Top Deck

[renegadefm]

Anyone remember Top Deck soft drinks?

 

https://images.app.goo.gl/UUgw8YaSemQyfc257

 

I used to love these as a child as you could legally buy them even though they had a fraction of alcohol in them. 

But I really did enjoy the taste of them. 

Limeaid & Lager I think was my favourite.

 

I think they we're sadly discontinued in the mid 90's. 

 

Anyone remember them? 

[barry1010]

I do, my lads enjoyed them when they were at school

[netherfield]

Not a patch on Ben Shaw's though

 

[lolasmam]

Yes, we used to pretend to get drunk on them, even though they likely contained less alcohol than cough medicine! My favourite was the lager & lime shandy.

[10ClarionSt]

Oh yes! Top Deck shandy. Cresta - it's frothy man! Adore a - Kiaora. Lilt. R. Whites lemonade - I'm a secret lemonade drinker! I used to play golf with a Ray White.

[TheWinner]

and the best dandelion & burdock is Ben Shaws.

[Buenchico]

Yes, I remember them.  The manufacturer was Idris.

With my sweet tooth, I think that it was probably the Limeade & Lager that I liked best too.

The Licensing Act 1964 defined 'alcohol' as having an alcohol content above 0.5% ABV (as does the Licensing Act 2003, which replaced the 1964 Act).  So products such as the Top Deck range, which typically had an alcohol content of around 0.2% ABV, could (and still can) legally be sold to children.

Not everyone seemed to know that though.  A publican friend of mine was lectured by two policemen who'd noticed a child drinking from such a can of shandy in the garden of his pub.  His protestations that it was perfectly legal were ignored.  As far as they were concerned, it was always illegal to sell shandy for consumption by minors, even though every supermarket and corner shop in the country was doing it!