Mini-Buckfasts launched to ‘meet demand’

Buckfast, the drink-of-the-masses tonic wine that it’s often claimed induces violent behaviour, is being released in miniatures for the first time.

New 50ml bottles of Buckfast will be produced in an initial 9,000-bottle run to accompany the 350ml and 750ml bottles (Photo: Buckfast)

The 50ml mini bottles are being put on sale this week after brand owner J Chandler & Co claimed that it was “inundated” with requests from collectors and fans wishing to give them as gifts.

An initial trial run of 9,000 bottles will be produced, with each bottle retailing at around £2, according to the Daily Record. 

Sales manager Stewart Wilson told the newspaper: “If they are a success, we will produce more.

“We are launching them because we’ve been inundated with requests from collectors and people looking for them as wedding favours or gifts, particularly for landmark birthdays.”

He also said that the company is hoping to attract clients in the lucrative travel retail market.

The move into miniatures comes a year after Buckfast also released a canned version of the drink, which helped push sales up to 21 million products last year.

Last month, Buckfast threatened to sue the BBC over a claim made on a Radio 4 show that the drink causes more deaths in the UK than heroin.

Host Simon Evans said on his show Simon Evans Goes to Market: “These monks buy the cheapest red wine available from the continent’s industrial drip trays and beef it up with highly caffeinated cough syrup”.

Buckfast has been at pains to improve its image lately, even enlisting the help of Michelin-starred chef Martin Blunos in July to help promote the drink as a cooking and cocktail ingredient.