Apparently you can compete on price. Queen Margot Whisky, an eight-year-old blend sold by German-based discount supermarket chain Lidl, just took Round 1 for best blended Scotch under age 12 at the World Whiskies Awards. The final winners will be announced on March 28.
A bottle will set you back a cool $18,* leaving plenty of scratch for a 49-cent croissant or some cut-rate Serrano ham. Tasting notes? “Smooth with a rich sweetness and depth of flavour, leaving a warm, lingering finish,” Lidl says. “The soft aroma of fruit manifests itself as dried apricot and plum.” Just ask the 40-plus WWA judges.
Whiskey in the sky with diamonds
In a different snack bracket, Fortune explains, U.K. auction house Bonhams is about to flog a 60-year-old Macallan that it expects to command almost $1 million. The hook for this rarity: it’s one of just 12 bottles to bear a label crafted by Sir Peter Blake, who shares design credit for the cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. With a little help from your friends, maybe you can pull together the cash in time for this month’s bidding war.
*All prices in U.S. dollars