​Original Recipe Irn-Bru Is Returning To The Shelves Permanently

Guys, this is not a drill: the original recipe Irn-Bru is making a triumphant return, hitting shelves from today (22 March) as a permanent fixture to the range.

Many of you lamented its demise after manufacturer A.G. Barr announced it was changing the drink's formula in response to a sugar tax introduced in the UK in 2018.

But now it's back in its OG form, with the 'old and unimproved' Irn-Bru coming back to shops in 750ml glass bottles.

Once again, it will be made to the sugary 1901 recipe, which came from a handwritten recipe book stored deep in the Irn-Bru archives for more than 100 years.

Its signature taste comes from its unique combination of ingredients: quillaia for a 'frothy head', sweetened only with sugar and containing no caffeine, and the same 'top secret Irn-Bru essence'.

A.G. Barr

Adrian Troy, Marketing Director at IRN-BRU, said: "1901 proved super-popular with fans who really loved the recipe but were disappointed when stock ran dry. Now it's back for good, so people can enjoy it year-round with the first bottles going on shelves today."

A.G. Barr claimed people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the old school Irn-Bru and its reduced sugar version, introduced in 2018.

Speaking to LADbible, a spokesperson from A.G. Barr said at the time: "We know that our loyal drinkers love Irn-Bru for its unique great taste and we've worked hard to deliver this.

PA

"We ran lots of taste tests that showed most people can't tell the difference - 9 out of 10 regular Irn-Bru drinkers told us we had a good or excellent taste match.

"Irn-Bru will remain a sugary drink as the sugar in a can will reduce from 8.5 teaspoons to 4. A can of Irn-Bru today has just under 140 calories and in the future will have around 65 calories."

But as we are all creatures of habit, many people ended up stockpiling cans of the original drink, while others joked they were going to storm the factory in protest.

One fan called Luke McFarline told us at the time: "Its a national tragedy. Scotland is the only country in the developed world where Coca Cola isn't the number one fizzy drink. Now Iron [sic] Bru is bending the knee to a demand none of it consumers want. Shameful."

Topics: News, Drink, Food And Drink

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman