How Baileys Was Invented From The World’s Vaguest Brief: ‘Make Something Irish’

In 1973, two men in a Soho office received £3,000 and possibly the vaguest product development brief in history: 'make something Irish.' Within 45 minutes, David Gluckman and Hugh Reade Seymour-Davies would create Baileys Irish Cream - a revolutionary spirit that would sell its billionth bottle by 2007 and establish an entirely new category in the global spirits industry.
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A cleaned-out Schweppes tonic bottle carried the first prototype of Baileys Irish Cream through London in a taxi – a humble vessel for what would become the world’s best-selling liqueur.

In 1973, two men in a Soho office received £3,000 for an idea that would become one of the drinks industry’s greatest success stories. Their brief? Simply “make something Irish.” That’s all they had to work with – possibly the vaguest product development request in business history.

David Gluckman and Hugh Reade Seymour-Davies sat in their Dean Street office that May morning, staring at each other across their desks. International Distillers & Vintners (IDV) wanted a new Irish export drink. They weren’t to use too much Irish whiskey, but beyond that, the instructions – which Gluckman dubbed “the Wexford Whisper” – offered no direction whatsoever.

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What happened next would transform the global spirits industry and create a brand that would sell its billionth bottle by 2007.

Opportunity Knocks

IDV’s Irish division, Gilbeys of Ireland, was on a mission. The Irish government had introduced generous subsidies for brands exporting local ingredients, and the company wanted to capitalize. But with limited access to Irish whiskey supplies, they needed something different – though exactly what, nobody seemed to know.

From Supermarket To Spirits History

What happened next would take just 45 minutes. Seymour-Davies looked at Gluckman and casually suggested, “What would happen if we mixed Irish whiskey and cream?” Instead of debating the idea, Gluckman immediately sprang into action, practically dragging his colleague to the nearby International Stores supermarket on Berwick Street.

They returned with a small bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey, single cream, and – after a second dash to the shop – Cadbury’s Powdered Drinking Chocolate. In their small office kitchen, they mixed the ingredients, tasted the result, and were taken aback. The cream seemed to amplify the whiskey’s strength, creating something entirely new.

Within minutes, Gluckman was in a cab heading to IDV’s offices in Regent’s Park, carrying their concoction in a cleaned-out Schweppes tonic bottle. It might have looked amateur, but the contents would change drinking history.

Facing The Skeptics

The initial enthusiasm at IDV hit its first hurdle in their technical department. Mixing cream and alcohol was unprecedented – the liquid could separate, curdle, or worse. While the scientists grappled with stabilization, Gluckman and Seymour-Davies tackled another challenge: naming their creation.

The inspiration came from an unlikely source – a bistro below their new office called “Baileys.” To add gravitas, they created the fiction of “R&A Bailey,” borrowed from golf’s governing body, the R&A. The fabricated initials would later spawn various origin myths about fictional founding brothers.

Market research provided a sobering reality check. Male focus groups dismissed it as “a girl’s drink,” while one woman compared it to Kaolin & Morphine, a diarrhea medicine. Even more damning was legendary U.S. distributor Abe Rosenberg’s first reaction: “That shit will never sell!”

From Rejection To Billions

But Australia changed everything. When the local IDV managing director proclaimed it “a bloody good drop,” the brand exploded in popularity. Stores began posting signs: “Baileys arriving next week – place orders now.”

By 2007, Baileys had sold its billionth bottle. Today, with annual sales exceeding 120 million bottles worldwide, it remains the world’s best-selling liqueur – proving that sometimes the best ideas emerge from the vaguest briefs and the most unlikely beginnings.

The £3,000 Idea That Changed History

From a £3,000 fee to creating a global spirits category, the Baileys story remains one of the industry’s most remarkable tales of innovation. It sparked dozens of imitators and established cream liqueurs as a permanent fixture in bars worldwide. Perhaps most importantly, it proved that sometimes the best briefs are the ones that leave room for imagination.

The story of how a vague request, a supermarket dash, and a cleaned-out tonic bottle led to a billion-bottle brand serves as a reminder that great ideas can come from anywhere. In today’s world of focus groups, market research, and detailed briefs, the Baileys creation story stands as testament to the power of quick thinking and bold decision-making.

This article draws extensively from David Gluckman’s fascinating book “That S*it Will Never Sell!” (2017), which details not only the full Baileys story but numerous other tales from his decades in drinks innovation. The book, whose title comes from Abe Rosenberg’s infamous first reaction to Baileys, provides an unvarnished look at the realities of product development and the often chaotic path from idea to success. It’s available on Amazon and is essential reading for anyone interested in drinks industry innovation or product development.

Mark Littler

Mark Littler is the owner and editor in chief of the Whiskey Wash. He is also the owner of Mark Littler LTD, a prominent whisky and antiques brokerage service in the United Kingdom. Mark is a well known voice in the whisky industry and has a regular column at Forbes.com and has a popular YouTube channel devoted to everything whisky.

Mark completed the purchase of The Whiskey Wash in late 2023.

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