Aldi whisky range named among best in the world - and it starts at £12.99 a bottle

Whisky has a reputation as being a tipple for a special occasion thanks to its cost, but discount retailer Aldi has been recognised as having some of the best malts in the world.

The budget supermarket chain's best whiskies have earned the same accolades as others more than twice the price.

The retailer has won six silver medals in the International Spirits Challenge 2018, an annual contest which receives more than 1,500 entries from nearly 70 countries all over the world.

This year’s results revealed six of Aldi’s own brand whiskies had been awarded silver gongs, including its Highland Black Scotch – which costs just £12.99 – and £17.49 Speyside Single Malt.

The pair were included in the same medal category as other whiskies which cost twice the price of their Aldi competitors, such as the Whyte & Mackay 19-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky, which retails for £38.

Aldi’s own brand silver medal winners:

Highland Earl Scotch Whisky

Highland Black 8yr old Whisky

Glen Marnoch Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Hogwash Blended Malt Whisky

Glen Marnoch Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Clarke’s Bourbon Whisky

Last year Aldi won 23 medals at international competitions, including two gold medals at the prestigious Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters.

Medal winners in the ISC competition – now in its 23rd year – have to make it through a blind taste test as well as scrutiny from an expert judging panel.

Other supermarkets whose whiskies made the cut were Marks and Spencer, which won four silver medals, and Lidl, which took three. Two Waitrose whiskies also won silver medals.

Julie Ashfield, joint managing director of corporate buying at Aldi UK, said: “At Aldi we are committed to bringing excellent-value products to our shelves for our customers to enjoy, without compromising on quality and our whisky range is a great example of this.

'A great achievement'

“We are particularly proud of these two whiskies, which have won a whopping ten medals between them in the past year.

“To be named amongst the best whiskies in the world is a great achievement, and a real testament to the quality of these spirits.”

The chain – which sells around 9,500 bottles of whisky in its UK supermarkets every day – was also awarded the coveted “Own Brand Spirits Range of the Year” title at the International Spirits Challenge last year.

A version of this story originally appeared on our sister title, iNews