A bottle of budget gin from Aldi has beaten Heston Blumenthal’s more expensive version in an international blind test taste.
The German supermarket’s Oliver Cromwell London Dry Gin, priced at £9.99, has been awarded a silver medal at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC).
Meanwhile, Heston’s Citrus Sherbert Lazy Gin, which is made exclusively for Waitrose, only managed a bronze despite costing £24.99.
On its website, Waitrose describes the tipple as “Natural citrus botanicals add a lemon sherbet zest to this classic, apple-based London dry gin.
“Simply add Mediterranean tonic, ice and serve with a stick of liquorice, no need for the slice.”
Aldi wasn't the only supermarket to beat the Michelin-starred chef though, with Lidl’s Hortus Citrus Garden gin, which costs £15, also being awarded silver by the judges.
Regarded as the Michelin guide for booze, this year the IWSC contest received more than 600 gin entries from nearly 90 countries with judges carrying out blind tastings on a range of speciality and own brand bottles.
In the gin category, own-brand versions from Morrisons and Spar, as well as best-known British brands Beefeater and Gordon’s also bagged silver medals while Bombay Sapphire took bronze.
The overall winner was Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin from Japan, at £44.95 a bottle.
This isn’t the first time Aldi’s Oliver Cromwell London Dry Gin has made headlines. For the last two years, the popular drink has been named by the prestigious International Spirits Challenge (ISC) as one of the best gins in the world.
The budget supermarket also recently released a new version of the spirit products by McQueen Gin that has the ability to change colour.
The limited-edition Forest Fruits Colour Changing Gin appears blue in colour when first poured, before turning pink when a tonic, mixer or garnish is added to the drink.
