Aldi's Scottish gin under £20 named 'best in the world' at awards ceremony
Aldi's Còmhla Scottish Gin has been something of a trailblazer. Since its launch a couple of years ago, it has racked up multiple awards and glowing praise.
And now it has another win under its belt, as the budget-friendly tipple has just taking home the coveted title as the World's Best Classic Gin at the prestigious World Gin Awards 2025.
The acclaimed awards ceremony recognises the very best of the best across a range of lucrative brands, with the German discounter's gin beating out tough competition from over 20 countries including USA, Germany and China.
Retailing at a humble £19.99 for a 70cl bottle, the Còmhla Scottish Gin ensures that gin lovers and shoppers will be able to bag premium quality at an affordable price.
After a rigorous blind tasting of hundreds of entries across the globe, Aldi's Scottish-made London dry gin managed to wow the expert judging panel with its "elegant" and "classic" flavour profile.
The World Gin Awards' description for Aldi's win read: "This gin presents a shy yet clean nose with a hint of dusty elegance and a subtle woody note reminiscent of moss.
On the palate, it showcases a classic blend of juniper, coriander, and citrus, accompanied by chilli heat and slight bitterness. While the flavours are complex, they lack full integration, leading to a balanced yet somewhat short and dry finish."
Aldi's Còmhla is a classic London dry gin that is crafted in small batches, boasting a well-balanced blend of notes including juniper, coriander and citrus, rounded off with a hint of bitterness.
Despite only being launched in 2023, it has already been the subject of significant praise from experts, scooping prizes for its quality and flavour profile and multiple prestigious ceremonies.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Scottish-made gin previously bagged the coveted 'Gold' award in the 'premium' Gin Masters category of the 2024 Spirits Business Awards, a ceremony championed by leading spirits specialists.
Before it managed to nab the most recent title as "the best in the world", it was previously named "the best in the country" at the 2025 World Drink Awards.
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director at Aldi Scotland, said: "We have had an incredible response for Còmhla both from our loyal customers and the wider drinks industry. To be named the Best Classic Gin in the world is the ultimate honour.
"Scotland may be small, but we consistently punch above our weight on the world food and drink stage. To be able to compete at such as high standard and to win, is testament to the craftsmanship and skill of our homegrown suppliers, and to the strength of the longstanding partnerships we have formed with them."
Aldi's Còmhla Scottish Gin joins a cabinet of award-winning tipples that can be purchased from Aldi, as the supermarket's Haysmith's Seville Orange & Persian Lime Gin was also voted 'Best in the County' at the same gin awards ceremony in 2024.
Costing just £14.99 for a 70cl, this trendy, citrus-based drink isn't just an award-winner, but it is also 46 percent cheaper than Tanqueray's popular Flor De Sevilla Orange which it has been compared to.
Aldi's best in the world Còmhla Scottish Gin(70cl) retails at £19.99 and can be bought in all 109 stores across Scotland.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
39 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Edinburgh's £53m homeless bill revealed amid housing crisis
Between May 2024 and May 20 25, the council provided 7,909 households with short-term housing. In total, 14,545 individuals were accommodated for a minimum of one night. During the same time frame, the council provided homeless individuals with 2,112 permanent homes. The figures have been revealed as the Edinburgh Fringe kicks off, which brings thousands of tourists and performers to the city, leading to increased accommodation scarcity. The local authority had declared a housing emergency in 2023, amid rising homelessness figures and increasing rental costs. Alison Watson is the director of Shelter Scotland. (Image: Phil Wilkinson.) Speaking to The Herald, Shelter Scotland Director Alison Watson said: "Shelter Scotland welcomes the council's decision to invest in temporary accommodation rather than push more people onto the streets. But the sheer scale of these figures lays bare the grim reality of [[Edinburgh]]'s housing emergency. "With prevention services being cut, more people are being forced into the homelessness system. And with a chronic shortage of social housing to provide people with safe, secure and affordable homes, the City of Edinburgh Council faces an impossible task without serious support from both the Scottish and UK governments.' Jane Devine, CEO of Four Square, an Edinburgh based supported accommodation charity, said the local authority is doing a lot of work to keep people off the streets. She told The Herald: 'Our services have been at full occupancy over the last 12 months, all 65 beds are full.' Four Square, which operates accommodation for 16-25 year-olds and women fleeing domestic violence, was originally set up in 1982. Devine said: 'We have a lot of care leavers who use our services. Even though we cater for 16-25 year-olds, most people are under the age of 20. 