Whisky
Every Asda Whisky: Prices, Value & What's Worth Buying
Asda's Extra Special range is one of the very few supermarket own-labels with a Speyside, a Highland AND an Islay single malt. The full range, real prices, value per unit, and what's worth buying.
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Asda's Extra Special range is the most ambitious own-label line-up in any UK supermarket: a Speyside, a Highland and an Islay single malt, all at 40%. Very few supermarket own-labels do peat at all — which makes the Islay the most interesting bottle here. Below is the range, what it costs, and what's worth buying.
On spelling: in Scotland it's always whisky, never whiskey — the ‘e’ is Irish and American. If you searched Asda whiskey, you're in the right place; the bottles are exactly the same.
How this guide works. This is a research-based buying guide, not a personal tasting. We assess on price, value per unit of alcohol (via our Whisky Value Calculator), category and region, and what's verifiable about sourcing. Prices change — treat them as a guide and check the shelf.
The range
Extra Special Islay Single Malt — ~£22
ABV: 40% · Type: Single malt, Islay, no age statement
The headline bottle: one of the very few own-label peated single malts sold by a UK supermarket (Lidl's Ben Bracken Islay is another). Most supermarkets leave peat to the branded shelf, so if you want a smoky Islay style at own-label money, this is among the small handful that exist. Compare it on price to entry-level branded Islays (Bowmore, Caol Ila 12), which start nearer £40.
Extra Special Highland Single Malt — ~£20.50
ABV: 40% · Type: Single malt, Highland, no age statement
The all-rounder in the maltier Highland style. Asda doesn't name the distillery, and unlike the Whyte & Mackay paper trail behind the Tesco and Sainsbury's malts, the Asda source isn't publicly documented — so treat the origin as genuinely unknown.
Extra Special Speyside Single Malt — ~£20
ABV: 40% · Type: Single malt, Speyside, no age statement
The safe, approachable Speyside profile every supermarket leans on — genuine single malt at around £20.
Value
At ~£20–22 the Extra Special single malts work out around £0.71–0.79 per unit of alcohol. The Islay is the one to weigh on value: a peated own-label single malt at ~£22 has no direct supermarket rival, and branded entry-level Islays cost roughly double. Run the current price through the Whisky Value Calculator.
What Asda won't tell you
Asda is one of the more secretive supermarkets on sourcing — there's no distillery named on the Extra Special bottles, and no public registration trail confirming the producer (unlike Tesco's and Sainsbury's IWSC-registered Whyte & Mackay malts). So the origin is genuinely unknown here, and any "it's secretly Distillery X" claim you read online is speculation. What's certain is that, to be labelled single malt Scotch, each is 100% malted barley from a single Scottish distillery, matured at least three years. The fuller story is in our explainer.
What's worth buying
- The reason to shop here: the Extra Special Islay (~£22) — one of the very few own-label peated malts in any UK supermarket, at roughly half the price of a branded entry Islay.
- Everyday: the Speyside or Highland (~£20) — competent own-label single malt, though Aldi and Lidl undercut them on value.
Frequently asked questions
Does Asda sell a peated/Islay single malt?
Yes — the Extra Special Islay Single Malt is one of the very few own-label peated single malts sold by a UK supermarket (Lidl's Ben Bracken Islay is another). Most supermarkets leave peat to the branded shelf.
Who makes Asda's Extra Special whisky?
Asda doesn't name the distilleries, and unlike some rivals there's no public registration trail confirming the producer. Treat any specific-distillery claim as unconfirmed speculation.
Is Asda Extra Special a real single malt?
Yes. "Single malt Scotch whisky" is a legally protected term — the Speyside, Highland and Islay Extra Special bottles are genuine single malts from single (unnamed) Scottish distilleries, bottled at 40%.
Prefer it delivered?
Similar bottles you can get on Amazon
The own-label bottles above are in-store only. If you’d rather not make the trip, these are close in style and value — a small step up, delivered.
Tamnavulin Double Cask
Sherried Speyside — the closest match to an own-label sherry-cask single malt
Auchentoshan American Oak
Smooth, unpeated Lowland — an easy everyday pour in the supermarket price band
Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
Age-stated single malt — the safe step up if you want a known name delivered
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. It never changes what we recommend.
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