Top 10 best value for money liqueurs
As the festive season approaches, minds turn to the creamy, fruity and indulgent delights liqueurs have to offer. But with such an abundance to choose from, which provide the best value for money?
These are the top 10 best value for money liqueurs, based on the results of The Global Liqueur Masters 2015Whether a £3.99 award-winning supermarket Irish cream, or a Scotch-based variant costing more than £500, there’s a liqueur to suit every taste and preference.
The Spirits Business held its annual Global Liqueur Masters last month, where an experienced panel of judges recognised the best bottlings in the business.
Looking across multiple categories, and with entrants from producers of all scales, the competition saw a number of excellent liqueurs awarded medals for their outstanding quality.
While the individual scores of each entrant are not disclosed, these are 10 of the highest ranking Master medalists recognised in the competition, listed in no particular order.
Readers may notice that not all of these bottlings are standard priced, but have been judged to offer the offer excellent quality to consumers within their respective price categories.
Click through the following pages to view the top 10 best value for money liqueurs of 2015.
The Noir Fume
Owner: Joseph Cartron SAS
Price: approx £19.92
Entered into the Tea category of The Global Liqueur Masters 2016, Joseph Cartron’s The Noir Fume is a Lapsang Souchong-flavoured liqueur. Praised by the judding panel for its “aromatic, fragrant nose” and “intense, smoky flavour”, the variant has been created using young leaves, picked late in season, which have been smoked with spruce then mixed when drying with Jasmine flowers.
Triple Sec Liqueur
Owner: Fruko-Schulz SRO
Price: approx £23.00
The only medal-winning triple sec liqueur judged in the competition, this variant is created by Czech Republic-based Fruko-Schulz. It is made using a three-times distilled spirit as its base and a combination of sweet and bitter orange peels. Judges said of the entrant: “It’s been very well distilled and very well fermented – it’s got a real purity.”
Specially Selected Crème De Cassis
Owner: Aldi UK
Price: approx £6.99
Budget UK supermarket Aldi poses a challenge to established premium spirits players with its Specially Selected Crème De Cassis, which was praised by our judges for its “herbaceous character” and “incredible balance”. Aldi’s liqueur range has also been very positively received in other international spirits competitions, making headlines in the mainstream media for beating established brands.
Master of Malt 40 Year Old Speyside Whiskey Liqueur
Owner: Master of Malt
Price: approx £519.96
The only medalist in our Spirit Liqueur category was the Master of Malt 40 Year Old Speyside Whiskey Liqueur, which judges praised for having “smooth, nutty and fruity” notes and a “great balance of alcohol and flavour”. The upscale variant is made using 40-year -old single malt whisky from one of Speyside’s most famous distilleries – making it the oldest whisky liqueur ever released at the time of its launch in 2013. It has been seasoned with ingredients such as cinnamon, orange peel and cloves. Sitting at the very top end of the premium liqueurs spectrum, the bottling carries an RRP of £519.96.
PCA Sloe Gin
Owner: Master of Malt
Price: approx £27.95
Also produced by independent online spirits retailer Master of Malt under the Professor Cornelius Ampleforth brand, this “elegant” variant was identified as having a “very appealing lightness”. Made entirely by hand using a “time honoured” technique, each bottle of PCA’s Sloe Gin contains almost half a pound of sloes, as well as juniper, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and orange peel.
Crème De Cassis Liqueur
Owner: Fruko-Schulz SRO
Price: approx £12.50
Another win for Fruko-Schulz, this classic cassis variant was described by the judges as “very well made”. The low alcohol content blackcurrant-flavoured liqueur gets its sweet, fresh taste from the use of lemon peel and blackcurrant extracts. A number of cocktails are made with the liquid, including the popular wine cocktail, Kir.
Double Crème De Cassis J. Cartron
Owner: Joseph Cartron SAS
Price: approx €15.75
The final cassis medal went to French liqueurs producer Joseph Cartron for its Double Crème De Cassis J. Cartron. Featuring Noir de Bourgogne grown on the slopes of the Burgundy Grands Crus around Nuits-Saint-Georges, the cassis has been praised for its focus on quality and provenance. The Noir de Bourgogne berries used in production have a very low yield of roughly three to four tons per hectare.
Specially Selected Irish Cream liqueur
Owner: Aldi UK
Price: approx £6.99
Aldi dominated the Cream round of the competition, bagging two medals. The supermarket describes the variant as: “A sumptuous blend of dairy cream and the finest triple distilled Irish whiskey, it’s perfect poured over ice, or added to warm coffee.”
Ballycastle Irish Country Cream
Owner: Aldi UK
Price: approx £3.99
“Everything you’d expect from a cream liqueur – thick, creamy and luscious,” is how our panel of judges described Aldi Ballycastle Irish Liqueur in the Liqueur Masters 2014. It went on to receive a deserved Master medal – and at £3.99 for a 70cl bottle, it provides extraordinary value for money. Consumers agree, with one satisfied customer on Aldi’s website declaring Ballycastle Irish Liqueur “bargain of the decade”. In 2015, the variant was awarded Silver.
Coco Jambo Liqueur
Owner: Fruko-Schulz SRO
Price: approx £12.50
The only medalist in the Coconut category of The Global Liqueur Masters was Fruko-Schulz’s Coco Jambo Liqueur. The bottling was deemed by the judges as “clean, fresh and pleasant to drink” with “nice, light, almost floral notes”.
