Yes, you read the headline right. Aldi's, the German grocery chain, which runs all of the Trader Joe's markets in the United States, is taking the American supermarket game by a landslide. With over 1,750 stores in the US and counting, the discount supermarket chain is more than paying a quarter for a cart.
Recently, Aldi's won high praise from the British publication, "The Spirits Business" in its 2018 Scotch Whisky Masters competition. The bottles, Highland Black Scotch Whisky which is available for $17.39 a bottle and its Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky going for $23.42 per bottle took home the gold in each of their categories. They even beat out whiskies that are over three times the price.
The Highland Black Scotch Whisky is a blend of Speyside and Highland Malt whiskies blended together with Grain whisky from Girvan in the Lowlands according to Aldi's. The whisky is matured for a minimum of right years before being selected by a master blender. The Esquire reports that it has notes of heather, strawberry leaf and lemon oil.
The other gold medal winner, the Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, has won numerous awards including the International Wine & Spirit Quality Award in silver in 2016. The single malt scotch whisky features notes of rich vanilla and toffee, followed by oaky spice and a long and lingering malt finish.
Ready to head off to your local Aldi grocery store to buy it? Unfortunately it's not that easy. Most grocery stores in the United States are not allowed to sell liquor due to liquor laws. Which means this whisky is only available abroad.
However, don't count Aldi U.S. stores out yet. While you can't get cheap whisky, you can purchase award-winning wine that barely puts a dent in your wallet. Aldi has been winning competitions for it's rosé as well as their Cabernet Sauvignon.
