Buckfast vs Magnum
One is a Victorian-era British recipe, the other a modern Jamaican brand tied to dancehall culture. Both are sweet, strong and widely sold in UK shops.
In short
Buckfast is a 15% ABV caffeinated tonic wine from a Devon abbey recipe. Magnum is a 16.5% ABV Jamaican tonic wine from 1999, sweeter and cherry-led, sold mainly in small 200 ml bottles, with no published caffeine figure.
| Buckfast Tonic Wine | Magnum Tonic Wine | |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Tonic wine | Tonic wine |
| Country | United Kingdom (Devon, England) | Jamaica (Kingston) |
| Producer | Buckfast Abbey (Benedictine community), Buckfastleigh, Devon | J. Wray & Nephew Limited (Campari Group) |
| Strength | 15% ABV | 16.5% ABV |
| Caffeine | 300 mg per litre (about 38 mg per 125 ml glass) | Not published by the producer |
| Sweetness | Sweet | Very sweet |
| Bottle sizes | 750 ml, 350 ml, 50 ml | 200 ml |
| UK availability | Widely available | Widely available |
| Style and flavour | Sweet and full-bodied, with dark dried fruit and a faintly medicinal, bittersweet herbal undertone. The texture is rounded rather than sharp, and a soft vanilla note carries through to the finish, which the producer itself singles out. | A heavy, sugary fortified wine in which cherry is the dominant flavour, with a soft, rounded texture rather than any sharp acidity. The sweetness carries the 16.5% alcohol well, so it drinks more gently than its strength suggests. |
Which should you choose?
- Choose Buckfast if you want a published caffeine content and the darker, vanilla-tinged style in a full bottle.
- Choose Magnum if you like a sweeter, cherry-forward drink, slightly stronger, in a single-serve bottle.
Read the full profiles of Buckfast Tonic Wine and Magnum Tonic Wine, including sources.