Best: Kirkland Signature American Vodka
The Kirkland Signature American Vodka is the Costco alternative for those who prefer domestic vodkas such as Tito’s. At under $20 for 1.75 L, it’s one of the most wallet-friendly options on the list. It’s sold reportedly distilled six times for ultra-smoothness.
Having a great price isn’t the only thing that makes Kirkland’s American Vodka a good choice. Reviewers praise the liquor for its mild and sweet aroma as well as its smooth and slightly citrus flavor. And it comes with a “Highly Recommended” Tastings rating. However, like most cheaper vodkas, this is likely not the best choice if you’re wanting to take shots all Russian banya style. As noted by the expert reviewers over at Good Cheap Booze, Kirkland’s American Vodka is a bit too harsh and thin in the mouth for shots. It’s best served with something in it, be it ice, a mixer, or even a splash of juice.
A great way to use this American vodka is in a Moscow Mule which, despite its name, is a classic American cocktail that debuted in the 20th century. Fill a tall glass with ice and top with 2 ounces of vodka, 4 ounces of ginger beer, and a squeeze of lime juice. Stir gently and garnish with extra limes before serving.
Which Costco Whiskey/whisky Is The Best
The Kirkland Signature Canadian Whisky and the Kirkland Signature Irish Whiskey were the favorites among my taste testers. Theyre both great options that I recommend. The Canadian whisky tastes just like the famous Crown Royal whisky and the Irish Whiskey tastes very similar to Jameson Irish Whiskey. Both Crown Royal and Jameson Whiskey are well-respected brands that are popular with their loyal customers.
If I had to pick one whisky from Costco as the winner, it would be the Canadian Whisky, but I do live in Canada, so take that with a grain of salt!
Best Splurge: Knappogue Castle 16 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Courtesy of Drizly
Region: Ireland | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Honey, toasted nuts, dried fruit
Aged for a minimum of 14 years in bourbon barrels and finished in Oloroso sherry casks , this rarefied Irish whiskey is luxury in a glass.
With apricots, honey, and toasted nuts on the nose, it shows up soft and velvety on the palate with a long, lingering finish, and it certainly deserves to be enjoyed straight. Rivaling some of the top bourbons and Japanese whiskeys in quality, this is the bottle you break out after a successful dinner party. Plus, at around $100 , its a splurge you can justify.
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Who Manufactures Kirkland Whiskey
Kirkland Scotch are distilled by either Alexander Murray and Macallan Distillery. Kirkland bourbon and rum is produced by Jim Beam. Kirkland vodka is made from the same water source and by the same employees that Grey Goose uses. Kirkland tequila is produced in the same distillery as Cielo tequila.Dec 2, 2021
Jonnie Walker Gold Label
This is one of the most popular whiskeys of all time. Having an exceptionally wide audience, this whiskey has made its way on this list as one of Costcos finest. Amazingly complex, deep, and versatile this whiskey combines a number of flavor notes and aromas richly mixed in a single flavor unity.
Its flavor complexity comprises dark chocolate, hazelnut, sandalwood, and sherry, as well as notes of pepper and dried fruits. It starts with a chocolate and hazelnut note, continuing with sherry and dried fruit hints, and finishing sharply but smoothly with pepper and sandalwood notes.
It ages for a minimum of three years, during which it becomes smooth and velvety. It has a 40% alcohol content, and it costs $33.99 per 750 ml. bottle. You will be getting liquid gold for the money, so dont hesitate to add it to your collection.
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Best: Kirkland Signature Ready To Freeze Cocktails
There is no better way to combat the scorching summer heat than a fruity cocktail, especially in the form of a frozen popsicle. Essentially adult Otter Pops, Kirkland Signature Ready to Freeze cocktails may not reach the lofty standards of a mustachioed mixologist, but they will cool you down and give you a bit of a buzz so we’re certainly not complaining.
This is a variety pack so you’ll get to enjoy three refreshing flavors: Strawberry Freeze, Lime Drop, and Watermelon Hibiscus. Each popsicle is only 100 calories and contains nary an artificial sweetener. While previous versions were made with vodka, the current offering uses Other Than Standard orange wine as the boozy addition.
Since this is a Costco purchase, you can expect plenty of pops . But If freezer space is an issue, not to worry. These are ready-to-freeze so you don’t have to load them all in at once unless you’re throwing a party, in which case, clear out plenty of room.
Kirkland Signature Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey And Collier And Mckeel Share The Same Distillery
While Costco wraps its other spirits in a cloak of secrecy, when it came to their Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, Costco released a whole video about its making. According to whiskey expert Joseph E. Micallef’s notes, a whiskey has to be made and aged in Tennessee and run through charcoal chips made of maple wood, for it to be called a “Tennessee” whiskey . Costco’s video showed how the grains were gathered, and how the whiskey dripped through maple charcoal before being casked. The sour mash bottles have the name of both the master distiller Mike Williams and the distilling company Tennessee Distilling Ltd. on it the same distillery where the popular sour mash whiskey Collier and McKeel is made .
