Every Asda Whisky: Prices, Value & What's Worth Buying

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%. No other supermarket own-label does peat — which makes the Islay the most interesting bottle here. Below is the range, what it costs, and what's worth buying.

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: the only own-label peated single malt sold by a UK supermarket. Every other supermarket leaves peat to the branded shelf, so if you want a smoky Islay style at own-label money, this is the one that exists. 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) — the only own-label peated malt 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 the only own-label peated single malt sold by a UK supermarket. Every other supermarket leaves 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%.

Related articles

See the frontmatter list — rendered automatically.