Queen of Spades - Episode 2

[Thomas Cochrane]

What is Buckfast?

Buckfast Tonic Wine, commonly known as Buckfast, Buckie or Bucky is a tonic wine produced by Buckfast Abbey in Devon, south west England. The wine was first produced in 1890s by the Benedictine monks at Buckfast Abbey using a recipe brought over from France.

The wine was originally sold in small quantities by the Abbey itself, as a medicine with the slogan "Three small glasses a day, for good health and lively blood". In 1927 the Abbey lost its licence to sell wine, as a result of which the Abbot signed a deal with wine merchants to distribute the wine on the Abbey's behalf. At the same time, the recipe was changed in order for the wine to appeal to a wider customer base, resulting in increased sales.

In recent times, Buckfast has achieved a surprising level of popularity within working class and bohemian communities in certain parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Its iconic stature within the ned youth culture is hard to overemphasise and groups of neds can frequently be seen drinking it out of the bottle at all times of day in parks and other public places. Aside from 'Buckie', other nicknames include 'The Wine', 'Tonic', 'commotion lotion' and 'wreck-the-hoose juice'.
In parts of Scotland it is referred to as "Coatbridge Table Wine" (referring to the town of Coatbridge, where the product is so common it is even available "on tap" in some pubs and added to black pudding in some local butcher's shops). It is also available on tap in some pubs in the Northern Irish town of Lurgan
Coatbridge is also known as the "Buckfast Capital" due to the drink's popularity, although there is an extremely high volume of Buckfast drinkers throughout the entire county of Lanarkshire. Statistics record that Lanarkshire accounts for around 10% of worldwide sales, with exports chiefly to Spain, Australia and the Caribbean.
Within the above areas, Buckfast is alleged to be the drink of choice for drinkers who are prone to committing anti-social behaviour when drunk, especially underage drinkers. Its high strength (15% ABV), relatively low price and sweetness are characteristics that traditionally appeal to underage drinkers (similar to other 'problem drinks' alcopops and cider).

The monks of Buckfast Abbey and their distribution partners strenuously deny that their product is particularly harmful, saying that it is irresponsibly and illegally enjoyed by the great majority of underage purchasers. They also point out that the areas identified with its acute misuse have been economically deprived for decades, and that Buckfast represents less than one percent of the total alcohol sales in these places.