A monastery has come under fire in Scotland after reports that suggest the wine that it makes has been linked to over 5,000 incidences of crime in recent years. In addition, the BBC reported that 114 cases involved the bottle being used as a weapon.

Buckfast, also known as Buckie, Commotion Lotion and Wreck the Hoose Juice, has a strong following in Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland (namely the Lurgan and Armagh area) and Galway. Produced in the south of England, where the recipe was originally brought to by French monks in the late 1800’s, the drink is 15% proof and contains more caffeine than eight cans of Coca-Cola.

Frank O’Brien (Robert Francis Wine) is based in Galway, and he claims it is the drink of choice for many students in the city.

Buckfast is very popular among Galway students. There also a lot of myth and legend surrounding it, such as the meaning of the ever changing number at the bottom of each bottle, and apparently monks toenails have been found at the bottom of emtpy bottles. Many like to add Red Bull, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.

According to my good friend David McKinley from Lurgan, Co. Armagh, the Buckfast sold in the UK, including Northern Ireland, is different to that sold in Ireland. There are plans afoot for Mike and I to taste one of these bottles from the North and post a video.

In the meantime, Frank O’Brien has very kindly granted us permission to embed his Buckfast video tasting from last April. His bottle was bought locally.

On the 18th of January, BBC One Scotland broadcast a 30 minute episode called ‘The Buckfast Code’, taking a more in-depth look at the suspected links between crime and the tonic wine on Scottish society. Click here to view.

Sources: bbc.co.uk, ninemsn.com and robertfranciswine.ie