Buckfast Tonic Wine is a caffeinated alcoholic drink consisting of fortified wine with added caffeine, originally made by monks at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, England. It is now made under a licence granted by the monastery, and distributed by J. Chandler & Company in Great Britain, James E McCabe Ltd in Northern Ireland, and Richmond Marketing Ltd in Ireland. It is based on a traditional recipe from France. The wine's distributor reported record sales of £43.2 million as of March 2017.
A bottle of Buckfast Tonic Wine, bought from the Buckfast Abbey shop
Buckfast's perception as being involved with street drinking, public intoxication and anti-social behaviour has caused controversy in Scotland.
Buckfast has been viewed as emblematic of the problems of areas of Scotland suffering from deindustrialisation, such as this disused betting shop in Easterhouse.
A Buckfast Wine tanker on the A38 in Devon.
Caffeinated alcoholic drink
A caffeinated alcoholic drink is a drink that contains both alcohol and a significant amount of caffeine. Caffeine, a stimulant, masks some of the depressant effects of alcohol. However, in 2010 and 2011, this type of drink faced criticism for posing health risks to its drinkers. In some places there is a ban on caffeinated alcoholic drinks.
Two bottles of Rev, a cola with 7% ABV
Anhydrous caffeine, the product of the decaffeination process. For many caffeinated alcoholic drinks, this is a primary source of caffeine.
Sample of absolute ethanol
In certain parts of Scotland, Buckfast Tonic Wine is associated with drinkers who are prone to committing anti-social behaviour when drunk.
