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!

[renegadefm]

I wonder why they were discontinued, they always sold well in our shop. 

Problem is theres nothing as good thats replaced them. 

You can get cans of shandy, but the flavour is no where near as good as Top Deck.  And I haven't seen limeade and lager, or cider shandy since. 

Makes you wonder why another company hasn't tried to replicate them. 

 

I suppose I could try making my own with some limeade and lager, probably won't be close to Top Deck though 🤔

[netherfield]

Easy answer as to why they stopped making it, supermarkets. Forever wanting it cheaper, if Top Deck wouldn't drop their price the supermarkets found someone to make an own brand for them, probably very little natural ingredients in it.

Schweppes finished off the original Ben Shaw's plant, saying they would continue making their products here In Huddersfield, in reality the just wanted to take them out of the market.

[ToraToraTora]

I can remember Top Deck shandy and bass shandy but I used to like "lager and lime" but not sure who made that. Top Deck may welll have made it but this was another brand. Mid 70s.

[renegadefm]

ToraToraTora, 

Top Decks Limeade and Lager was definitely the best there was. 

https://images.app.goo.gl/2kmQAizFCEhmSi3S9

[ToraToraTora]

yeah I remember another tin mostly green with white writing, may also have been top deck but I seem to remember it starting with "Long...."

[Buenchico]

This website is dedicated to the history of 'Chandy' (which I've no recollection of) and therefore isn't directly of relevance here:
https://www.chandymuseum.com

However this page looks at the alternative brands that were available (including Top Deck) and therefore might well be of interest to some people on this thread:
https://www.chandymuseum.com/shandywars