Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish whiskey

Irish whiskey

Irish whiskey is whiskey made in Ireland.Key regulations defining Irish whiskey and its production are established by the Irish Whiskey Act of 1980, and are relatively simple...

 and cream

Cream

Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...

 based liqueur

Liqueur

A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...

, made by Gilbeys of Ireland. The trademark is currently owned by Diageo

Diageo

Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....

. It has a declared alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

 content of 17% alcohol by volume

Alcohol by volume

Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....

. It can be compared to other cream liqueurs such as Amarula

Amarula

Amarula is a cream liqueur manufactured in South Africa. It is made with sugar, cream and the fruit of the African Marula tree which is also locally called the Elephant tree or the Marriage Tree. It has an alcohol content of 17% by volume...

, Carolans

Carolans

Carolans Irish Cream is a liqueur based on mead-wine and cream made in Clonmel, South Tipperary in Ireland. It has a declared alcohol content of 17% or 14.5% alcohol by volume . The main components are cream , mead-wine, and honey...

 and Sangster's

Sangster's

Sangster's Original Jamaica Rum Cream Liqueur is a rum and cream based liqueur produced in Jamaica. It was invented by Dr. Ian Sangster, who arrived in Jamaica in 1967 with a contract to lecture at the University of the West Indies.- Overview :...

.
Baileys Irish Cream was created by Gilbeys of Ireland as it searched for something to introduce to the international market. The process of finding a product began in 1971 and it was introduced in 1974 as the first Irish cream

Irish Cream

Irish cream is a cream liqueur based on Irish whiskey, cream, and other ingredients such as coffee, which can be served on its own or used in mixed drinks or as part of a shot or a whole shot. Irish cream is very popular in the United Kingdom and the United States. Irish cream typically has between...

 on the market.