Food Review: Irn Bru Soda Pop

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As an avid Redditor, I often find myself stumbling across international oddities and what other nations consider “must haves.”  Irn Bru, without a doubt, is touted as a miracle elixir that us Yankees can never hope to match (despite our entry of Cherry Coke as the best beverage on the planet*). Billed as Scotland’s “other” national drink, Irn Bru is a carbonated beverage that I was finally able to find on Amazon (it sort of comes and goes in stock). Excitedly, I checked out and promptly forgot about my bubbly goodness until it arrived on my doorstep already frosted to perfection thanks to the Great Arctic Vortex of 2014.

Granted, the image on Amazon should have prepared me, but I wasn’t expecting Irn Bru to be so….orange. Apparently, back in 1901 when they first concocted this beast, they added 0.002% of iron leading to its namesake, Iron Brew aka Irn Bru and, I presume, it’s color. According to Barr’s website, Irn Bru is best drank out of glass. Who am I to disagree? I eagerly twisted the cap, anticipating a fountain of foam from Mr Bru’s long journey, but was shocked as a simple sigh of CO2 escaped it’s plastic prison. I double-checked the “Best By” date and then re-checked once more since those damn Europeans do everything backasswards. June 2014. Seems as though everything was in order.

I’m dragging out the suspense here. I know what you want to know. How did it taste? Well, that’s a damn good question. One that, after two bottles, I’m still trying to figure out how to aptly answer. For one thing, it definitely lacks the “savory” (for lack of a better word) taste of American sodas. I’ve noticed this in other foreign beverages, such as Manzanita and Colombiana, as well. Secondly, the sugar part of it tastes like artificial sweetener to me. Of course, this is coming from a man who can’t stomach Pepsi’s throwbacks that include real cane sugar, so take that as you will.

With the cap off, I immediately caught the faint odor of a Fanta-like orange combined with some sort of cream. The first little bit of orange-y goodness hit my tongue and I felt vindicated in my olfactory abilities as that is exactly what I tasted…at first. The citrus opened up the salvo with whispers of tangerine or….something. As a reviewer on Amazon pointed out, it almost tasted like orange peel as opposed to actual orange. Surprisingly, the next flavor that hit me was vanilla. As the beverage reached the back of my taster, it finished with a spiciness reminiscent of Dr Pepper. Also of note, the carbonation that I thought was absent was merely hiding. This bubbled around my mouth like New Year’s champagne.

I’m not really sure why this has a cult following. My guess, with everything else that is regional-ized or nostalgia-ized, it stirs some sort of feelings within the drinker. Kind of like that person in your home town that claims XYZ Pizza is the best pizza on the whole entire planet but is really just mediocre at best. I’m a pop fiend and this would fall deep down on my list as a must-have. However, I could totally see this being like crack if you grew up with it. I still remember the original Jolt cola back in the early ’90s and visiting every single Rite Aid to find a can or two after the company collapsed.

Country of Origin: Scotland
Cost: $10.28 / 6-pack (16.9oz bottles)

* According to me.