I don’t know about you, but people with real class and an exceptional sense of taste drink scotch. This golden ambrose has an unfair advantage over us. Boys and girls drink beer, and men and women drink scotch.
Malt or grain whisky produced in Scotland is referred to as Scotch whisky. Malted barley was formerly used to make all Scotch whisky. In the late 18th century, commercial distilleries started offering whisky manufactured from wheat and rye. In Scotland, there were one hundred and thirty-four Scotch whisky distilleries active as of 2020.
The third-largest retailer in the world is Costco Stores. The company, which has 785 locations globally, 546 of which are in the US, produced more than 163 billion dollars in revenue for the fiscal year that ended on August 30, 2020.
One of the biggest retailers of alcoholic beverages worldwide is Costco. Over four billion dollars worth of alcoholic drinks were sold by Costco in its fiscal year 2020, with beer and spirits accounting for the majority of the remaining sales. About half of these sales were of wine.
I’ll take it upon myself to include some of Kirkland’s finest scotch since I personally support Kirkland scotch. So let’s get started.
Costco does have its own exclusive brand, Kirkland Signature like many other shops do. The name of the company is derived from Kirkland, Washington, the location of Costco’s corporate headquarters. Twenty spirit SKUs and 30 wine SKUs are available at Kirkland Signature.
The Kirkland Signature Range now offers four types of Scotch whisky: blended scotch, 12-year blended scotch, 20-year blended scotch, and 22-year Speyside Sherry barrel finished single malt Scotch. The No Age Statement Islay single malt Scotch whisky will be available soon, while a 23 YO is also in line to be released. The Speyside sherry cask finished whiskey is often only available in one expression in most places.
Private bottler Alexander Murray sources the Kirkland Signature Scotch whiskey. Alexander Murray conjures us images of a traditional Scottish bottler hidden away in a Highland village or a back alley of Edinburgh. Alexander Murray’s headquarters are really in Calabasas, California. Scottish immigrant Steve Lipp started it in 2004. For many different shops, such as Trader Joe’s and Total Wines & More, the business sources and bottles Scotch whisky.
Consumers and perhaps even detractors have speculated endlessly about the origins of Costco’s Kirkland Signature whiskey. Except for general geographic references like Speyside or Islay, Alexander Murray withholds information about the whisky’s origin.
Currently, Costco only sells a 12 YO expression and a blended Scotch whisky with No Age Statement (NAS), which is thought to be about three years old. Johnston claims that the NAS expression has 20 per cent malt whisky, and the 12 YO contains twenty-five per cent. In contrast, the majority of Scotch whiskey blends contain 10 per cent to 15 per cent malt whisky and the remaining 60 per cent of grain whisky. Chivas, a high-end blended Scotch, has roughly 50 per cent single malt.
Kirkland Signature, Blended Scotch Whisky
The flavours on the palate are sweet, almost candy-like, with hints of apricot, apple, and orange zest. The whisky has a distinct palate weight, a coating character, and a faint greasy flavor.
A lasting sweetness, a subtle pepperiness, and a very faint bitterness characterize the medium-length finish.
The whisky smells honey-sweet and floral on the nose, with hints of caramel, baked cereal, and smoke.
This blended whisky is excellent. It is extraordinarily affordable and can be consumed straight up, over ice, or in cocktails.
ABV: 40 per cent
Manufactured by Alexander Murray & Co Ltd.
Kirkland Signature, Sherry Cask Finish, Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The whisky has a noticeable palate weight and is greasy and thick on the mouth. The sherried whisky flavor of dried fruit and Christmas cake gradually replaces a little salty, savory, meaty aroma. Perhaps including some milk and caramel chocolate components, there are notes of baked apple, licorice, baked raisin, and golden raisin. A faint trace of furniture wax is present, along with the aged leather flavors typical of older sherried whiskies.
The medium-length finish has a lingering dried fruit flavor, a subtle pepperiness, and a faint bitterness.
It has a deep, rich amber hue. Sweet dried fruits and almonds with a strong Sherry cask influence are present on the nose, underlined by notes of cask wood, some licorice, and a very slight saltiness. The whisky is kept for six months in a sherry butt after maturing in used bourbon barrels. Even though it was a first fill barrel, the sherry smells are fairly strong and considerably more potent than you might generally anticipate after six months of maturing in a sherry butt.
ABV: 60 per cent
Manufactured by Alexander Murray & Co Ltd.
Kirkland Signature, Blended Scotch Whisky
The whisky has a very smooth mouthfeel, an oily viscosity that coats the mouth, and a noticeable palate weight. Although the whisky is sweet, it has a honey-like sweetness as opposed to the caramelized sweetness of its sibling.
There are flavors of dried fruit, particularly cooked apple, plum, and apricot, as well as a hint of anise and “sherry fruitiness.” There are a few faint aromas of cooked cereal, some vanilla, some caramel, and very little peat smoke.
Long and peppery with a faint bitter undertone, the finish has a honeyed sweetness.
Brown sugar, some dried fruit notes, particularly a hint of prune, together with notes of vanilla, some cinnamon spice, a little bit of ginger, as well as a hint of smoke, can all be detected on the nose. Old leather, furniture wax, and some lightly-seasoned wood are also present.
ABV: 40 per cent
Manufactured by Alexander Murray & Co Ltd.
Having an acquired taste in scotch takes practice, patience, and an extreme proclivity for using all of their senses. Kirkland Blended scotch is some of the finest we’ve tried that is affordable at a reasonable price.
Happy Drinking!