After delivering some bad news, I was presented with a shot of optimism.
Last week, the ECHO reported that Yates's Aussie Whites – a 17.5% fortified wine loved on Merseyside for years – had been discontinued. The drink was a fixture at the region's bars, pubs and clubs – it became a rite of passage for drinkers.
However, brand owner Halewood Artisanal Spirits – who purchased the Aussie Whites rights for £1m in 2003 – discontinued the drink before the pandemic. It appears that has recently taken effect, as stock has dwindled and left our region's venues with none of it to sell.
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Even Great Charlotte Street pub The Blob Shop, which takes its name from a drink made from Aussie Whites, has none left. Phil, who was drinking at The Blob Shop when the ECHO visited last week, said: "We're hoping for an Aussie White for our Christmas Party next year. It's a proper Scouse drink, a real Scouse tradition".
After our story was published last week, ECHO readers provided plenty of memories (hazy or otherwise) of the drink and the heavy nights out it fuelled. Significantly, others got in touch with details of where they had spotted bottles of Aussie recently.
Among them was a Twitter user who said that Garston pub The Swan Inn, also known as The Duck, still sold it. Much like my trip to The Blob Shop last week, I ventured to the pub in search of answers.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the answer I was after.
The Swan couldn't serve me an Aussie, they too had been without it for months, which the woman behind the bar said had left many regulars disappointed. The optimism from the Twitter tip-off had come to nothing.
There is hope and there are some rumours that Aussie Whites may find a new distributor in 2024. Until then, I ask that if you run a pub, bar or club on Merseyside and have any of this iconic Scouse drink remaining, please do get in touch.
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