Baileys Irish Cream Original is an Irish spirit similar to whiskey liqueur. It’s made from a blend of Irish whiskey, sugar and fresh cream, giving it a particularly smooth taste. Its very pleasant taste makes it ideal for aperitifs, and an excellent alternative for those who don’t like Irish whiskey… A very popular beverage in Ireland… which has been successfully exported internationally!
Baileys Irish Cream – Christine Sponchia
It all began in 1970 in Ireland with IDV(International Distillers and Vintners), a group specializing in wines and other spirits on the Emerald Isle.
Keen to create new spirits that would appeal to segments other than the Irish population, the group wanted to expand its range and offer a new kind of spirit, capable of representing authentic Irish know-how.
To achieve this, the company has assembled a creative team comprising David Dand, considered the “father of Bailey’s”, David Gluckman (who helped create Kerrygold butter) and spirits expert Tom Jago.
Together, they create an extraordinary liqueur…
Right from the start, the tone was set. The future alcohol to be created had to be a pure product of Irish innovation. A new kind of beverage, capable of giving new impetus to alcohol production in Ireland.
To achieve this, a whole team got together and carried out numerous tests.
The idea was to create a whiskey cream, combining smoothness and powerful flavor.
But one of the major challenges was to achieve a stable emulsion between the cream and the alcohol without using preservatives, so that the mixture would not separate. The solution was found in a unique technology that guaranteed the cohesion of the two liquids. The process used cream and whiskey in combination with cocoa and vanilla to create the characteristic taste of Bailey’s.
After extensive testing, the basis for Bailey’s took shape… in a Kenwood household blender!
The team mixed whiskey, cream, vanilla and sugar… A promising mix, but lacking in pizzazz!
Then David Gluckman and his colleague Hugh Seymour had the idea of adding a little Cadbury chocolate powder to the mix… A true revelation, which immediately gave the beverage the depth it lacked!
After 45 minutes of testing ingredient quantities, Bailey’s was born.
Baileys Irish Cream
On the strength of this creation, the group opened a subsidiary, “R.A. Bailey & Co.” in Dublin, to produce the new spirit.
To achieve this, they use high-quality, carefully selected ingredients. The cream is made from the milk of Irish cows only, all raised on the east coast of Ireland. The whisky used is purely Irish, while the sugar, vanilla and chocolate are carefully selected.
The first bottles of Baileys Irish Cream hit the shelves in 1974. It was the first of its kind on the market. It was a bold gamble, because at the time, there was nothing like it in the spirits world.
Fortunately, the response was enthusiastic, and it didn’t take long for Baileys Irish Cream to become a favorite, not only in Ireland but internationally too.
After all, alcohol quickly spread to the United States, Europe and Asia. The success was total, and Baileys became one of the most widely distributed Irish spirits in the world, after Guinness and its range of Irish whiskeys.
So much so that major groups began to show an interest in acquiring him, including Diageo, who eventually signed the takeover bid for Baileys.
Today, Baileys Irish Cream Original is still a great success around the world, with several million liters distributed each year between the USA, Europe and Asia.
Baileys irish coffee – https://www.acouplecooks.com
In terms of taste, Baileys is quite mild. There’s a hint of coffee, with caramelized hazelnut and almond aftertastes, enhanced by light touches of fragrant Irish whiskey. All of this, of course, softened to the extreme by a light cream, which makes tasting even more pleasant.
The icing on the cake is that this beverage can be enjoyed neat, on ice, mixed in cocktails, or even used in cooking, for example in desserts. It’s this versatility, combined with its smoothness and unique flavor profile, that has helped Baileys become a world-renowned brand and an ambassador of the Irish hospitable spirit.
Baileys is generally thought to be consumed exclusively by women, who appreciate sweeter, sweeter alcohols and seem to particularly appreciate Baileys as an aperitif…
But make no mistake: although Baileys is sweet on the palate, it’s not synonymous with lightness in terms of alcohol! The temperature is still 17°!
This is due to its high whisky content, but also to its sugar content, which makes Baileys one of the strongest liqueurs on the market.
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