Australians have downed more glasses of Baileys than Guinness, recent data shows.
In 2015, 527,000 Australians 18+ drank Baileys Irish Cream at least once in an average four weeks, putting it well ahead of Guinness (237,000 people) and the country’s world-famous whiskey, Jameson (186,000 people), according to Roy Morgan Research.
“While St Patrick’s Day is traditionally associated with drinking Guinness, our data tells us that the black stuff comes a distant second to Bailey’s Irish Cream as Australia’s most popular Irish alcoholic beverage,” said Andrew Price, general manager – Consumer Products, Roy Morgan Research.
Baileys is especially popular in Western Australia where nearly one in every 20 alcohol drinkers (4.9 per cent) consumes it at least once in an average four weeks, a fraction ahead of New South Wales (4.5 per cent). Tasmania has the country’s lowest Baileys consumption incidence (2.6 per cent).
Price said this may linked to a higher proportion of WA residents aged 18+ that are Irish-born than any other Australian state.
While Guinness, Kilkenny, Jameson and even Magners cider are more popular among men than women, the opposite is true for Baileys Irish Cream. Women are far more likely than men to drink Baileys, with 5.2 per cent consuming it at least once in an average four weeks, compared with 3.2 per cent of men, according to the research.
“Bailey’s popularity is due particularly to women drinking it, peaking among the 18-24 age bracket (7.3 per cent of whom drink it in an average four weeks),” Price said.
