Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur 1L

Brand: Baileys (Diageo)

Release Name: Baileys Original Irish Cream

Spirit Style / Type: Irish Cream Liqueur

Composition: Fresh Irish Dairy Cream, Irish Whiskey, Sugar, Alcohol, Cocoa, Vanilla, Maltodextrin, Milk Protein, Emulsifier, Colour, Acidity Regulator

Age: Non-Vintage

Volume: 1L Bottle (Also Available in 375ml, 700ml and 750ml)

Alc / Vol (%): 17.0%

Country: Ireland

Region: Produced in Dublin and Belfast; Cream Principally Sourced via Glanbia's Virginia Facility, County Cavan

Production Method: Proprietary Cream-and-Spirit Emulsification Process, Pioneered 1973-1974

Limited Edition: No (Baileys' Standing Flagship Release, First Launched 1974)

Award Winner: Not applicable in the traditional competition sense — Baileys' status as the world's best-selling liqueur is itself the strongest form of recognition, sold in over 130 countries worldwide

Baileys was invented in London in 1973 by a small team assembled by International Distillers & Vintners (IDV), including innovation lead Tom Jago, and launched commercially in 1974 as the world's first Irish cream liqueur. The name was inspired by a local restaurant whose owner gave permission for its use, and the brand quickly became one of Ireland's most successful global exports despite mixed early reactions from test audiences. Now owned by Diageo, which acquired the brand in 2007, Baileys has expanded into more than 10 flavour variants — including Salted Caramel, Espresso Crème and a vegan Almande almond milk version — while the Original remains by far its most iconic and best-selling expression.

Baileys didn't just launch a new liqueur — it invented an entirely new category. Before 1974, no one had successfully combined cream and spirit into a shelf-stable liqueur, and the small team behind it, including innovation lead Tom Jago, spent years solving the genuine technical challenge of emulsifying cream into alcohol without it separating. That breakthrough created the "cream liqueur" category from scratch, and Baileys remains its undisputed leader nearly fifty years later, selling over seven million nine-litre cases annually in some 130 countries. Every drop, no matter where in the world it's sold, is still produced in Ireland at plants in Dublin and Belfast, with dairy farmers supplying more than 275 million litres of milk each year, principally processed through Glanbia's Virginia facility in County Cavan — a genuinely serious supply chain behind a product many people don't think twice about. Its smooth, moderate strength makes it exceptionally versatile: excellent neat over ice, stirred into coffee or hot chocolate, layered into a B52 shot, or as the essential base of a Mudslide. A genuine must-stock, universally recognised brand for any spirits range — the world's best-selling liqueur, full stop.