The South gives Buckie a tonic

IT HAS developed a controversial reputation because of its repeated links with drunken and violent crime and anti-social behaviour.

But sales of Buckfast, the fortified tonic wine, have surged after a campaign to broaden its appeal by highlighting how it can be drunk in cocktails and with food.

Demand is spreading in the south of England with sales growing by around £2million, or 7.9 per cent, to £26.9million in the past year, according to The Grocer. It has broken into the magazine’s league table of best-selling alcohol brands for the first time, reaching 91st place.

The highest sales of ‘Buckie’, pictured, which is made by Benedictine monks at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, are still in Glasgow and surrounding areas.

But the Grocer said: ‘Buckfast is shaking off its controversial reputation.’