Buckfast Tonic Wine

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A bottle of Buckfast in the street
A bottle of Buckfast in the street

Buckfast Tonic Wine, commonly known as Buckfast, Buckie or Bucky is a tonic wine produced by Buckfast Abbey in Devon, south west England. The wine was first produced in 1890s by the Benedictine monks at Buckfast Abbey using a recipe brought over from France, as indeed is the wine base used today.

The wine was originally sold in small quantities by the Abbey itself, as a medicine with the slogan "Three small glasses a day, for good health and lively blood". In 1927 the Abbey lost its licence to sell wine, as a result of which the Abbot signed a deal with wine merchants to distribute the wine on the Abbey's behalf. At the same time, the recipe was changed in order for the wine to appeal to a wider customer base, resulting in increased sales. The modern bottle carries a notice that it does not in fact have tonic properties of the type claimed in the former slogan.

In recent times, Buckfast has achieved a surprising level of popularity within working class and bohemian communities in certain parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Buckfast sold in the Republic of Ireland has a slightly lower alcoholic strength, arrives in a darker bottle, and lacks the vanillin flavouring of the UK version.

Aside from 'Buckie', other nicknames include 'The Wine', 'Tonic', 'commotion lotion' and 'wreck-the-hoose juice'.[1]. Statistics record that Lanarkshire accounts for around 10% of worldwide sales, with exports chiefly to Spain, Australia and the Caribbean.[2].

Contents

Controversy

A tanker transporting Buckfast Wine photographed on the A38 in Devon.
A tanker transporting Buckfast Wine photographed on the A38 in Devon.

Within the above areas, Buckfast is alleged to be the drink of choice for drinkers who are prone to committing anti-social behaviour when drunk, especially underage drinkers. Its high strength (15% ABV/14.8% in the Republic of Ireland), relatively low price and sweetness are characteristics that traditionally appeal to underage drinkers (similar to other 'problem drinks' alcopops and cider).[3]

Many politicians and social activists single out Buckfast Tonic Wine as being particularly responsible for crime, disorder, and general social deprivation in these communities (although in reality, Buckfast is only one of a number of brands consumed abusively and accounts for only 0.5% of alcohol sales in Scotland, although the figure is markedly higher in Lanarkshire - see above). [4] Helen Liddell, former Secretary of State for Scotland, even called for the wine to be banned. The Scottish Justice Minister, Cathy Jamieson MSP, suggested that retailers should stop selling Buckfast. On a subsequent visit to Auchinleck, a town within her constituency, she faced an impromptu demonstration by teenagers chanting "Don't ban Buckie".[5] Jamieson subsequently received correspondence from lawyers acting on behalf of J Chandler & Co., the Andover-based distributors of Buckfast. [6] A further consequence was that Buckfast sales increased substantially in the months following her comments.[7]

A further attack was made by Andy Kerr, then the Scottish Executive's Health Minister. In a radio interview on 2006-09-23 he described the drink as "an irresponsible drink in its own right" and a contributor to anti-social behaviour, and was in turn accused of showing "bad manners" and a "complete lack of judgement" by the distributors. [8] Kerr met with J Chandler & Co. to discuss ways of lessening the drinks impact on the west of Scotland, but the talks broke up without agreement. Both parties hoped to make further progress in the future.

On 2006-11-19, Jack McConnell, the then First Minister of Scotland, entered the fray stating that Buckfast is not only particularly attractive to young people for the aforementioned reasons, but had become a "a badge of pride amongst those who are involved in antisocial behaviour." [9] A spokesperson for J Chandler & Co accused the Executive of trying to blame the drinks industry to avoid having to deal with the actual individuals involved in antisocial behaviour.

The monks of Buckfast Abbey and their distribution partners strenuously deny that their product is particularly harmful, saying that it is responsibly and legally enjoyed by the great majority of purchasers. They also point out that the areas identified with its acute misuse have been economically deprived for decades, and that Buckfast represents less than one percent of the total alcohol sales in these places.[10].

Ingredients

In popular culture

Buckfast and the surrounding culture in Glasgow is referenced in the song "A Bottle of Buckie" by American band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists on their 2007 album Living With the Living.

References

  1. ^ BBC news report
  2. ^ BBC news report
  3. ^ New wave of 'sophisticated' alcopops fuels teenage binge drinking | Society | The Guardian
  4. ^ Scotsman.com News
  5. ^ http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5035714.html
  6. ^ http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1066/0011297.pdf
  7. ^ Scotsman.com News
  8. ^ Scotland on Sunday
  9. ^ The Scotsman
  10. ^ BBC news report
  11. ^ BBC news report

See also

External links

Languages