Meet Irish Christmas 'milk'
A roundup of Irish cream liqueurs
It’s nearly Christmas time, and if you’re like me, a bottle of Baileys makes an appearance next to the coffee machine as soon as I turn on my ‘Out of Office’.
No more sensible milk in my coffee. I will have a small amount of Baileys in every cup until the bottle runs dry. And if that happens too soon, which it annoyingly does, a second bottle might be pressed into service.
Baileys has been a phenomenal success story since it was launched in 1974 by Gibleys of Ireland who wanted to design an Irish drink for the international market. It cleverly used up excess alcohol from a distillery and surplus cream from the production of milk powder, along with vanilla and chocolate. It took some trial and error to find an emulsification process that stopped the separation of the cream and alcohol but we all know that you should never doubt a determined Irish man when it comes to alcohol.
Now currently owned by drinks behemoth Diageo, the original has been taken far beyond its traditional roots with the creation of flavours such as Red Velvet Cupcake and Tiramisu.
With many supermarkets offering Christmas deals, it’s hard to look past this mega brand, but if you do, you will find other great Irish cream liqueurs from smaller Irish makers that are well worth exploring. Here’s a list of the best.
Coole Swan Liqueur (17%)
Husband and wife team Philip Brady and Mary Sadlier are the team behind Cavan-based Coole Swan who wanted to reinvent Irish cream liqueur for the modern world. They say it took them 231 attempts at the recipe of cream, whiskey and white chocolate before they found the perfect blend.
Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur (17%)
A relatively recent entrant into the market, Five Farms is made completely using Cork milk and spirits. The cream used is collected from five family farms close to the sea in West Cork, and the final product is beautifully presented in a custom milk churn-shaped bottle with a ceramic swing-top lid.
Merrys Irish Cream Liqueur (17%)
Visitors to Dungarvan, Co Waterford, may recognise the Merrys name from the historic Merry tavern established in the town in 1868. Produced in Clonmel, the Merrys range has been extended in recent years to include flavours such as Salted Caramel and even Pumpkin Spice.
Micil Connemara Irish Cream Liqueur (17%)
While most Irish cream liqueurs are made with whiskey, Micil instead draws on the Galway tradition of poitín and honey as the base for their liqueur. In 2022, this unique take on the category was awarded Best Irish Cream at the World Liqueur Awards.
The Irishman Cream Liqueur (17%)
Walsh Whiskey from County Carlow are known for their Writers’ Tears and Irishman range of whiskies. But did you know that they started out by making Irish coffee and also make The Irishman cream liqueur.
The Whistler Irish Cream (20%)
Coming in with one of the. highest alcohol contents, The Whistler Irish Cream comes from Boann Distillery in Co Meath, and uniquely uses single pot still whiskey in its making.
Two Stacks Double Cream Liqueur (17.5%)
One of my personal favourites, the Double Irish Cream Liqueur from Two Stacks bonders and blenders uses a blend of 4 different styles of whiskey and 8 times more Irish whiskey than the market standard. As Two Stacks are a bonder and blender rather than a distiller, they have teamed up with Robert A. Merry & Co. in Clonmel for this drink, which is available in a lovely black matte bottle or single serve ‘dram in a can’.