'Most people won't need supported temporary accommodation, but young people and women fleeing domestic abuse often require additional assistance. 'The council's decision to extend our contacts on a ten year basis has been a game changer, and has allowed us to expand our services. The city council has been very helpful.' The number of homeless people living in Edinburgh has reached 14,000. (Image: Stock) Fellow charity Crisis Skylight has also spoken out about the 'extraordinary pressure' placed on homelessness services in the city. Mark Kennedy, the charity's director, told The Herald: 'We see the impact that has through our frontline services in Edinburgh every day – people often forced to live without access to cooking and laundry facilities, or unable to see friends and family because of curfews, and children struggling to maintain school attendance because of the disruption homelessness brings with it. 'We need urgent action from local and national government to bring these figures down. That means moving people out of temporary accommodation and into settled homes, so they can move on with their lives, and changing the law so those at risk of homelessness can get help earlier and never get forced into these circumstances in the first place.' Ms Watson of Shelter Scotland echoed these claims, noting: "We need bold, radical action: greater investment from the Scottish Government in social housing, the purchase of larger homes for larger families, and stronger backing from the UK Government must all be part of the solution. "Fixing this is hard, but doing too little is what got us here. Scotland's housing system is broken and biased. It didn't happen overnight, and there are no quick fixes. This is a direct result of political choices and repeated budget cuts. Politicians of all stripes must now step up and choose to end the housing emergency." Glasgow City Council spent twice as much as its Edinburgh counterpart. (Image: PA) Meanwhile, data illustrating the scope of the housing crisis in Glasgow was published earlier this month. In mid-July, [[The Herald]] revealed that Glasgow City Council spent £106m on temporary accommodation in 2024, providing housing for 9,140 homeless individuals. However, despite their statutory obligations, the local authority turned away 753 people seeking accommodation between 1 May and 1 June, according to figures obtained by the Scottish Tenants' Organisation. South Lanarkshire Council spent £11,300,464 on securing temporary accommodation in 2024/25, while Falkirk Council paid out £3,169,412 during the same timeframe, and Perth and Kinross Council spent £1,863,906 between May 2024 and May 2025. Similar sums were spent by Highland Council (£1,938,125.66 in 2024) and Renfrewshire Council (£913,377), while Aberdeen City Council paid out £12,897,608 to provide temporary and permanent housing between January and December 2024. Read more: 'A grim reality': Glasgow City Council spent £106m to house homeless last year Edinburgh Fringe period 'time for dread' for homeless people in the city Alison Watson: August is not a time for celebration. It is a time for dread In a statement, City of Edinburgh councillor Lezley Cameron said the local authority was working 'closely' with charities and the Scottish Government to combat the housing crisis. Ms Cameron, who convenes the council's Housing, Homelessness, and Fair Work committee, told [[The Herald]]: 'Scotland's national housing crisis manifests most acutely in [[Edinburgh]], due to crippling supply and demand pressures, the high costs of housing here, and the Council continuing to receive the highest number of people and families in Scotland presenting as homeless.' Ms Cameron added: 'A huge amount of work by our council officers, by the third sector and our partners is being done to help break the cycle of recurring homelessness. "The service is delivering an improved homeless prevention programme for residents at risk of becoming homeless. Since December 2023, these have helped over 3,500 households to remain in permanent homes. 'Meantime, we are working closely with our partners and the Scottish Government to explore and establish new and viable solutions to resolving Edinburgh's housing crisis whilst remaining committed to doing all we can within the constraints of inadequate funding.'
