The Aldi Scotch That's Giving America Serious FOMO

Sometimes discount grocery chain Aldi gets a bad rap. Some critics of Aldi cite the lack of name brand items for more generic items and the chain's refusal to honor manufacturers' coupons as reasons to avoid the chain altogether (via MarketWatch). This is simply their opinion, however, and there are plenty of people who love the grocery store just as there are those who dislike it. Proponents of Aldi note that the chain's avoidance of most major brand names helps to keep the prices famously low — after all, many people don't mind paying a couple of bucks less for a box of cereal that's just like Cheerios in everything but the name.

It seems that fans also enjoy being able to visit their local store for some cheap alcohol too. Some of Aldi's stores do sell spirits such as beer and wines, but only in select places around North America. The Aisle of Shame tells us that this is because certain states and municipalities in the U.S. have strict guidelines on who can sell alcohol, so it's all a matter of following state laws rather than just being overly selective. However, Aldi sells a certain type of scotch that doesn't appear to be available in the U.S. (via Reddit).

On the subreddit r/Aldi, a user posted a photo of a bottle of Highland Black scotch. The user lamented the fact that they couldn't purchase the scotch in the United States and others seemed to agree, noting that Aldi was surprisingly well-known for its liquor selection. "In 2018, two of Aldi's single malt scotches were rated #1 in the world," a Redditor wrote, noting that two of Aldi's single malt scotches are actually made by a major distillery and sold exclusively to Aldi. They also claimed that people were surprised that something as good as these scotches could come from Aldi.

"Yeah, I'd love to be able to buy whiskey at Aldi," a user wrote. "For personal reasons I don't generally drink scotch, but I could ignore those reasons if it meant not having to go to Specs for bourbon." Spirited Matters wanted to more closely examine the claims that Aldi was selling top-shelf scotch for incredibly low prices. Their examination revealed that while Aldi's Highland Black scotch did indeed win some renown in the Scotch Whisky Masters, it certainly wasn't the "world's best scotch." This claim was traced to the chain's managing director of buying, who lauded that the Highland Black had won "best scotch in the world."