Sainsbury's Irish cream liqueur tops taste test vs Baileys

Sainsbury's own-brand Irish cream liqueur edged just ahead of Baileys overall in our 2024 taste test, nabbing the top spot – and a budget supermarket wasn't far behind. 

Cheaper supermarket own-label liqueurs can offer significant savings over Baileys, with some costing less than £8 a bottle.

We pitted Baileys against supermarket Irish creams from Lidl, M&S, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s in a blind taste test to uncover the best bottles to buy.

See how the supermarket options compare, plus how to get the best-value bottle – including when Baileys is actually cheaper than rivals.

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Best Irish cream liqueurs

Sainsbury's was top overall, with Baileys a close second – but there were several other strong contenders.

Best Buy: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Irish Cream Liqueur – 74%

£13 for 70cl bottle (£1.86 per 100ml), 17% ABV (alcohol by volume)

Sainsbury's Irish cream liqueur is our top pick if you're looking for a great-tasting tipple to indulge in over the festive season.

It was the best-rated liqueur, impressing tasters with its well-balanced sweet, boozy flavour and creamy mouthfeel.

At £13, it's the priciest supermarket own label we tested, but it still costs less than a bottle of full-priced Baileys.

Available from Sainsbury's.

Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur – 73%

£16.50 for 70cl bottle (£2.36 per 100ml), 17% ABV

While it fell just short of the top spot, Baileys was rated highly overall and could work out cheaper than Sainsbury's if you manage to nab it on special offer. 

It got high marks across the board: most of our tasters found the sweetness, creaminess and strength of alcohol flavour just right.

We recommend shopping around and only buying it when on offer to get the best value. It's almost always on offer somewhere, so you shouldn't need to pay full price.

Available from Amazon, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

Where to buy Baileys cheapest

We've spotted the standard 70cl bottle on offer for £10 (£1.43 per 100ml) in Asda, Sainsbury's (with Nectar card) and Tesco (with Clubcard). 

We've also spotted the larger 1-litre bottle (typical non-offer price around £22) on sale for £13 in Asda, Sainsbury's (with Nectar card) and Tesco (with Clubcard). At £1.30 per 100ml, that's the best value we've found and is only slightly pricier than Lidl's budget Irish cream.

Also worth considering: Lidl Deluxe Irish Cream Liqueur – 71%

£7.99 for 70cl bottle (£1.14 per 100ml), 17% ABV

If you're after a festive liqueur that won't blow the budget, Lidl's Deluxe Irish cream liqueur is a good bet.

It didn't quite match up to Sainsbury's and Baileys in our taste test, but it still scored well for its satisfying flavour and mouthfeel.

At £7.99 for 70cl, it's the joint-cheapest bottle on test and worth looking out for if you have a Lidl nearby.

Available from Lidl (in-store only).

How M&S and Morrisons Irish creams compare

Other Irish cream liqueurs from M&S and Morrisons aren't a bad choice – both were reasonably well liked overall in our taste test, although some found the flavour and aroma of the Morrisons version less appealing. 

Here's how they scored:

• M&S Irish Cream Liqueur – 72% £10 for 70cl. A good supermarket option and not too pricey. Available in-store at M&S or online from Ocado. 
• Morrisons The Best Irish Cream Liqueur – 67% £16 for 1L. Good mouthfeel but the appearance, aroma and flavour were rated worse than others. Available from Morrisons.

Note: We also tested Aldi Specially Selected Irish Cream Liqueur (68%, £7.99 for 70cl). However, Aldi has informed us that it has been reformulated since testing, and the version we tested is no longer available to buy.

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Can you buy alcohol-free Baileys?

Baileys doesn't sell a non-alcoholic version, but there are some non-alcoholic cream liqueurs available. These include Twisst Caramel Cream, £2.75 for one 240ml can(or £15 for six) from alcoholfreedrinks.co.uk, or 12 for £35 from Amazon.

You can also try making a homemade version using double cream, coffee, maple syrup and spices – see the Good Food no-alcohol Irish cream recipe.

Flavoured Baileys liqueurs: what's available this year?

If you're tempted to try something a bit different this Christmas, there are plenty of flavoured options available including coffee, salted caramel and chocolate cream liqueurs. 

Like Original Baileys, they often go on special offer, so it's worth watching out for deals.

• Baileys Birthday Cake (£13 for 70cl), sponge cake flavour – available from Morrisons.
  
• Baileys Chocolate Irish Cream Liqueur (£16.50 for 50cl) – available from Tesco.
• Baileys Salted Caramel Irish Cream Liqueur (£16 for 50cl) – available from Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
• Baileys Espresso Crème Irish Cream Liqueur (£16 for 50cl) – available from Ocado, Sainsbury's and Tesco.

