A cream liqueur is a smooth, sweet spirit made by blending alcohol with cream or milk and a touch of sugar. It’s rich, velvety, and indulgent and often has notes of caramel, vanilla, and chocolate. The most well known of these is Bailey’s, which, like ours, is made with whisky (albeit the Irish variety – so actually whiskey!)
A LITTLE HISTORY OF WHISKY CREAM LIQUEURS
Whisky cream liqueurs are a relatively recent chapter in the long story of Scotch. The first commercially bottled version was Bailey’s, which appeared in the 1970s, when whisky and dairy cream were combined to create something decadent, approachable, sweeter and very sippable. It was a way of softening the boldness of whisky, adding a layer of sweetness and texture. From there, these rich, velvety liqueurs quickly became favourites across the world, especially in the UK, Ireland, and North America, where they’re often enjoyed over ice, stirred into coffee, or poured over even ice cream. In more recent years, their popularity has spread further afield, from festive tables in Europe to cocktail bars in Asia.
WHY HAVE WE CREATED A CREAM LIQUEUR?
At Nc’nean, we like to walk our own path. We are big advocates for whisky to be recognised as a drink that can be enjoyed by anyone, whether you prefer it neat or mixed. We’re so committed to welcoming new people into the world of whisky in fact, that we’ve printed a cocktail recipe on the side of all of our flagship whisky bottles. By showcasing different, less traditional ways to enjoy whisky, we hope to make it feel more approachable and break away from the idea that it’s only for sipping by the fire.
Our approach of presenting whisky as a drink for everyone is epitomised in our Quiet Rebels series. Each year a different member of our team sits down with our blender Matt to discuss what their dream whisky would be. We then go about creating and releasing it under the team member’s own name, for example Quiet Rebels Annabel, Quiet Rebels Gordon, Quiet Rebels Lorna.
Most recently, it was our bottler Sarah’s turn for her Quiet Rebels release. But Sarah isn’t a fan of neat whisky - but she is a huge fan of whisky cream liqueurs. So for her release we had to get creative and push our boundaries even further - we wanted to create something that was still had Nc’nean’s flavour profile at its core but that even Sarah would love and be proud to have her name on. 
QUIET REBELS SARAH
The result is a rich and creamy whisky liqueur with flavours of crème brûlée, spiced honeycomb, and chocolate mousse, all underpinned by the complexity of our Organic Single Malt Scotch. It is rich and decadent, without the need for dairy.
“Quiet Rebels Sarah is a little indulgence for anyone, even if you don’t think of yourself as a whisky drinker.” Sarah Hewitt, Head of Bottling.
The first batch (which was released in October) quickly sold out on our UK website, but don't worry, we are busy making more and you can now preorder batch two on our website or shop original bottles from stockists in the UK. Abroad, Quiet Rebels Sarah is now available in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. This release is selling particularly fast so anyone who would like a bottle is advised to contact their local retailer in advance. Click here to read more about Sarah and her husband Simon and the stories behind their Quiet Rebels releases.
THE PERFECT CREAM LIQUEUR COCKTAIL - THE FLAT WHITE MARTINI
Since Sarah released her cream liqueur on the same day as her husband Simon released his whisky, we have created a cocktail to celebrate which we think embodies a flat white martini. It is an incredibly decadent and morish take on a whisky espresso martini.
Ingredients
40ml Nc’nean Quiet Rebels Sarah
20ml Nc’nean Quiet Rebels Simon (or our flagship whisky if you would rather)
20ml Coffee Liqueur
20ml Espresso
Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, then fill with cubed ice and shake hard for 12 seconds. Fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass.