brothers introducing the globe to their first batch of Irn-Bru.
The Scottish carbonated drink, which is currently produced in North Lanarkshire by A.G Barr of Glasgow, is considered the country’s top-selling drink despite its flavour being difficult to pin down.
“A debate that rages through the streets of Scotland on any given day, some say bubblegum, some tutti-frutti, we’ve even heard ginger unicorns or haggis soda thrown into the mix,” the official site stated.
“Even the most experienced palates are unable to decipher its complex profile. So, let’s just agree it tastes phenomenal.”
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And while the fizzy beverage may be a diet staple, not many people know that Irn-Bru wasn’t actually the drink’s original name.
In fact, its creators were forced to change it from Iron Brew to Irn-Bru because of government legislation.
21 years after its joint release by Robert Barr, Falkirk, and AG Barr & Co, Glasgow, Iron Brew went through its first design change.
Adam Brown, a moustachioed Highland strongman, was replaced by a Cambridge rower who was holding a glass of Irn-Bru.
However, in 1942, the drink was taken off the shelves during the Second World War as it wasn’t designated as a ‘standard drink’.
After going out of sale for the war and beyond, its makers eventually planned its gallant return.
However, they were met with a serious roadblock.
In 1946, the Labelling of Food Order was brought in, requiring manufacturers to include names which had to be ‘literally true’.
Unfortunately, these branding laws meant that Iron Brew - which wasn’t brewed and didn’t really contain much iron - would have to change its name or suffer the consequences.
Instead of totally changing up its identity, the creators dropped some letters.
“Proper spelling is for nerds anyway,” the brand reasons on its FAQs section.
Many people have spent years debating what Irn-Bru actually tastes like - something that's hard to pin down as there is so much secrecy around the recipe.
Irn-Bru says it's 'one of the world's most closely guarded secrets', in fact.
"Today only three people in the world know the secret recipe of IRN-BRU, former Chairman Robin Barr, his daughter Julie Barr and one other AG Barr Director whose name remains confidential," it said.
One thing we do know, however, is that it does contain iron.
"We can confirm that IRN-BRU does and always has contained a very small amount of iron," Irn-Bru explained.