Scotsman
43 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rachel Reeves: John Swinney SNP independence push playing from 'same tired old playbook'
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Chancellor Rachel Reeves has blasted John Swinney's latest independence push as playing from 'the same old playbook'. The chancellor also criticised the SNP's tax policy and appeared to suggest the UK Government will not make further pushes to lower US tariffs on Scotch whisky. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Reeves made the comments during a visit to RAF Lossiemouth on Friday, where she highlighted the UK Government's recent investments in defence and clean energy. Chancellor Rachel Reeves | Jane Barlow/Press Association This comes after the First Minister defended his strategy of a majority of SNP MSPs elected at the 2026 Scottish Parliament election as a mandate for a second independence referendum. Speaking to The Scotsman on the RAF Lossiemouth airfield, Ms Reeves said: 'It's just the same old playbook from the SNP. 'They want to talk about the past and the referendum of a decade ago, and we want to move forward and seize the huge opportunities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I'd rather hear John Swinney talking about how he's going to back jobs in Scotland, how he is going to reduce NHS waiting lists in Scotland, how he is going to improve school and college standards in Scotland - but it's' the same tired old SNP. 'They've only got one playbook, and that's independence. 'I think ordinary people and businesses here in Scotland want to hear what the parties are going to do about reducing NHS waiting lists and seizing the opportunities for growth here in Scotland, and that's what I'm focused on.' First Minister John Swinney | Jane Barlow/Press Association She also criticised the SNP's tax policy, and promised that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar would reform the tax system if they win next year's election. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The different tax rates between Scotland and England mean anyone earning more than £28,850 pays more tax north of the border than they would elsewhere. Ms Reeves said: 'What the SNP do is tax people on ordinary salaries more than they'd be taxed if they were in England. 'I know that Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, says that if we win the next Holyrood elections, we would reform the tax system because in Scotland people are paying more but getting less, and whilst NHS waiting lists are falling in England and Wales, they are still on the rise in Scotland. 'Despite the record settlement that we gave the Scottish Government, they are taxing more and providing worse services.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Reeves's visit to RAF Lossiemouth comes just days after the Moray military base played host to US President Donald Trump. During his visit to Scotland, the president met with both the First Minister and Ms Reeve's boss Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. During his meeting with the president at Trump International in Aberdeenshire, Mr Swinney made the case for lowering tariffs on Scotch whisky exports to the US. Currently whisky exports face a 10 per cent tariff in the US, costing the industry £4 million a week. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After his meeting, Mr Swinney said there was a 'willingness' from Mr Trump to look at the issue. US President Donald Trump at Trump International earlier in the week. | Press Association During Mr Trump's visit, Mr Sarwar suggested the Prime Minister agreed with the call to exempt Scotch whisky from the 10 per cent tariffs. However, when pressed on the issue the chancellor appeared to suggest she was not willing to make any more pitches to the US Government on whisky tariffs. Ms Reeves said: 'We've got the best trade deal of any country in the world from the US. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We were the first country to get a trade deal, and the announcements around tariffs on other countries around the world, whether that's on the EU or others, are substantially higher. 'So we're in a better position than anyone else in the world, and if you look for example at the trade deal we got with India last week, it sees a halving of tariffs on whisky. 'India is the fastest growing market in the world for Scotch whisky - that is really exciting.' A spokesperson for the Scotch Whisky Association said: "We welcomed Scotch whisky tariffs being raised with President Trump earlier this week. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We're encouraged that the 10 per cent tariff on Scotch whisky in our biggest market – which is costing our industry more than £4m a week in lost exports – remains high on the agenda. 'Given the importance of the Scotch whisky industry to the UK economy, and communities all over Scotland, there is no time for complacency. "We welcomed the India free trade agreement, which will open opportunities for our industry in the longer term, but returning to zero tariff trade with the US would give much needed relief now. 'Our industry is facing significant headwinds both at home and in our markets around the world, impacting our ability to invest. High levels of excise duty here at home are hitting businesses hard and it's vital the chancellor listen to those concerns at the upcoming budget, recognising the wider impact of global and domestic turbulence, and supporting Scotch whisky in its home market." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The First Minister made the case for tariff exemptions for our world class whisky sector directly with President Trump this week and - at the invitation of the president - intends to make further representations to him on this matter. 'We hope the 10 per cent tariff can be reduced or removed for all relevant products, including whisky, and we will continue to work with the UK Government to ensure all Scotland's interests are represented as the UK-US economic prosperity deal is completed and built upon.
