Finnish brewery to keep making Linda drink regardless of Eurovision result

A Finnish brewery that struck a partnership deal with violinist Linda Lampenius last summer is continuing to produce its Linda-branded drink following her sixth-place finish at the Eurovision Song Contest, according to YLE.

Tornio Brewery launched the Linda Apple drink last summer, and demand surged when it became known that Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen would represent Finland at Eurovision this year. The contest result was a disappointment for brewery CEO and brewmaster Kaj Kostiander, who had expected a Finnish victory, but he remains optimistic about the product’s future.

“The artists’ popularity is unlikely to fade. We have high expectations that the product will be seen at summer festivals, for example,” Kostiander said.

Kostiander said the UMK victory, Finland’s national Eurovision selection contest, had multiplied demand for the drink. In the run-up to Saturday’s Eurovision final, stocks ran out at many stores.

“We had delivered all orders. Last week we sold the warehouse empty. Now we have accelerated our schedule so that a new batch is being produced this Tuesday,” he said.

The brewery is producing around 20,000 cans of Linda drink in Tuesday’s evening shift.

Kostiander does not believe the drink can replicate the success of its 1990s predecessor, as there is no longer a comparable monoculture or cider boom. Beer remains the main focus of Tornio Brewery’s catalogue, produced in significantly larger quantities than mixed drinks. The Linda drink is nonetheless the brewery’s most successful mixed drink, and Lampenius’s public profile has also brought valuable exposure.

“For a small company, it is wonderful to enter people’s awareness. It is also extremely valuable that quality-conscious Linda trusts us,” Kostiander said.

A 1990s product that was once illegal

A cider marketed under Lampenius’s name in the late 1990s became a major success at the time, but its history ended abruptly when it emerged that it had been produced using industrial spirits rather than through fermentation, making it illegal to sell in ordinary grocery stores.

Kostiander said he got the idea to revive the drink after seeing a social media post in which Lampenius reminisced about the original cider’s success. He realised that legislation had since changed, now allowing similar mixed drinks to be sold in regular grocery stores. He contacted Lampenius, who responded quickly and mentioned she was planning a return to pop music. The recipe was updated, and Lampenius approved the new flavour after a few prototypes.