Irn Bru aficionados could be facing a hard Brexit amid claims Scotland’s favourite soft drink will go up in price.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats have warned that the rising cost of imports could see the cost of the thirst-quencher shoot-up.
A.G. Barr, who produce the iconic drink, admitted it would be “impacted to some degree” by turbulence across the international currency markets.
Companies throughout the UK have already seen “imported inflation” in the costs of materials purchased abroad.
One of the worst affected sectors is the soft drinks industry, where inflation for imported ingredients used in the manufacture of products jumped by 6.3% between June and July, compared to only 1% between May and June.
The Liberal Democrats’ North East MSP Mike Rumbles said: “When (Foreign Secretary) Boris (Johnson) and his pals were telling us about the brave new world that Brexit would bring, they failed to mention that Scots could see the price of our favourite soft drink increase.
“Scots face the prospect of a Brexit Irn Bru tax if A.G. Barr can’t keep their costs down.
“Millions of businesses that use imported materials are already facing higher costs as a result of Brexit.
“If we abandon full membership of the Single Market, as some ministers have proposed, things will only get worse.
“I am sure that companies like AG Barr will be crunching the numbers and doing their best to protect their customers.
“But they are not helped by a Tory government that is flat out refusing to tell us anything about what they think Brexit would look like or whether membership of the single market is under threat.”
As well as Irn Bru, A.G. Barr produces a range of soft-drinks, including Rockstar energy drinks.
A spokesman for the company said: “Any business that buys products and services from abroad will be impacted to some degree by foreign exchange rate changes.
“We anticipate some higher input costs next year if the weakening of sterling is sustained.
“However, we are taking action to minimise any impact as much as possible and we will continue to ensure we provide our consumers with great tasting and good value products using the best ingredients.”