According to Williams, Tennessee Distilling Ltd. makes whiskeys under both their own brand label and for private labels, like Costco’s Kirkland Signature. Williams said that whether it be the whiskey for their brand or any private label, they “make them with the same quality and with the same care that we would make a brand that was our own brand. That’s what we have tried to do with whiskey.” Williams added, ” picked the grain build that they wanted, gave us the specifications that they wanted their whiskey made to.”
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The Best And Worst Kirkland Liquors To Buy At Costco
If you’re on a budget or simply a smart shopper you know that buying generic products, like cereal and soda, get you pretty much the same food for less cash. Some people even become more loyal to house brands in the end. Anyone who grew up near an H-E-B definitely understands.
In addition to foodstuffs, more and more retailers are getting into the private-label liquor game. However none have caught the attention of consumers quite like the options at Costco. Their in-store label Kirkland Signature has already been declared as the “best store brand there ever was” by Bon Appétit, but it’s not just their organic produce and pantry staples that have people signing up for Costco memberships. Kirkland Signature liquors have become a “cult favorite” that bartenders love. Not only are they a great price, but many of them also rival their name-brand counterparts as far as quality goes.
Of course, not everything can be a winner sometimes the store really misses the mark and it’s better to just go with the name-brand. These picks for the best and worst Kirkland liquors can help you figure out which spirits to pick up the next time you’re at Costco and which ones to avoid. The following prices were accurate as of February 2019, but they’re always subject to changes over time and by location.
Does Kirkland Canadian Whiskey Taste Like Crown Royal
Although Kirkland Canadian Whiskey and Crown Royal are two entirely separate spirits, they are often regarded as similar in taste. That may be partially due to the suspicion that both whiskeys come from the same distillery, the Gimli Distillery in Manitoba, distilling the Crown Royal.
Even though it remains unknown who distills the Kirkland Canadian Whiskey, there are rumors that The Gimli Distillery is where it is made.
The Resemblance between Kirkland Canadian Whiskey and Crown Royal is indeed strong, but there are some differences separating these two whiskeys.
While the Kirkland Canadian Whiskey is meant for slow sipping neat, the Crown Royal is mainly used for mixing in cocktails. You can, of course, have Crown Royal neat, but that is not what it is famous for.
The Kirkland Canadian Whiskey is a bit more complex than Crown Royal. It encompasses more flavors such as peppermint, cookie, and caramel, while the Crown Royal is more on the classic side. It starts sharply but is smooth and tender overall.
Both whiskeys have the recognizable Canadian whiskey dimension intertwined with the classic whiskeys smoky caramel aroma.
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Where Can You Buy Kirkland Whiskey
The Kirkland brand of products is made by different manufacturers.
Some people may use the term Whole Foods instead of Kirkland brand.These definitions are just meant to help the learners to know what they actually mean.
But you will not be able to find its whiskey online. The only places you will be able to purchase some for yourself is at the liquor department in Costco.
What Whiskey Does Kirkland Use
Costco sells whiskeys under its own proprietary label, Kirkland Signature, but Costco doesnt own a distillery, so they must be getting it from somewhere.
Costco was a long-time partner with the Barton 1792 distillery that distilled its whiskeys. However, they ended things with this distillery, which didnt distill all their whiskeys. Still, Costco keeps its lips sealed on who supplies their whiskey.
There are multiple helpers involved, the distillers and the bottlers. There are rumors on who brings the whiskey to the table, as well as who bottles it, but there is no clear answer.
Except for the Barton 1792 distillery, the name of which is on the label on one of the whiskeys, other distilleries have not been made publicly known.
Rumor has it that the Blended Scotch Whiskey is distilled by Macallan Distillery. The 12-Year-Old Kirkland Scotch Whiskey is bottled by Murray& Co, but the distillery is still a mystery.
The same goes for 20 YO Speyside Sherry Cask Finish, bottled by Murray& Co, whereby the distillery is undisclosed. The Kirkland Single Barrel Bourbon, Bottle-in-Bond, and Small Batch were distilled by Barton in 1792, who was Costcos known partner until 2021.
Distilled three times, the Kirkland Signature Irish Whiskey is distilled by the Irish Distillers LTD.
The Kirkland Signature Tennessee Whiskey is distilled by Tennessee Distilling LTD.
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Best: Kirkland Signature Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey
If Frank Sinatra were alive today, the Jack Daniels fanatic would likely get a kick out of the Kirkland Signature Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey. While the branding isn’t explicit, it doesn’t take much detective work to figure out who is behind this one. Not only did Costco release a behind-the-scenes video documenting the making of the whiskey, directly on the bottle you’ll find the signature of Mike Williams. A quick Google search indicates that Mr. Williams, is in fact, the owner of celebrated Tennessee whiskey producer Collier and McKeel where he doubles as chief distiller. The company’s Tennessee Whiskey earned a 92 point rating from Wine Enthusiast and was named one of the magazine’s top 100 spirits of 2016. While this particular bottling may not contain the exact same juice as the Collier and McKeel offering , whiskey lovers are equally enthusiastic.
