Is Kerrygold Butter Really Worth The Price? Definitely.
We all recognize those top-shelf, chunky, Irish butter blocks in elegant gold packaging, peering down at their American counterparts with cheeky charm. The most recognizable brand of these Irish dairy queens is Kerrygold, having arrived in the United States in 1999. It quickly became a household favorite and even claimed the top spot in our ranking of popular grocery store butter brands. It deserves the acclaim for many reasons, albeit with one caveat -- the cost. It's pricier across the board than domestic American butters, leading to the inevitable question: Is Kerrygold butter really worth the price?
After trying it, you'll likely join the overall consensus of dairy devotees who say yes, it's definitely worth the extra dollar or two. Though prices fluctuate based on market conditions and, as we all know, on food inflation measures, the price disparity between Kerrygold and its closest U.S. competitors generally remains the same.
For comparison sake, it's considerably more expensive than Land O' Lakes, America's most popular butter brand. The typical 8-ounce Kerrygold package of butter sells for anywhere between $0.50 to $0.97 per ounce at Target, depending on your location. Meanwhile, Land O' Lakes only averages around $0.36 an ounce. Still, Americans consistently reach for the Irish gold, and justifiably so. The brilliantly yellow butter features milk made from Irish grass-fed, hormone-free cows, providing an earthy natural flavor that's rich and creamy with a higher butterfat content than most American brands.
Read more: 12 Popular Grocery Store Butter Brands, Ranked
European And Irish Standards Raise The Butter Bar
Ireland adheres to European dairy standards requiring butter to have a minimum 82% butterfat, compared to American standards of 80%. This is one of the facts you should know about Irish butter and translates into that creamy texture we love, accentuated by the cow's healthy grass-fed diet contributing more polyunsaturated fats for softness and spreadability. The beta-carotene in that grass is also what provides Irish butter with its extra bold yellow color, which converts to vitamin A when absorbed by the human body.
Imported Kerrygold butter meets all Irish butter standards, though some American Kerrygold versions stick to the U.S. standards of 80% butterfat. However, our samplers barely noticed a reduction in flavor and texture, as the cow's milk is still always certified to Ireland's "Grass Fed Dairy Standard," which prioritizes outdoor grazing. The aroma also stood out, a glorious mixture of earthy grass, salt, fat, and cream. Our tasters described the flavor notes as "creamy dairy, sweetness, salt, and sharp savoriness — but just with the volume turned up."
Kerrygold butter products made for American palates expand to include both salted and unsalted versions, as well as some with reduced fat or added olive oil. There are also relatively new Kerrygold butter blends, incorporating ingredients such as garlic and herbs, sun-dried tomatoes and basil, bell peppers, and more. They're still based on the same pure Irish grass-fed butter, so it's quite likely they too fall into that same "worth the price" category as the original classic Kerrygold butter.
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