The Minger's now a global big cheese - thanks to the Mail on Sunday

Crafted in a dairy in the north of Scotland, it is billed as the world’s smelliest cheese.

And now The Minger is making its malodorous presence felt all around the world.

Last week the Scottish Mail on Sunday revealed that the pungent cheese is now being stocked on the shelves of Asda for the first time.

Following our coverage, the reeking Minger – with a smell described as ‘meaty, unctuous, cabbagey’ – has become a global phenomenon, featuring on news reports as far away as Australia, New Zealand and America.

The Highland Fine Cheese company in Tain, Ross-shire, has seen sales of its unpleasantly whiffy product double compared with this time last year.

And we can now disclose that a second major retailer has placed an order.

From the middle of this week, Morrisons will sell the aptly named Minger in its Scottish stores.

Last night Rory Stone, the delighted owner of the artisan cheese business, said: ‘Without a doubt, the coverage by the Scottish Mail on Sunday has greased the wheels, left, right and centre.

‘On Tuesday last week I flew to London to deliver cheese to Good Morning Britain, then I had an interview with ABC news in Melbourne, followed by another radio station in Perth and 5 Live.

‘Afterwards I ran to The Times to deliver cheese for a taste test and feature. A friend told me they heard about it in New Zealand and on Thursday I was interviewed by the New York Times.’ 

The global coverage and soaring sales comes after this newspaper told how Asda supermarkets in Scotland had started selling the Highland cheese.

Besides Minger, Mr Stone’s company’s brands include Blue Murder and Fat Cow alongside its signature Highland Brie, Black Crowdie and Strathdon Blue.

The Minger is a brie-style cheese which has a harder rind and a gooey middle. Its distinctive orange outer layer is the result of being washed in a solution of Brevibacterium – the microbe responsible for smelly feet – then being left to mature for two months.

Mr Stone said: ‘Our dedicated expert team works really hard to create a unique range of European-style cheeses, handmade using quality local sourced cow’s milk, which comes from traditional breeds where the cows are free- roaming and grass-fed.

‘Washed rind cheeses are very seldom seen on supermarket shelves so this is an exciting time for cheese-lovers – especially for all those festive cheese boards.’

Compared with the first week of December last year, sales of Minger have gone up by 100 per cent – and are set to rise even further now that another major supermarket is on board.

Mr Stone said: ‘We have been in negotiations with Morrisons for some time and they placed an order last week.’