Best Irish cream liqueur: supermarkets vs Baileys in blind taste test

A glug of Irish cream liqueur over ice makes a decadently sweet treat. We’ve taste‑tested the best so you can find the perfect Irish cream for your money this festive season.

We recruited a panel of 108 people to blind taste three Irish cream liqueurs – the original Baileys, plus two cheaper supermarket options, from Aldi and Sainsbury’s.

Our results reveal whether Baileys Irish cream liqueur should be your go-to choice, or whether one of the other bottles makes for a more satisfying sip.

Other supermarkets, including Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons and Tesco also have own-brand Irish cream liqueurs. 

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Best Irish cream liqueur

Our tasters were equally impressed by Baileys and Sainsbury’s Irish cream liqueurs. The supermarket own-label matched Baileys in all areas, including looks, aroma and flavour.

Aldi was considered acceptably drinkable, overall, but trailed well behind the top two.

Baileys The Original Irish Cream – 77%

£17 for 70cl (£2.43 per 100ml), 17% ABV (alcohol by volume)

Baileys hit the spot as joint top tipple, getting top marks for flavour.

People enjoyed its aroma and loved how it looked, while most said sweetness levels were spot on. 

Two thirds were happy with its creamy mouthfeel, while over half said it was the right thickness. Nearly half approved of the strength of the alcohol flavour.

Baileys is by far the priciest of the Irish cream liqueurs on test, but it's often on special offer and therefore easy to avoid buying at full-price if you shop around. See below for more information.

While Baileys is an indulgent, high-sugar treat, Amazon  and Tesco currently stock a more abstemious 'Deliciously Light'  lower-calorie version of Baileys. A dairy-free option is also available from Amazon. 

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

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Irish Cream Liqueur – 77%

£13.25 for 70cl (£1.89 per 100ml), 17% ABV

Sainsbury’s Irish cream liqueur matched Bailey’s sip for sip when it came to enjoyment. 

It scored high marks for both looks and flavour. Most enjoyed the combination of sweetness with the warm kick of alcohol. 

It was the right thickness and creaminess for most tasters too.

Sainsbury’s Irish cream liqueur achieved the joint highest overall score, and costs a good deal less than full-price Baileys, making it an excellent budget-friendly choice.

Available from Sainsbury’s.

Aldi Specially Selected Irish Cream Liqueur – 66%

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

While it’s less than half the price of Baileys, and a good deal cheaper than Sainsbury’s Irish cream liqueur, you take the hit when it comes to taste if you go for Aldi’s Irish cream as it was less enjoyed across the board.

Our tasters didn't find the colour particularly appealing, with more than half saying it was too pale.

They were lukewarm about its mouthfeel, too, with nearly half finding it not creamy or thick enough.

Alcohol flavour was too strong for half, and opinions were mixed on sweetness. A little under half said the sweetness worked for them, but the remainder were divided on wanting more or less. 

Available in-store at Aldi.

Best cheap food and drink – find out the supermarket own labels that beat pricier well-known brands in our taste tests

Where to buy Baileys

While it’s the priciest of the three drinks on test, Baileys is often on special offer, and can usually be found cheaper than a full-price Sainsbury’s Irish cream liqueur.

At the time of publication, the 70cl bottle of Baileys was available from Amazon, Asda and Sainsbury’s (with Nectar card) for £11, while Sainsbury’s Irish cream liqueur cost £13.25. 

 Sometimes the larger one-litre bottle is also offered cheaply, so is worth looking out for. 

What is Baileys made of?

Irish cream liqueurs like Baileys are made with fresh cream, triple-distilled whisky, other spirits, and chocolate and vanilla flavours.

Compared with other alcoholic drinks, it’s high in sugar and fat. 

If you’re ordering from your local bar, a typical serving of Baileys is 50ml, which equates to around 7g of fat, 9g of sugar and 157 calories.

All the bottles on test contain 17% ABV. A 50ml serving comes to a little under one unit of alcohol.

So, while a glass or two of Irish cream liqueur isn’t a big alcohol hit, the sugar and fat content should be factored in if you’re watching your intake.

Other Irish cream liqueur flavours

While Baileys is considered the original cream liqueur, there are plenty of variations on this theme if you fancy a different flavour.

Among the offerings from Baileys are toffee popcorn, salted caramel and birthday cake flavours.

The latest bottle on the scene is a collaboration between Baileys and Terry's Chocolate Orange which is available at Morrisons and Tesco. 

The supermarkets also have various flavours to choose from, including Asda Espresso Martini Chocolate, Morrisons Tia Maria coffee liqueur and M&S salted caramel brownie cream liqueur.

Alcohol free beer - find out which are the best booze-free bottles according to our blind taste test 

How to make your own Baileys

If you’d like to tailor your drink to your personal taste, it’s quite simple to make at home.

BBC Good Food has a no-alcohol recipe that includes maple syrup, cinnamon and orange zest with the cream, coffee and vanilla. Simply add a splash or two of Irish whisky for a mild alcohol kick.

For those avoiding dairy, cashew milk or coconut milk make a good substitute for the double cream.

How we tested Irish cream liqueur

All the bottles of Irish cream liqueur were blind-tasted and rated by a panel of 108 people in September 2025 at our specialist test lab.

We recruited a panel of people who buy and drink Irish cream liqueur, and who broadly represent the demographic profile of adults in the UK (age range, gender split and more). 

The taste test was blind, so our testers didn’t know which brand they were trying. They tasted the Irish cream liqueur in a fully rotated order to avoid any bias. Each tester had a private tasting booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The tasters rated the flavour, aroma, appearance and mouthfeel of each Irish cream liqueur and told us what they liked and disliked. 

The overall score was based on:

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

These weightings are based on what people ranked as the most important attributes when tasting Irish cream liqueur. All our results are checked and analysed by our in-house statistical team.

The research was carried out by consumer research specialists Wirral Sensory Services. 

Please drink responsibly. See DrinkAware for advice.

Price and availability checked: 30 September 2025