Can I Buy Good Whisky In The Supermarket? Part 02

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A few years ago Lidl release an aged Highland whisky that Jim Murray (the Whisky Bible guy) scored as 95/100. The process of releasing limited edition high end whisky's has very much been pioneered by the German supermarkets that continue to perform well with their own brands at domestic and international spirit awards.

Link: Can I Buy Good Whisky In The Supermarket? Part 01

Aldi: Glen Marnoch 28 yr Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

This leads us to the primary Aldi offerings for 2016/17. Out of the two German supermarket chains, Lidl has a more successful track record of sourcing good quality whisky and as such I was curious as to what Aldi could offer for the charmingly low price of £39.99. Certainly the package is handsome and unusual to the point that it would make a nice, if fiendishly difficult to wrap gift.

The colour of the whisky is deep and intense; so much so that it is hard too imagine that it is natural. However the reddish and amber tinge are reassuring that it comes from the oak rather than caramel, along with the minimum of 258 years that this whisky has been in contact with wood that previously held sherry.

The origin of this whisky is a mystery; however I suspect that it maybe Glenfarclas for a number of reasons. Firstly Glenfarclas has a history of letting casks go to be bottled independently under a variety of pseudonyms, including "Probably Speyside's Finest Distillery"; secondly all of their whisky is matured in Oloroso sherry (at some point); thirdly it has familiar tastes and smells which remind me of the 105 and a disguised independently bottling for Abbey Whisky; fourthly apart from Aberlour I cant think who else it tastes like or could be.

This is certainly not top of the line Glenfarclas; but for £39.99 the opportunity to enjoy a well balanced and interesting heavily sherried whisky of this age is unique.

So what does this mean regarding the quality of supermarket whisky? Well clear they can offer value for money and are presented well. This is a whisky that has been proven to be of some interest even to people who have enjoyed high quality whisky over a number of years. As such a trip to Aldi seems worth making around November as the supermarket is now producing whisky's which provide a decent amount of interest for a relatively small financial outlay.

Link: For taste notes click here

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