Chocolate-coated bourbon biscuits can contribute carbohydrate to a marathon-training snack, but they are a choice to practise with, not an automatic replacement for a running fuel plan. Tesco lists 17.3 g carbohydrate and 6.8 g fat per 27 g coated biscuit, so portion size and tolerance during running matter. A 2015 review in Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde discusses 30–60 g carbohydrate per hour for high-intensity exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours; that range should not be treated as a plan for an entire marathon.
A biscuit can contribute carbohydrate, but its portion needs to fit your wider fuelling plan. Practise eating the amount you intend to carry while running rather than trying it for the first time at an event.
Tesco Milk Chocolate Covered Bourbons and M&S Milk Chocolate Coated Bourbon Creams are coated products. Tesco gives nutrition per biscuit; M&S presents the cited figures per 100 g, so check the portion basis before comparing them.
ASDA labels its standard bourbons suitable for vegans, while its separate Free From bourbons are labelled gluten free, milk free and vegan. Neither is a chocolate-coated bourbon, and the standard biscuits contain wheat.
Start with the biscuit format you actually want, then compare carbohydrate and fat on the same portion basis and check the ingredients on the pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate per portion | Tesco declares 17.3 g carbohydrate per 27 g coated biscuit. If a label gives values per 100 g, establish the weight you will eat before calculating a portion. The 30–60 g-per-hour range in a 2015 Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde review applies to high-intensity exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours, not automatically to a whole marathon. | I want to know how much carbohydrate my planned number of biscuits contributes, rather than counting one biscuit as a complete hourly plan. |
| Portion and running routine | Tesco lists 6.8 g fat and 12.6 g sugars per coated biscuit. Compare carbohydrate, fat and sugars using the same portion, then practise that portion and timing with your usual fluids. | A sweet snack may appeal to me, but I need to find out whether the amount I plan to carry and eat works during a run. |
| Ingredients and dietary needs | Check the physical pack for ingredients and allergens. ASDA standard bourbons are labelled vegan but contain wheat and may contain milk; its separate Free From bourbons are labelled gluten free and milk free. | If I need to avoid a particular ingredient, a vegan label alone does not answer that question. |
| Biscuit format | Confirm whether the product has a milk-chocolate coating or is a standard bourbon cream. Tesco and M&S describe coated bourbons; the cited ASDA standard and Free From products are not coated. | I might specifically want the coating, or I might prefer a standard or free-from biscuit that meets a different requirement. |
Tesco declares 17.3 g carbohydrate per coated biscuit. One biscuit alone is below the 30–60 g-per-hour range discussed for 1–2.5 hours of high-intensity exercise in the 2015 Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde review.
Use the current pack’s portion information to calculate what your intended number of biscuits contributes, alongside anything else you plan to consume.
Two Tesco coated bourbons contain 34.6 g carbohydrate and 13.6 g fat; three contain 51.9 g carbohydrate and 20.4 g fat, calculated from Tesco’s per-biscuit label. The carbohydrate figure alone does not tell you how that portion will work in your routine.
Try the exact biscuit, portion and timing during training rather than making race day the first trial.
ASDA labels its standard bourbons suitable for vegans, but they contain wheat and may contain milk. Its separate Free From bourbons are labelled gluten free, milk free and vegan.
Choose by the specific ingredient requirement and check the pack, not by the vegan claim alone.
The ingredient and allergen declaration on the product you receive is the information to consult before eating, particularly when avoiding milk, wheat or soya.
Read the physical pack each time, including after a packaging or recipe change.
Tesco Milk Chocolate Covered Bourbons are a coated option in a 162 g pack.
M&S Outrageously Chocolatey Milk Chocolate Coated Bourbon Creams are a coated option in a 191 g pack.
ASDA lists standard bourbon biscuits and a separate Free From bourbon-style product; neither is a chocolate-coated option.
McVitie's Tasties Bourbon Cream Biscuits are chocolate-biscuit sandwiches with chocolate buttercream, rather than a product described as chocolate-coated in the cited listing.
Waitrose Essential Bourbon Creams are described as chocolate-flavoured cream sandwich biscuits.
These are chocolate-flavoured biscuit alternatives for comparing training snacks, not chocolate-coated bourbon biscuits. Check each pack’s nutrition and ingredients before deciding whether its portion suits your routine.
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If you are considering a chocolate biscuit for training snacks, compare a weighed portion with your carbohydrate plan. Hobnobs are oat biscuits, not bourbon creams; check the pack for portion nutrition and allergens.
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This biscuit-stick format offers a different way to portion a training snack, but it is not a bourbon biscuit. Check how much of the 55 g pack you intend to eat and use the pack’s nutrition and ingredient information for that portion.
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Consider this 48 g chocolate-flavoured biscuit snack only as an alternative to bourbon biscuits. Check the pack’s ingredients and the nutrition for the amount you plan to eat, then try that portion during training.
Yes. Tesco declares 17.3 g carbohydrate per coated biscuit, so two provide 34.6 g and three provide 51.9 g. Calculate the contribution alongside other food and drink, and try the intended portion while running before depending on it at an event.
A coating does not establish which biscuit will suit your running routine. Tesco’s coated bourbon lists 17.3 g carbohydrate and 6.8 g fat per biscuit; ASDA’s standard bourbon lists 9.5 g carbohydrate and 2.9 g fat per biscuit. The biscuits differ in portion size and format, so compare the amount you intend to eat and practise with that product.
ASDA labels its standard Bourbon Biscuits suitable for vegans, but they contain wheat and may contain milk. Its separate Free From Bourbon Biscuits are labelled gluten free, milk free and suitable for vegans. Neither cited product is chocolate-coated; check the physical pack against your particular ingredient requirements.
Yes. Read the ingredients and allergen declaration on the physical pack before eating. The cited Tesco coated bourbon contains milk chocolate and wheat, while ASDA’s standard bourbon contains wheat and may contain milk; a similarly named biscuit need not have the same ingredients.