A DRINKS tech firm is bringing a new wave of pandas to Britain, six years after giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang began wowing the nation with their antics at Edinburgh Zoo.

These pandas, however, are far less shy and will be going behind bars and into boxes of a very different nature.

Online bottle shop and craft drinks specialists Flavourly has struck a deal with leading Chinese craft brewer Panda Brew to import more than 10,000 bottles of its craft beer. It is the first time Chinese craft beer – on this scale – has been brought into the country.

Flavourly said the beers are now on sale on flavourly.com, with several thousand of the bottles going into the company’s hugely popular craft beer subscription boxes.

Flavourly chief executive David Moore said: “Panda Brew is China’s leading craft brewer, and we were very keen to import their beers, and continue to offer our customers something very new and very unique to our bottle shop and craft beer subscription clubs.”

He added: “China is a massive market, and offers huge potential for Scottish brewers. Having a reciprocal import deal, where all parties mutually benefit, is a brilliant step forward for beer lovers in the UK and in China. We’re very keen to promote this two-way relationship with brewers and distributors in China. And there is of course a strong connection to Edinburgh. The city’s zoo is home to the famous Giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang, and the Panda Brew team also have links here.”