Shoppers who want to keep bourbons
If a chocolate-cream sandwich biscuit belongs in your Christmas tin, compare the sugar figures on conventional bourbons without assuming that the lowest figure makes a product reduced sugar.
Who is this choice for?
Shoppers willing to change biscuit type
If an express sugar-related claim matters more than the bourbon format, check what the claim says and which biscuits it compares.
People serving guests with dietary restrictions
Check the exact pack’s ingredients and allergen statements for the people who will eat it. Where relevant to an individual’s existing plan, check total carbohydrate per intended serving too; a sugar figure or vegan description does not answer those questions.
What should you compare?
Keep the bourbon format
Choose this route: When a bourbon’s chocolate-cream sandwich format matters more than finding an expressly reduced-sugar biscuit.
Trade-off: The figures compare a limited set of conventional packs; they do not turn any of them into a reduced-sugar product.
Change biscuit type
Choose this route: When you are willing to buy a different biscuit with explicit sugar-related wording.
Trade-off: McVitie’s reduced-sugar Rich Tea is not a filled bourbon, and its stated comparison is with a typical semi-sweet biscuit.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar per weight and portion | Compare total sugars per 100g across packs, then read the per-biscuit figure and consider how many you plan to serve. Tesco lists 25.2g per 100g and 3.5g per biscuit for its checked 296g Bourbon Creams pack. | I want bourbons in the tin, but a larger or smaller biscuit could change what each serving contains. |
| Sugar-related wording | Check whether the exact product carries a claim and what its stated comparator is. McVitie’s 30%-less-sugar wording for Rich Tea The Light One compares it with a typical semi-sweet biscuit, not a bourbon; compare energy separately if changing biscuit type. | I could switch biscuits if the claim matters more to me than the bourbon filling. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the supplied pack’s ingredients and precautionary allergen statements. Check total carbohydrate per intended serving where it is relevant to an existing individual plan. | Guests need information about the biscuits they will actually be offered, not an assumption based on sugar content or a vegan label. |
| Pack and storage | Check the date and storage directions on the delivered pack. Waitrose recommends an airtight container after opening and consuming its checked 400g Bourbon Creams pack within seven days for best quality. | For a Christmas food shop, I need a pack size and opening date that suit when the biscuits will be shared. |
Common buying mistakes
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Calling the lowest-sugar bourbon ‘reduced sugar’
Tesco has the lowest labelled sugars per 100g among the five conventional bourbon packs compared here. That limited comparison is not a reduced-sugar claim. All five figures also exceed the NHS food-label guide of more than 22.5g total sugars per 100g for a high-sugars food.
Use the per-100g figures to compare these packs, and reserve reduced-sugar wording for a product that carries an applicable claim.
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Comparing biscuits only by the per-biscuit figure
Per-biscuit values describe a serving from a particular pack; they do not put biscuits of different weights on the same basis.
Start with sugars per 100g for a like-for-like weight comparison, then check the labelled biscuit serving and the number you intend to put out.
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Assuming vegan or lower-sugar wording settles an allergy question
The checked products have different ingredient and manufacturing-related allergy advice. A broad dietary description does not replace the allergen information for the exact pack.
Check both ingredients and precautionary statements for each guest’s relevant allergens; ask the seller or manufacturer if the information is unclear.
Brand and product-line references
These figures describe the named packs, not every biscuit made or sold by each brand.
Tesco
Its 296g Bourbon Creams are a conventional bourbon to compare by label, not an established reduced-sugar line.
- Tesco lists 25.2g sugars and 487kcal per 100g, and 3.5g sugars per biscuit, for this pack.
- Check the supplied pack’s ingredients and allergen information for the intended eater.
Sainsbury’s
Its checked 200g Bourbon pack offers a smaller conventional pack for comparison.
- Sainsbury’s lists 25.8g sugars per 100g and 3.4g per biscuit for this pack.
- Its listing says it is not suitable for customers with a milk or barley allergy because of manufacturing methods.
Asda
Its checked everyday Bourbon Biscuits come in a 300g pack.
- Asda lists 27g sugars per 100g and 3.8g per biscuit for this pack.
- Read its separate ‘may contain’ advice, including milk and several cereals, even if its vegan description is relevant to you.
Waitrose
Its checked Essential Bourbon Creams come in a 400g shared pack.
- Waitrose lists 27.8g sugars per 100g and 3.9g per biscuit for this pack.
- After opening, Waitrose recommends an airtight container and consumption within seven days for best quality.
McVitie’s
Its Tasties Bourbon Cream and Rich Tea The Light One are different biscuit types with different sugar-related descriptions.
- The checked Tasties Bourbon Cream listing gives 30.3g sugars per 100g.
- The maker’s 30%-less-sugar wording for Rich Tea The Light One compares it with a typical semi-sweet biscuit; it is not a claim about Tasties Bourbon Cream.
M&S
Its checked 165g Extra Cream Bourbon Creams emphasise the filling rather than sugar reduction.
- M&S lists 36.7g sugars, 508kcal and 15.1g saturates per 100g for this pack.
- Those values describe Extra Cream Bourbon Creams, not the wider M&S biscuit range.
Joybuy biscuit options
These are options for shoppers willing to change from bourbons to another sandwich biscuit with sugar-related wording. Check each pack’s current label if its ingredients, nutrition or suitability for guests matter to your choice.
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Gullon Zero No Added Sugar Cookies and Cream 210g
For a biscuit tin where a bourbon is optional, this cookies-and-cream biscuit offers a different sandwich-biscuit format. The pack is 210g and says ‘No Added Sugar’; check the nutrition panel, sweetener information and allergen statements on the pack before serving it.
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Oreo Zero Sugar Sandwich Cookies 97g
This Oreo sandwich biscuit is an alternative when the bourbon format is flexible. Its 97g pack carries ‘Zero Sugar’ wording; check the current nutrition panel, ingredients and any sweetener information, particularly if buying biscuits to share.
Questions before you buy
Does the lowest sugar figure make a bourbon ‘reduced sugar’?
No. Tesco’s checked 296g Bourbon Creams list the lowest sugars per 100g among the five conventional bourbon packs compared here, but that comparison alone does not establish a reduced-sugar claim for the product. Check the wording on the exact pack rather than transferring a claim from another biscuit.
Does less sugar necessarily mean fewer calories?
No direct calorie conclusion follows from the sugar figure alone. Read both sugars and energy per 100g on the exact packs, particularly when comparing a bourbon with a different biscuit such as reduced-sugar Rich Tea.
What should I check before serving biscuits to guests with allergies?
Check the supplied pack’s ingredients and precautionary statements against each guest’s relevant allergens. The checked bourbons have differing allergy advice, and a vegan description does not establish that a biscuit is suitable for someone with an allergy.
How should I keep an opened bourbon-biscuit pack?
Follow the instructions on the pack you buy. Tesco and Waitrose specify an airtight container after opening for their checked bourbon packs; Waitrose recommends consuming its checked pack within seven days of opening for best quality.
What date should I check when buying ahead for Christmas?
Check the date on the delivered pack against when you plan to serve the biscuits, along with its storage directions. GOV.UK distinguishes best-before dates, which concern quality, from use-by dates, which concern safety.