Top 10 liqueur and speciality spirits 2025
‘Tis the season for cocktails, so let us point you in the right direction of what to add to your bar cart with these award-winning liqueurs and speciality spirits.
The liqueur and speciality spirits categories boast a broad range of flavours. Whether your flavour preference is sharp and fruity, creamy and indulgent, or leaning towards the more herbaceous, we’ve got you covered.
Each product below collected a coveted medal in our recent The Liqueur & Speciality Spirits Masters blind-tasting competition, which is part of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions.
A panel of expert, independent judges put each spirit through a rigorous taste test – which these 10 offerings passed with flying colours.
Keep scrolling to see our pick of the bunch.
Belle de Brillet
Owned by Rémy Cointreau, Belle de Brillet boasts a “fascinating eaux-de-vie nose, with an abundance of pears – beautifully integrated, complex and perfectly balanced”, as noted by independent judges.
The liqueur is crafted from Williams pears, all harvested and distilled in the Anjou region of France. This pear eaux-de-vie is blended with Cognac, water and vanilla sugar, which is made with fresh vanilla from Madagascar. Each 700ml bottle requires 18 pears.
Belle de Brillet clocks in at 30% ABV, and retails for around £30 (US$40).
Tullamore Dew Honey
“A nice level of honeyed sweetness” – this Irish whiskey-based liqueur is a fan favourite for good reason. The liqueur combines Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey and natural honey from the hives of Bohemia.
To make Tullamore Dew Honey, the distillery blends single malt, single pot still, and single grain Irish whiskeys before infusing honey, sugar and other natural flavours.
Bottled at 35% ABV, the liqueur retails for around £30 (US$40).
Creamy Creation Blueberry Oats Muffin
Brands that cater to dietary requirements are in high demand these days – and a recent concept from B2B liqueur manufacturer Creamy Creation caught the attention of our judges at The Liqueur & Speciality Spirits Masters 2025. In the Vegan flight, the producer’s Blueberry Oats Muffin concept collected the top Master award, celebrated for its “pleasant blueberry smoothie aroma and sweet, lovely texture”. Additional notes described the plant-based liqueur as “smelling and tasting exactly like a freshly baked blueberry oat muffin with a creamy centre”.
Creamy Creation has been leading the charge when it comes to plant-based liqueur options, offering customers the opportunity to customise their preferred flavour profiles and base ingredients, including soy-free options, oat-based liqueurs, and even vegan coconut cream concepts.
Apple Pie Moonshine
With the festive season in full swing, AK Distillery – the UK’s first distillery dedicated to Polish-style moonshine – is showcasing its seasonal limited edition release: Apple Pie Moonshine. Only 150 bottles of this award-winning liquid have been made, so you’ll need to order fast.
Bottled at 30% ABV, the moonshine is crafted with crisp apple, cinnamon and winter spice to emulate the flavour of homemade apple pie. In our recent blind tasting, the judges praised the liquid for its “apple flavours and nutty sweetness”. It is available to purchase on the brand’s website for £32.50 (US$43) per 700ml bottle.
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao Orange
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao Orange was described as “a lovely and tropical orange curaçao that smells like it has a good sugarcane/molasses base. Solid on the palate, great vibrancy, lovely comforting orange, not super sweet, but enough to add a touch of sweetness to a cocktail. A perfect example of the style.” It’s clear to see why this scored so highly in the blind tasting.
The liqueur was created in collaboration with cocktail historian David Wondrich, and was based on a 19th-century recipe. At 40% ABV, the liqueur retails for around £33 (US$44).
Grassroots
Herbal spirit Grassroots made a positive impact with its “pleasing and juicy ginger character” and “green-garden herbal nose, alongside a mix of lemon and lime juice, and cordial”.
The brand hails from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and was founded in 2024 by entrepreneur and music innovator Paul de Kuyper. It’s quickly become an award-winning statement spirit, and secured two Golds in The Liqueur & Speciality Spirits Masters.
Clocking in at 18% ABV, Grassroots was created to bring art and music into spirits, and is recommended served neat or mixed in cocktails. De Kuyper said when it launched earlier this year: “Grassroots is all about authenticity and freedom. It inspires people to search for that spark in themselves, to move, to create, to resist the ordinary.”
Licor 43 Caramel Cookie
Zamora Company tapped into indulgent flavours with its latest iteration of Spanish liqueur Licor 43. The brand introduced Caramel Cookie in October, joining dessert-inspired stablemates Chocolate and Crème Brûlée.
Master-winning Caramel Cookie delivered notes of “stroopwafel. Lovely biscuit aroma, with warm caramel. Lots of creamy dairy. Very nice,” the judges praised.
The limited edition flavour sits at 16% ABV and has an RRP of €22.99 (US$31).
Tatratea Original 52%
This herbal liqueur comes from the heart of the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia, and is crafted with black tea, natural fruit extracts and herbs. The base of the liqueur is made from molasses and prime fruit distillates, before ingredients are left to rest and infuse for up to eight weeks in a tank.
The Original sits at 52% ABV and boasts flavours of honey sweetness and a pleasant black tea flavour that lingers on the palate. Tatratea Original 52% retails for around £40 (US$53).
Chinola Passion Fruit
“Tangy, passion fruit aroma – authentic, bold, inviting, sharp profile with good texture.” The judges clearly loved Chinola Passion Fruit.
The award-winning product is produced in the Dominican Republic and prides itself on being a farm-to-bottle liqueur. It was created to offer an authentic passion fruit product that can be sipped on its own, added to a Spritz, or used in other cocktails such as a Margarita or Pornstar Martini.
The liqueur has an ABV of 21% and is priced at US$32.99 per 750ml bottle.
Joseph Cartron Double Crème de Cassis
French producer Joseph Cartron blew the experts away with the richness of its Double Crème de Cassis. “Lovely fresh blackcurrant on the nose, sweet and sugary, very ripe, very syrupy on the palate. Viscous and rich, tangy blackcurrant everywhere, juicy and delicious; late peppery warmth adds further depth,” the panel said.
Noir de Bourgogne blackcurrants, grown on the hills of the Burgundy Grands Crus, are key to giving this liqueur its bold flavour. At 19% ABV, it’s available to buy for around £20 (US$26) for a 500ml bottle.
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