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‘Do these chiefs not get hangovers?’: All the reaction to Irn-Bru’s recipe change

The fizzy drink’s sugar content is to be cut by more than half.
The fizzy drink’s sugar content is to be cut by more than half. The fizzy drink’s sugar content is to be cut by more than half.

The classic Scottish soft drink Irn-Bru is having its recipe changed and sugar content reduced by more than 50% – as its maker AG Barr grapples with a shift in consumer tastes and prepares for the implementation of a sugar tax in 2018.

The news hasn’t gone down brilliantly with some fans of the drink however – and the reactions have come in a variety of forms.

1. Petitioning

A screenshot of the petition
A screenshot of the petition
(Screengrab/Change.org)

Ryan Allen has started a campaign called Hands Off Our Irn-Bru, with his petition amassing more than 11,000 signatures online.

“It is a national treasure in Scotland and really is part of our culture with its unique taste, branding and marketing,” he said. “Don’t do it Barr – please have a rethink on this.”

2. Stockpiling

3. Mourning future hangovers

4. Googling

Yes that is a parody account for Scottish MP Mhairi Black.

5. Using gifs

6. Fighting with gifs

7. Proposing novel ideas

Irn-Bru’s makers have claimed most people will not taste the difference when the fizzy drink’s reduced sugar recipe is introduced.

An AG Barr spokesman said: “We know that our loyal drinkers love Irn-Bru for its unique great taste and we’ve worked hard to deliver this.

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

The new recipe will appear in shops later this month.