Daily Record
43 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Mario Lapointe reveals investment in Dumbarton goes beyond cash as owner bares his soul to management and punters
The new Dumbarton owner is bullish over the events which have transpired since he took the reins at The Rock in Jun Right now Mario Lapointe is a happy chappy. The new Dumbarton owner is bullish over the events which have transpired since he took the reins at The Rock in June after the Good Ship Sons ran aground in the form of liquidation and the subsequent forming as a newco after a 15-point penalty put paid to their League One status. Scottish football is no stranger to unexpected saviours but a French-Canadian musician who has made his money in the world of electronics is the unlikeliest spark for a club in need. But Lapointe is bullish over the Sons' future with ticket sales on the up, added investment in the club's youth set-up and pioneering pay it forward schemes directly engaging youths in the Dumbarton area. They will start the League Two season with a five-point penalty but the mood music around Lapointe's most ambitious project yet is rising after a Premier Sports Cup campaign which started with a win over Stirling Albion and ended with a victory over crisis-hit Hamilton. Montreal native Lapointe is a big personality but his role as custodian of Dumbarton doesn't come with a laissez-faire attitude – just ask the management team who hear from him after every game. Football advisor Neil Watt, appointed by Lapointe himself, and manager Stevie Farrell receive an instant debrief from the boss who is back in Scotland for their League Two opener against Clyde as they aim to quickly wipe out the deduction they were slapped with. Speaking exclusively to Record Sport, Lapointe said: "I'll be watching our games and I take notes and I take notes and after the game I'll write to our adviser Neil Watt and Stevie, our coach, and I'll share my notes. "I coached hockey 19 years and there's things in hockey that we cannot take a low effort or something like that or we're attached to details because it's a very fast game, ice hockey is very fast compared to football "I write what I see, just like I'm talking to you now, I'm a guy that's very direct. I don't beat around the bush too much. and so, I write exactly what I see. "And then to push my efforts, I'll make sure that if I have a solution for it, the solution will be there too, and I send it to them and they (management team) probably go, "Oh my god.", "And this is why I went to get Neil Watt at the same time. I had set five different aspects for me to evaluate our coaching staff and those five aspects. "So for me to be able to evaluate, let's say, the coaching staff, the confidence level, it's like statistics, you have a certain way of saying things, but what's your confidence level? for the coaching staff to receive it, it could not just be from this French Canadian guy that knows about hockey and coaching. It had to be also from a guy that agrees with it, or doesn't agree with it in Neil Watt, right now in our perspective, he's that guy. He's taking care of it. "He's the mentor of the coaching staff, but also he's a guy that's taking his notes as well, and he receives mine. And maybe our notes match sometimes, and perhaps they don't. I cannot be everything, which I am not the best at everything, but I'm pretty good at everything. But I surround myself with some of the best. I'll try to anyway. and that's what I tried to do in this case." The new man in town is an open book and appears willing to self-evaluate after admitting the emotions of his first voyage to the Shire resulted in emotions running high and a club legend offering a quiet gesture to avoid the owner boiling over in front of his public. Lapointe admits his primal reactions in the stands came as a surprise to himself. He added: "During the game, I'll say nothing. I'll watch. If I'm at the stadium, it's a different thing though because at the stadium, I did find myself getting mad a couple of times last time and that's not usually me. "But when you coach for so many years behind a bench, you're not a guy that lets yourself go so much because everything's planned and you're going at it, But when you're in the stands, it has been a while that I haven't been in the stands for a long time. It was good because I was sitting next to Murdo MacLeod and he put his hand on my shoulder a couple of times "So, I don't know if he noticed that, but he was really trying to calm me down, I think. And that's fine because I am a competitive guy. I like to obviously win and I don't mind losing. I've never been a bad loser, but every loss is an opportunity to find out why you lost and how you can do something different and right now I'm happy." Lapointe comes with no airs and graces despite his success in life and his modesty in the abode he rests his eyes on when he makes the trip from Canada to his new home. And his open doors policy has stretched to his social media presence, with Dumbarton fans invited directly to his personal Facebook page as he toyed with letting those beyond the stadium hear about the success of a team under new ownership. He said: "They say that change is hard to happen, and for me I don't have that problem of being uncomfortable. You know what I mean? if I send you where I live when I go to Scotland right now it was a mattress in an empty apartment and that was it, and I got it late and stuff and I couldn't care less. "I had a picture on my Facebook with a huge church bell that comes in the rack and a lot of people, 'my god, what does he want to do with that and stuff?' And I didn't buy it, of course. but in Montreal, one of the biggest things is that people have a losing team,..but when they score, the whole town knows because you can hear that bell ringing, and it puts a smile on your face every time."
