A Scottish whisky that costs under £18 has been crowned one of the best ever at a prestigious competition - beating a bottle by Glenlivet that costs double.

Aldi's £17.49 Glen Marnoch Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky was awarded a gold medal after a blind taste test at the renowned Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters.

It beat the silver medal-winning Glenlivet Founder's Reserve in the same category, which sells for double the price at £37.45.

The Glenlivet's Founder's Reserve (£37.45, left) won a silver medal in the Speyside: Standard Assortment category for single malt Scotch whiskies - but a much cheaper £17.49 bottle by Aldi (right) won gold

The only other gold in the Speyside: Standard Assortment category was the Tomatin 14 Year Old Port Wood Finish, which sells for £53.

Whisky has seen a boom in 2017, with more than a fifth of Brits enjoying the drink regularly, according to research.

The tipple is on a par with gin in terms of popularity for home drinkers, with 12 per cent opting to drink whisky at home over other spirits.

The gold medal wasn't the only win for Aldi. Its £12.99 Highland Black 8-Year-Old Whisky picked up a silver medal, making it one of the cheapest bottles to win a prize.

Scotland is split into five whisky-producing regions: Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland and Speyside

In total, the discount German-owned supermarket chain won five medals for its whisky range.

It comes after Aldi's £9.97 Oliver Cromwell London Dry Gin was presented with a gold medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) last month - beating a bottle that costs four times the price at £39.95.

The cut-price German-owned supermarket also won Supermarket Own Brand Spirits Range Of The Year at the world-renowned International Spirits Challenge.

Tony Baines, joint managing director of corporate buying at Aldi said: 'Receiving five medals for our range is a fantastic achievement.

'Whisky has gone through a resurgence in popularity recently and it just goes to show that whisky lovers can enjoy great value products, which have been given the nod of approval by industry experts, without compromising on quality at Aldi.'