Baileys is the best Irish cream liqueur, but a cheap supermarket rival isn't far behind

Looking for the best value alternatives to Baileys? Our Irish cream liqueur taste test reveals the tastiest cheaper tipples to buy.

To find out how supermarket own-brand Irish Cream liqueurs compare with the original Baileys, we asked a panel of 69 consumers to blind-taste and rate all the available options.

This included five supermarket bottles from Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. 

Baileys triumphed overall, but only just, with several supermarket liqueurs impressing our tasters. Our top cheaper pick scored just 1% less than Baileys overall and is nearly half the price.

Read on to find out which liqueurs will save you money and how to get Baileys for less - this week we've found a great offer in one supermarket which makes it cheaper than rivals.

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Best Irish cream liqueurs

Baileys was the overall favourite in our taste test this year, but Lidl was a very close second. If you're looking to save, it's a savvy choice.

Best Buy: Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur – 76%

£15 for 70cl bottle (£2.14 per 100ml)

Baileys nabs the top spot again this year. Tasters enjoyed the sweetness, creaminess and colour, with some noting the ‘good balance between the cream and alcohol’.

If you'll accept no imitation, make sure you shop around, as we think you should never need to buy Baileys full price. It's almost always on offer somewhere.

Available at Amazon, Asda, B&M, Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado.

Where to buy Baileys cheapest

We've spotted the standard 70cl bottle on offer for £10 (£1.42 per 100ml) in Asda. The larger 1L bottle (usually around £22) is also on offer for £13 in Asda. At £1.30 per 100ml, that's the best value we've found and is only slightly pricier than Lidl's version.

Great Value: Lidl Deluxe Irish Cream – 75%

£7.99 for 70cl bottle (£1.14 per 100ml) 

If you’re looking for a tasty Irish Cream liqueur that also offers great value, without having to run around looking for special deals, Lidl is the place to go. 

It's own-brand Irish cream is only one percentage point behind our top scorer, and at almost half the regular retail price it's a bargain too. 

Our tasters really liked the flavour, appearance and mouthfeel, and it scored just as high as Baileys on these measures, making it a great alternative. 

Available in store from Lidl.

How M&S, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Aldi Irish Cream compare to Baileys

All of the Irish Cream liqueurs we tested scored well for flavour, so it's worth trying cheaper alternatives wherever you shop. But some had the edge over others. Here's how they scored:

• M&S Irish Cream Liqueur – 73% £10 for 70cl. Most tasters thought the creaminess and thickness of this product was just right. Available in store at M&S or online from Ocado. 
• Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Irish Cream Liqueur – 73% £12.50 for 70cl. Tasters enjoyed the flavour and sweetness of this product. Available from Sainsbury’s.
• Morrisons The Best Irish Cream Liqueur – 70% £13 for 1L. This liqueur scored well for taste and mouthfeel, but the aroma and appearance was average. Available from Morrisons.
• Aldi Specially Selected Irish Cream Liqueur – 69% £7.99 for 70cl. Tasters enjoyed the flavour, but thought it looked a bit pale. Available from Aldi.

Price and availability checked December 2023. All products are 17% ABV (alcohol by volume). 

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Baileys and supermarket flavoured liqueurs: what's available this year?

There's an increasingly wide range of indulgent flavoured options to choose from beyond the standard Irish Cream liqueurs:

Baileys flavours

• Baileys Chocolat Luxe Cream Liqueur (£20 for 50cl) – available in Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose.
• Bailey's Espresso Crème Irish Cream Liqueur (£16 for 50cl) – available from Sainsbury’s and Tesco.  
• Bailey's Orange Truffle Irish Cream Liqueur (£22 for 1L) – available from Tesco.  
• Baileys Salted Caramel Liqueur (£10 for 50cl) on offer in Sainsbury’s (Nectar card holders only), also available in Tesco and Ocado. 
• Bailey's Tiramisu Irish Cream Liqueur (£17 for 70cl) – Available in Tesco. 

Flavoured cream liqueurs from supermarkets

• Asda Extra Special Blonde Chocolate Liqueur (£8 for 70cl) - available from Asda
• Asda Extra Special Chocolate Orange Liqueur (£8 for 70cl) - available from Asda
• Asda Extra Special Espresso Martini Chocolate Flavour Cream Liqueur (£8 for 70cl) – available from Asda
• Tesco Finest Salted Caramel Cream Liqueur (£13 for 70cl) - available from Tesco
• M&S Salted Caramel Brownie Flavour Cream Liqueur (£10.50 for 70cl) – Available in store from M&S or online at Ocado. 

Aldi also have a range of flavoured country creams on offer. 

Country cream is a cheaper alternative to Irish Cream that typically substitutes whiskey for other alcohol types, such as wine, fermented alcohol and spirits, and has a lower alcohol content (around 12% ABV):

• Ballycastle Blonde Chocolate Country Cream (£7.79 for 70cl) – Available from Aldi.
• Ballycastle Chocolate, Hazelnut & Caramel Country Cream (£7.79 for 70cl) – Available from Aldi.
• Ballycastle Tiramisu Cream (£7.79 for 70cl) – Available from Aldi.
• Ballycastle White Chocolate Country Cream (£7.79 for 70cl) – Available from Aldi. 

Price and availability checked December 2023.

Best vanilla ice cream - we asked a consumer panel to try supermarket versions against big brands. Find out who was the favourite

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 suggests this Baileys espresso martini recipe and how to make a hot liqueur Irish coffee. 

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

How we tested Irish cream liqueurs

The Irish creams were assessed in September 2023 by a large panel of consumers who regularly buy and consume Irish cream liqueur. 

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

Each product was assessed by 69 people. The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn’t know which brand they were trying. 

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

The order in which they sampled the Irish cream liqueur 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.

Please drink responsibly. See DrinkAware for advice.

First published October 2023 but updated to reflect latest deals. Prices correct as of 17 November 2023. Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Tesco, and Waitrose did not have a comparable own-brand product available at the time of testing.