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Indeed, the "other amber nectar", "Scotlands other National Drink", is so popular that it has started its own religion; the Church of Irn Bru. Only semi-serious, and with no real official doctrine apart from the one Commandment: "Thou Shalt not drink of the demon's urine 'Coca-Cola.'" Members have been known to suffer dehydration and illness in countries where Irn Bru is not available instead of drinking its great rival.

The drink was first produced in 1901 under the name Iron Brew. Other soft drink manufacturers in Scotland, such as Hays or Sangs, produce their own versions of Iron Brew and keep the original spelling, but only Barr, the major vendor, changed to the phonetic spelling in 1946 ostensibly to circumvent government regulations on product naming.

Irn Bru is most famous for its eccentric bright orange colour, making it easily recognisable even when not in its packaging. Other, similarly orange, drinks are available (often called 'Iron Brew') but none taste even similar to the original drink (its formula is a closely-guarded secret, known only by two of Barr's board members).

Due to its high caffeine content, it is widely reputed to be an excellent cure for hangovers, although dentists frequently scorn the drink as its high sugar content is widely cited as a reason for Glasgow's dismal dental health record. According to some, especially those of the 'Church of Irn Bru,' Irn Bru is also an excellent remedy for illness and ailments, either as-is or heated in a microwave. Some also claim that it reduces sensitivity to cold (bourne out by the disregard for extra clothing amongst many young Scots in the winter months; despite sub zero temperatures, T shirts are usually deemed sufficient) and improves reflexes (which may be due to the caffeine).

Rather surprisingly, it also makes an excellent mixer with vodka, which may explain why it sells more in Russia (a country in which vodka is an extremely popular drink) than Scotland (although this information may be out of date, and the fact that Russia's population is 20 times that of Scotland may just be a contributing factor).

In 1972 Barr acquired Tizer Ltd and began producing Irn Bru at this company's plant in Atherton, near Manchester. This perhaps explains the drink's extraordinary popularity in the northwest region of England, compared with other areas (where it does not sell so well, despite heavy marketing).

Aficionados are known to preferentially drink Irn Bru sold in chilled, glass bottles, which, according to them, tastes much better and stays fresh longer, although any form of Irn Bru is held to be better than none. Extreme connoisseurs buy glass bottles by the crate (12x 750cl glass bottles)

When McDonald's restaurants first opened for business in Glasgow they did not serve Irn Bru. This was seen as an insult by some Scots, who picketed many restaurants until McDonald's relented.

Irn Bru's advertisingAdvertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy. Other components of the promotional mix include publicity, public relations, persona campaigns have always been very different to those of other commercial soft drinks. Perhaps the best-remembered are the long running series of television and billboard adverts in black-and-whiteBlack-and-white is a broad adjectival term used to describe a number of forms of visual technology. Most forms of visual technology start out in black and white, then slowly evolve into color as technology progresses. The term monochrome is very similar,, including the billboard with the grim reaper saying "Don't be scared. You'll still get Irn Bru on the other side." and the supposed-advert for a cleaning product called "Jef", which consists of a small boy in a box, who sucks Irn Bru stains out of clothes.

Irn Bru and other Barr brands including Tizer, Red KolaBarrs Red Kola is a carbonated soft drink made from Fruit Extracts including flavoring from the Kola bean., Barr ColaA semi-popular cola in the UK, made from cola beans. Manufactured by the Barr company, makers of Irn Bru. Soft drinks. and LimeadeLimeade is a beverage similar to lemonade, but is made with lime juice or lime flavors instead of those of the lemon. Newman's Own introduced a brand of limeade in 2004. Fruit juice. are still available in refundable glass bottles. The current conversion rate is 1 Full bottle (75p) for 3.75 Empty Bottles (20p a bottle).