Kahlúa is to take on Baileys with the launch of a new coffee-based cream liqueur.
Kahlúa Coffee Cream is made with 100% arabica coffee beans, real cream and Kahlúa’s signature rum and coffee liqueur. It promises to deliver “a creamy and velvety texture and a sweet finish”.
Landing across grocery and convenience from this month, the NPD (rsp: £18.40/70cl) was created to challenge “the idea that cream liqueur should wait until the end of the evening”, according to Kahlúa brand supplier Pernod Ricard UK.
Citing research by IWSR, Pernod Ricard UK said drinking consumption was “shifting earlier with growing demand for more relaxed, spontaneous early-evening occasions”.
Kahlúa Coffee Cream had therfore been designed to be consumed during “that sweet spot between finishing the day and wrapping up the evening”, it added.
“We’re seeing sustained momentum on Kahlúa driven by consumers’ love of coffee-inspired serves, from the ever-popular espresso martini to the baby stout shot,” said Ian Peart, commercial director at Pernod Ricard UK. “That’s why we’re excited to introduce this flavour extension that brings together the rich coffee and rum flavours people already know and love from Kahlúa.
“Made with real dairy cream, it offers a deliciously indulgent and easy-to-enjoy serve that opens up new occasions for the brand while staying true to its coffee credentials.”
To support the launch, Kahlúa is to launch a campaign positioning Coffee Cream as “not a nightcap”. It will include a short film featuring viral British Instagram star Grimegran (AKA Margie) and grandson Beau the Beard, as well as Irish TikTok creator Grandad Frank.
The push would seek to show “there’s nothing old and dusty about this cream liqueur”, it said.
Baileys remains the market-leading liqueur brand in the UK off-trade, with annual sales of £200.2m [NIQ 52 we 19 April 2026]. Annual sales of Kahlúa, by contrast, amount to just £10.1m.
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