On 22nd July, Woodlands local hosted the world exclusive public premiere of Irn Bru Xtra at an in-store tasting event.
As packaging for the new drink had yet to begin production, the sample Bru was dropped-off in a dozen shiny unmarked aluminium cans. After tasting the contents we were not one hundred per cent convinced, despite the reassurances of Christina from AG Barr, that inside was not just regular old Irn Bru. But if you need a little more evidence than our word that they taste identical, then just ask those who swung by the Woodland’s Local exclusive launch to try out the new product for themselves.
“You can’t taste the sweeteners which makes such a difference,” said Alan Campbell, one of the first tasters of the day. “It really tastes like it’s got sugar in it,” mused NHS staff Alan Barclay. The sentiments of Alan and Alan were backed up by Mrs Sharky (and her camera-shy dog Bobby) who proclaimed it was “just like the real thing but without the sugar – it tastes exactly the same!”
The most enthusiastic about the new drink were the younger tasters, with both Andrew Barrett and Andrew Lance leaving the event with grins from ear to ear and telling us that we had made their day.
There were, of course, one or two Irn-Bru loyalists who told us in no uncertain terms that they preferred the original – whether or not we believe them is another matter – but the common phrase among our tasters of all ages was “I would definitely buy that.”
Irn-Bru Xtra will be available in a range of pack formats including 330ml cans (singles and multipacks), 500ml and 2-litre PET and 750ml glass bottles in both plain and pricemarked options. The new product will be backed by a £2m investment, including a new outdoor advertising campaign and range of POS.
