Like fellow Irish chocolate brand Lily O'Brien's, Butlers is perhaps best known for gift boxes of assorted chocolates. These boxes are commonly found in larger supermarkets, and 'duty free' shops in airports and aboard ferries.
The chocolates are produced in Ireland using Belgian chocolate, and are presented in a variety of gift box formats, from large single-tier trays down to today's review item, the cute 160g two-tier Small Ballotin Chocolate Box.
Indeed, I received it as a Christmas gift from my family, proving its strength as a versatile present.
In this article:
Packaging
The Butlers Small Ballotin Chocolate Box weighs in at 160g, and lends itself nicely as a thank you gift, a small birthday present, a Christmas present, or as a 'just because' treat.
It's pre-wrapped and finishes with a matching ribbon, which removes the aggravation of wrestling with wrapping paper and sticky tape. It's also perfect as a last-minute gift for this very reason.
The underside contains a large sticker that documents the lengthy ingredients list, but it also serves to hold the ribbon in place, sealing the box closed.
Butlers Small Ballotin Chocolate Box ingredients:
Sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, almonds, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar), water, hazelnuts, butter, emulsifier (soya lecithin), butter oil, natural flavourings, glycerol, cocoa powder, sea salt, citric acid, preservative (sorbic acid), raspberry granules, salt emulsifier (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids), coffee powder. Cocoa solids: 32% minimum (milk chocolate); 26% minimum (white chocolate). Milk solids: 20% minimum (milk chocolate); 20% minimum (white chocolate).
The box carries Callebaut's Cocoa Horizons logo and lists the source of cocoa as West Africa. The sugar content sits at 46%, which is fairly typical for similar products in this gifting category.
Butlers Small Ballotin Chocolate Box Review
Inside the box sits two black plastic trays, each with six chocolates, interleaved with two black cushion pads. You'll find 12 chocolates in a range of flavours that suit everyone. I'm pretty sure everyone can find at least a handful of chocolates they like in this box.
The wrapping paper and ribbon might be tricky to recycle in some parts of the country, but the box should be fine. The use of black plastic is disappointing to see in 2023, but i imagine this might change in the years ahead.
A small paper menu card is also included so you can decide which order to work through the box. Butlers describe this as a 'chocolate box [with] delectably delicious chocolates'.
Do you start with your favourites or do you leave the best until last? I decided to work through a tray at a time.
Almond Praline
A faint milk chocolate aroma gives nothing away here. Inside, I unexpectedly found a crumbly textured filling with a subtle nutty, buttery flavour. Milk chocolate helps to add a bit of sweetness to the overall flavour, while a vague nutty flavour lingers in the aftertaste. Overall, this one felt a little lost, like it wanted to make a statement but there was no crescendo.
Lemon
Classic dark Belgian chocolate notes dominates the aroma, but there's no trace of the lemon. It does come through in the flavour, although it's not as fresh and zingy as I had anticipated. Instead, it's more floral in nature. It plays well with the dark chocolate shell but there's plenty of scope to make the filling more vibrant. Dark chocolate dominates the aftertaste, with a subtle lemon fragrance in the mix.
Latte
I had big hopes for this one, but it let me down. A white chocolate aroma hid the coffee notes inside, so I thought. However, on biting into it, the coffee flavour was barely detectable. Plenty of sweet white chocolate and vanilla notes, but only the barest hint of coffee. Like the flavour, the aftertaste was dominated by the vanilla white chocolate flavour more than the coffee notes.
Hazelnut Caramel
Dark chocolate aromas tempted me in, and a sweet thick caramel followed inside. Held inside the caramel is a whole roasted hazelnut, which adds a nutty depth to help balance the sweet caramel. The dark chocolate shell also helps with this, resulting in a rich and balanced treat that isn't overly sweet. Toasted nutty flavours linger in the aftertaste.
Vanille
The white chocolate shell naturally lends this one a creamy, vanilla aroma. Inside, the centre has a pliable texture, almost like fudge. It's heavy on the vanilla notes, as it ought to be, and delivers helpings of sweetness thanks to all that white chocolate. Unsurprisingly, sweet vanilla leads in the aftertaste too.
Milk Truffle
A classic milk chocolate aroma entices you to take a bite and unexpectedly discover the gooey caramel centre. It's creamy and sweet, but lacks the depth of flavour needed to make this one stand out. The standard milk chocolate flavour lingers into the aftertaste.
Intense Truffle
A slight amount of surface bloom detracts from the glossy surface decorated with the Butlers logo. Nevertheless, it still exhibited a dark chocolate aroma together with a degree of smokiness. The thick crunchy shell wraps around a smooth interior. This one is dark and rich, with a classic dark chocolate flavour.
Salt Caramel
It's almost obligatory to feature a salted caramel chocolate in any selection box, and this is Butlers' version. A milk chocolate aroma is all I could detect from the outside, but biting into it revealed a pale caramel. It was a runny consistency but not too liquid. There's a rush of salt from the start, but this helps temper the sweetness and astringency of the caramel. The crunch of the thick shell helps to balance out the textures, while the caramel flavour is the one that lingers into the aftertaste.
Orange Crunch
As with the others in this selection box, the thick shell helps to trap in all the flavour, meaning it's just milk chocolate notes that come through in the aroma. Inside is a dense filling with a subtle orange flavour that reminded me of a Terry's Chocolate Orange. The crunchy flecks added to the texture. The orange flavour is so weak that it's the milk chocolate that leads in the aftertaste, with a vague orange undertone. I wanted this one to be bigger and bolder, with a more pungent orange oil used to create a better, longer lasting impression.
Marzipan
I love a good marzipan chocolate, so had high hopes for this one. A faint dark chocolate aroma gave nothing away. The smooth marzipan isn't too sweet, and instead, allows the almond flavour comes through clearly. The dark chocolate shell adds richness and helps to round off the flavour. A pronounced almond flavour lingers in the aftertaste.
Hazelnut Praline
The super thick shell of this one serves up a caramel milk chocolate aroma. Inside, a hazelnut flavour dominates, with crunchy flecks of roasted hazelnuts adding depth and balance to this sweet bite. There's a risk that it would be too sweet, but the earthiness from the roasted nuts helps to keep that in check. Unsurprisingly, there's a strong roasted hazelnut flavour that leads in the aftertaste.
Raspberry
This was one of the few that served up a glimmer of what was inside in the aroma, with zingy, freeze-dried raspberry notes alongside sweet and creamy vanilla notes. Inside, a soft, chewy caramel-like centre delivers a raspberry flavour, while the white chocolate adds sweetness and vanilla flavours. Overall, the flavour reminds me very much of a Swizzels Drumstick. The raspberry flavour isn't as tart as the aroma suggested, so I think there's room here for a little more zing.
Butlers Small Ballotin Chocolate Box Review
RRP: £6.00 | Butlers | Shop now°
Pre-wrapped for convenience, this small box of 12 chocolates is likely to have universal appeal, making it a good choice as a gift. The chocolates are sweet, so will have wide appeal, and while the flavours are okay, I would have liked them to be a bit more punchy.
Where to Buy Online
You can buy the pre-wrapped 160g ballotin gift box on Amazon here°. You'll also find it in larger supermarkets including Waitrose (£6) and Sainsbury's (£6).
Larger boxes and alternative wrapping is available on the Butlers website here.
Would you prefer a small ballotin box like this, or a single tray in a bigger box? Let me know in a comment below.
