About a month ago, the grocery store I work at started selling a product called “O’Mara’s Irish Cream”, which the label assures us is made in Ireland.
As I understand it, Irish cream is always an emulsion of cream and whiskey. This perplexed me, as (until next June when I-1183 kicks in) Washington is a control state that doesn’t allow supermarkets to sell distilled beverages - only beer and wine.
So what exactly is IN these bottles we’re selling? The box it comes in says it’s only 13% ABV, which isn’t much less than the 17% ABV of Bailey’s. Is it a wine base, or a flavored beer, or some sort of neutral malt base? Or is there some weird exemption that lets them get away with selling this kind of liqueur even though others aren’t OK? Supermarkets ARE allowed to sell fortified wines like vermouth - is this stuff similar to that?
The cheaper Irish Cream knock-offs here (UK) do contain wine, but they also include something vaguely described as “spirit”, which I guess is a cheaper substitute for whiskey.
Looking at the bottle sitting here from two Christmases ago, which I can’t bring myself to throw away (because the person meant well but had no money for the real thing) but also can’t bring myself to drink (because yuck), it’s “a smooth blend of white wine and pure cream”. No spirit. 14.5% ABV.
14.5% sounds about right for budget Irish Cream, but you have to wonder how they manage to achieve that number using only wine, diluted as it is with cream.
O’Mara’s Irish Country Cream is the first Irish cream to incorporate fine wine in its unique blending process which provides a distinctly smooth flavor without a hint of harsh aftertaste. The wine base opens up additional retail distribution opportunities in non-traditional outlets including wine-only on-premise locations and grocery stores.