Buckin’ Brilliant

I’ll never forget the first time I tasted Buckfast. This is mostly because the next morning my puke was the colour of molten evil and just as hard to remove from a white enamel sink.

Suffice to say I am not a fan of the infamous tonic wine but its popularity with smicks, students and the homeless cannot be denied.

Owners J. Chandler and Co are waiting to see if the canned version of the drink is a success in Scotland before producing them nationwide.

No doubt the 250ml cans, which will be sold for £2.90 in time for BBQ season, will fly off the shelves in Scotland. Then it’s just a matter of time before fans over here can get their hands on the tins.

The Eg’s infamous Buckfast Bar

Cans will not only be efficient for those who enjoy a bit of al fresco drinking but will also help to prevent buckfast-related crime.

A report released by the PSNI in 2010 said that “since 2006 there has been 102 incidents involving Buckfast tonic wine…of 102 incidents a Buckfast bottle was used as a weapon 21 times”

Bringing in cans over here just makes perfect sense in terms of public Health and Safety. An empty can will make a far less effective weapon than a bottle after all…

Divine or demonic?

The vinegary, bitter, monk-made drink divides students across the UK and Ireland. There are some for whom a bottle is a must-have in any student house, there are others who curse it to hell.

“It’s the fortified wine that tastes so fine” says Matt O’Hara, mechanical engineering student.

Buckfast- the chosen drink of Baby Jesus.

Others are not so keen, with student Matt Keenan claiming “In spite of being made by monks, it’s the most unholy substance on earth”

Declan McAllister of law agrees  “It’s diabolical. Buckfast can make or break a man”.

Some have a more practical view of the alcoholic drink. “I think it’s absolute piss water. At that though, it’s pisswater that’s cheap to drink” says Seamus O’Hare.

Cheap “pisswater”

The Benedictine monks who brew the concoction are based in Devon and hope the canned version of the drink will be a summertime smash in Scotland.

A spokesperson from J. Chandler and Co said “we do believe it will be successful with the summer months coming in. Some of our customers will be going to barbecues and a chilled can of Buckfast would be the ideal product to take along.”

Personally, I can think of nothing worse.

Neither can she