Good old Aldi is at it again. Prepare to flock to your closest branch and load up on this award-winning gin just in time for the sun coming out.
There's nothing I miss more about living up north than there being an easily accessible Aldi around every corner.
The pure joy of planning a trip after work, cruising down the middle aisle to see what unexpected surprise you may find - an archery kit, slippers, a fire pit or a sleeping bag onesie. What more could you want?
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You meander down the middle aisle, delighted by the random assortment of items to peruse - you may have snuck one into the trolley as a treat - but you've not even come to the best bit - the booze section.
You may want to skip the middle aisle completely on your next trip, because one of Aldi's gins has been officially ranked as one of the best in the world and it's under £15.
In the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), the Aldi gin to make one of the top spots with 98 points and subsequently earn a gold medal, is Haysmith's Rhubarb and Ginger Gin.
The IWSC's tasting note reads: "Magnificently well-balanced with the full rich flavours of mouth-watering rhubarb, fiery ginger and chaste juniper.
"Delectably moist on the finish with the glorious pungency of lip-tingling Jamaican ginger cake, heaped with a generous dollop of deliciously tart rhubarb. Superb. "
The un-aged gin comes in a 700ml vibrant glass bottle and has a respectable alcohol level of 40 percent.
It's not vegan or sustainable, but we can't have it all, can we? And for £14.99 a bottle, I'll definitely be adding it to my shopping trolley the next time I trek to an Aldi in the dark depths of London - although you can only buy 10 at a time, so drink responsibly and all that.
And it's not the only alcoholic beverage of Aldi's that may be worth a try this spring either, with a whopping 17 awards having been won by the retailer at the IWSC - 10 in the top-rated entries.
Haysmith's Blood Orange Gin from Aldi won a Bronze medal for its 'blood orange aromas that broaden on the palate [and] dry, easy finish with solid juniper'.
If you're less of a basic gin gal and prefer to sip on a whisky in the evenings, don't fret, Aldi has you covered too. The supermarket also won a gold medal for its Marnoch Limited Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which similarly retails for under £20, at a bargain price of £17.49 for 75cl.
Managing director of buying at Aldi UK, Julie Ashfield, reflected on the supermarket's success at the competition.
She said, as per Metro: "We are extremely proud to have received the highest possible accolade for our own brand spirits.
"Now more than ever, we want to show that low prices don’t mean compromising on quality or taste."
Topics: Aldi, Food And Drink, World News, UK News
Poppy Bilderbeck