Baileys also have a 'light' version which is designed to taste similar to Baileys Original, but with 40% fewer calories and a slightly lower alcohol content (16.1% ABV). Available from Tesco (£16.50 for 70cl).

Keep an eye out in your local supermarket, as many offer their own festive flavours of Irish Cream, such as:

• Asda Extra Special Spiced White Chocolate Cream Liqueur (£8 for 70cl) – available from Asda.
• Asda Extra Special Espresso Martini Chocolate Cream Liqueur (£8 for 70cl) – available from Asda.
• Asda Extra Special Blonde Chocolate Cream Liqueur (£8 for 70cl) – available from Asda.
• M&S Millionaires Irish Cream (£12 for 50cl) – available from Ocado.

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Best ways to serve Irish cream liqueur 

Typically, Irish cream liqueur is served as a 50ml shot in a glass with a few ice cubes. 

But you can also try using it in baked sweet treats, a classic cocktail, or even in a coffee for an after dinner digestif. 

Baileys has plenty of recipe inspiration on its website, including how to make Baileys espresso martini and hot Irish coffee. 

A shot of liqueur also works well in lattes and hot chocolates to keep the winter chill at bay. 

You could make it extra indulgent by topping with a spritz of new-for-2024 Baileys Squirty Cream (£2.30 for 250g), available from Morrisons and Tesco.

Country Cream vs Irish Cream

Country cream is a cheaper alternative to Irish cream liqueur that typically substitutes whisky for other alcohol types, such as wine, fermented alcohol and spirits. It has a lower alcohol content (around 12% ABV vs 17%) and tends to be cheaper – most cost less than £7 a bottle. 

You can find Country Cream at a range of supermarkets including Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco:

• Brady’s Country Cream (£6 for 70cl) – Available from Asda.
• Carthy's Country Cream (£6.70 for 70cl) – Available from Iceland, Morrisons and Tesco.
• Sainsbury’s Country Cream (£6 for 70cl) – Available from Sainsbury's.

Aldi has flavoured festive versions including Ballycastle Chocolate Clementine Cream, S'mores and Tiramisu flavours (all £7.49 for 70cl).

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Baileys gift ideas for Christmas

If you're looking for a Christmas gift with a twist for a Baileys fan, there's a wide range of Baileys-flavoured treats available, with many stocked in supermarkets.

There's likely be a wider selection in the run up to Christmas, but we've already spotted a few options including:

• Baileys Original Hot Chocolate Gift Set complete with mug and mini whisk (£8 from Tesco).
• Baileys Candle & Chocolate (£8 from Tesco).
• Baileys Chocolate Truffles (£6.50 from Ocado).
• Baileys Chocolate Collection (£6.50 from Sainsbury's and Waitrose).

For those keen to experiment with different flavours, there are mini-sets such as the Baileys Miniatures and Tumbler set (£13 from Asda) and Baileys Flavours Trio & Tumbler Gift Set (£11 from Tesco).

Baileys-flavoured desserts

From panettone to ice cream, we've also noticed lots of indulgent Baileys-flavoured sweet treats and desserts for this Christmas:

• Baileys Chocolate Melt in The Middle Pudding (£2.75 for 2) – Available from Asda.
• Baileys Chocolate Yule Log (£6 for 480g) – Available from Morrisons and Tesco.
• Baileys Premium Mini Muffins (£2.50 for 6) – Available from Asda.
• Baileys Sea Salt & Caramel Fudge (£5 for 250g) – Available from Morrisons.
• Bauli Panettone with Baileys Cream (£15.95 for 750g) – Available from Asda.
  
• Carte D'Or Baileys Ice Cream Dessert Tub (£4.50 for 825ml) – Available from Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
• LiQ Baileys Ice Pralines (£4.50 for 7x20ml) – Available from Ocado.

It's also worth keeping an eye out for Irish cream flavoured products from other brands. For example, Lindt has released limited edition Irish Cream truffles (£6.30 for 200g) are currently available in supermarkets including Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose. You can also find an Irish cream truffle and hot chocolate bundle on Lindt's website (£12).

Early Christmas gift ideas for 2024 - present ideas for every budget, starting from less than £10 

How we tested Irish cream liqueurs

The liqueurs were tested in September 2024 by a large panel of consumers who like and buy Irish cream liqueur. 

The make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK. 

Each product was assessed by 84 people. The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn’t know which brand they were trying. 

The order in which they sampled the Irish creams was fully rotated to avoid any bias, and each panellist had a private booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The panellists rated the taste, mouthfeel, aroma and appearance of each product and told us what they liked and disliked about each one.

The overall score is based on:

• 50% taste
• 20% aroma
• 15% mouthfeel
• 15% appearance

Prices correct as of 15 October 2024. Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Tesco, and Waitrose did not have a comparable own-brand product available at the time of testing.

See DrinkAware for information and advice about drinking responsibly.