Over on Reddit, there are plenty of comparisons to Jack Daniels. One Redditor who prefers the Kirkland Tennessee whiskey notes, “It tasted sweeter and more mellow than jack.” Another reported, “It is a bit like a Jack knockoff, but it has a little of its own flavor too. I really love it.”
Prices for the Kirkland Tennessee whiskey have been reported anywhere from $18.99 to $36.99 but if you can pick it up for less than the price of a handle of good old reliable JD, it’s definitely worth it.
Kirkland Signature Blended Scotch Whisky
Price: $17.99
The internets opinion: Who makes Kirkland whisky? It’s a tricky question. Youve probably never heard of Alexander Murray & Company, but according to , as of 2016, Costco sells 100,000+ cases of its scotch per year. Alexander Murray works with about 12 distilleries in Scotland like Caol Ila, Tomintoul, Dalmore, Mortlach, Glenrothes, and Tullibardine to fill up private-label bottles at Costco, Trader Joes, and Total Wine. Which juice ends up in the Kirkland bottle? The rumor is that its Tullibardine. But! As The Scotch Noob points out, Alexander Murray has definitely bottled Macallan before, and is reported to have contracts with both Diageo and Edrington. Diageo owns brands like Johnnie Walker. Edrington produces Cutty Sark . Take your pick.
The experts opinion: Be aware that the smell of this scotch isnot ideal. Theres something funky in there, he says. That smells very strange. Based on his knowledge of the scotch market, he says its likely sourced from Diageo or Bacardi. This is reminiscent of a Dewars White Label, but it has a bit more color on it, notes Jensen. He notes that it could also be a blend from one of Johnnie Walkers distilleries, but he leans towards Dewars. Overall, he didnt mind the taste, and said if you can cover the scotch in a cocktail like a Penicillin, itll be finethough his overall recommendation is to spend a little more money on another brand.
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Kirkland Signature Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Honey flavored intertwined with cooked cereal and floral aroma, this whiskey seduces with its deep smoke and caramel notes. Thick, full-bodied, and almost candy-like, it starts grainy, only to go on and pull you inside its web with orange zest and apricot notes. It has a long and smooth finish with expressive notes of smoke and caramel.
This whiskey falls in the classic whiskey category, and if you like the warm burn afterward, it is definitely for you. Priced at $20.99 per 750 ml. bottle, with an alcohol content of 40%, you will be getting more than what you bargained for.
Kirkland Tennessee Whiskey Is A Great Choice For Jack Daniels Fans
If you enjoy Tennessee whiskey, you will enjoy Kirkland Tennessee whiskey. It has a Jack Daniels-like flavor, but it is drier and has a stronger body. If you prefer something less sweet, you can go with it. The Tennessee Distilling Company owns and operates the Kirkland Signature brand, which is also sold under the Kirkland Whiskey brand.
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Does Costcos Kirkland Irish Whiskey Have A Cola
Scouring the label of a bottle of Kirkland Irish Whiskey shows no indication of this certification, nor do any results appear when searching for Kirkland Irish Whiskey on the COLA public registry database.
Trying a few variations such as Costco Irish Whiskey and Costco Whiskey also yields no matching results for the past 15 years.
Kirkland Signature Irish Whiskey
Aged for four years in oak casks, this whiskey is somewhere between honey and chocolate, interspersed with cedar and caramel notes. It is definitely complex-flavored and full-bodied and the perfect balance between strength and elegance.
It starts on a high caramel note and only continues with cedar, toffee, and honey elements. It ends with a sharp and long finish and a warm burn, ideal for warming you up on a cold winter day. Pair it with a sip of water after each sip of whiskey to cleanse your palate.
This whiskey tastes differently with each following sip and is one of the most versatile in terms of flavor. Priced at $ 39.99 for a 750 ml. bottle with an alcohol content of 40%, this whiskey offers excellent value for your money.
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Kirkland Signature Blended Scotch Whiskey
Amber-colored, with rich and refined shades, this whiskey seduces you visually before pulling you inside the bottle with its taste. Tasting like baked peaches and discrete hints of bubble gum, the single word that describes this whiskey best in particular.
It is definitely for a selected audience, as the specificity of its taste isnt everyones cup of tea. It is a smooth but somewhat dry spirit with a dry and semi-long finish.
Priced at $44.99 per a 750 ml bottle, you will definitely be getting your moneys worth and a tad extra.
Worst: Kirkland Signature 7
Kirkland Signature 7-Year Small Batch Bourbon simply misses the mark where other liquors sold at Costco hit it. It is rumored to be sourced from the Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort, KY, but, there’s also some proof that it may be manufactured by Jim Beam, and others claim it’s recently started being manufactured by George Dickel. Either way, reviewers agree that it tastes more like Jim Beam that is, it’s OK. Just OK.
At 51.5 percent alcohol by volume, it’s very “hot,” meaning it has that harsh, alcohol burn that generally turns people off from a liquor. And while it’s strong, it’s not complex at all. This 7 Year Small Batch Bourbon lacks the various sweet and spicy notes that make a spirit interesting. After all, that’s what people like about bourbon that while it’s strong up front, it generally mellows out on the palate to showcase other flavors, making it enjoyable to drink.
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