Baileys

Baileys liqueur is a combination of Irish whiskey and fresh cream flavors that is well known in many parts of the world.

The story of Baileys begins in 1974 in Dublin, Ireland. David Dand, a businessman, is responsible for bringing Baileys to the world, as he had an inspirational idea to combine two delicious local products – rich cream and premium quality Irish whiskey – for export to the international market. The result was a luxurious and unique drink, the world’s first cream liqueur Baileys Original Irish Cream.

A kitchen mixer was essential in the first experiments to make Baileys. The team behind the drink, including David Gluckman (who helped create Tanqueray No. 10 Gin) and Tom Jago (who was also the man behind the conception of Johnnie Walker Blue Label), used a regular old kitchen mixer in the first attempts to make the drink. Three years and countless experiments later, the winning recipe was finished and Baileys was ready to take on the world. However, the production process and exact recipe are still a well-kept secret. To this day, Baileys is only produced in Dublin.

Besides fresh cream and fine whiskey, the recipe also includes vanilla and cocoa beans. Ninety percent of the drink’s ingredients as well as the packaging are of Irish origin, the only exceptions are vanilla and cocoa which cannot be grown in the cold Irish climate.

Although it is a completely Irish brand, the drink was actually named after a restaurant in London. The creators wanted the product name to be both Irish and British. They accidentally stumbled upon a restaurant called Baileys Bistro in London and thought that the name was perfect for their drink as it was Anglo-Irish.

The drink has a long shelf life despite the cream. The delicious taste and freshness of Baileys is guaranteed for two years from manufacture (even when opened and refrigerated), but a drink this delicious will probably not last this long at all. It does not take long to make the liqueur – the whole manufacturing process from start to finish takes about 36 hours – and the result is a fresh but at the same time very rich and luxurious Baileys Irish Cream.

WHY BAILEYS?

Young and famous
Baileys does not have a long history – it was created less than 50 years ago but it quickly became the world’s biggest-selling liqueur brand.

Baileys Ladies
The cream used in Baileys comes from Irish farms where top-bred dairy cows spend 300 days a year in the open air enjoying the emerald fields of Ireland. They are jokingly referred to as the “Baileys Ladies”. These 40,000 ladies are committed to producing milk for Baileys – 220 million litres per year are needed.

Shelf life similar to whiskey
Baileys cream liqueur does not contain any artificial preservatives, the premium Irish whiskey in the product acts as a natural preservative.