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Costco's liquor store is a thing of beauty. While not every Kirkland edition is a hit, there are enough standouts on a fun per dollar ratio to always merit a look. Almost all of the house brands are less than $30, and I'm always excited to take a long shot when the new seasonal releases come around.
📚Background: Distilled by Barton 1792 in Bardstown Kentucky, Kirkland Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey hits the shelves a few times a year. Mine was from batch 1124. The bottle presentation is supposed to evoke the same feel as other small batch whiskeys and there is a decorative purity seal that is reminiscent of the ever reliable bottled in bond green filigree, albeit in a meaningless red. Unlike its bonded brethren, this edition comes in under 100 proof and does not have any age statement. There's not a whole lot of additional information provided by Costco or the distiller, but we can reasonably assume that it shares a similar pedigree as the entry level 1792 with a little more rye than we find in Very Old Barton. During COVID, Costco put purchase limits on these bottles in some locations. The VOB faithful represented strong.
🛒Sourced: 1L $18.99 Costco - ATL, GA ($14.28 per 750ml)
🧪Proof: 92, 46% ABV
🥔Mash Bill: 74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Barley - so a relatively high rye bill. This information intermittently shows up on the bottle's labeling. Note that "small batch" is not a regulated term in the United States, so without a further batch size claim on the label, you can likely ignore it as marketing gibberish. If I'm 1792, I'm upping the batch size considerably and potentially dumping in a few extra dud barrels to boot. It's not their brand and this stuff is priced to MOVE.
👃Nose: 1st nose is rocket fuel - Definitely a young bourbon. 2nd nose brings more wood character deepening into some vanilla sweetness. Rough around the edges but some solid oak in the mix.
😜Palate: More mellow than I expected at first given the gasoline nose. Thin mouthfeel overall. Okay levels of generic bourbon flavors. If you try and explore it more by holding it on your tongue... don't, not pleasant neat. Sip it and get it down fast; you might find some vanilla and caramel in the middle. The addition of a little bit of water is magical for this bottle. I got wayyyyy more of the lovely woodiness with vanilla syrup after a quick dash of aqua.
💦Finish: A bit of pepper from the rye. Very short and fast. Honestly, my favorite part.
🏆 Overall: 3/10 - Multiple Flaws - I'm always rooting for a budget champion but am not betting on this one in most matchups. Minimal complexity, astringent nose, and a punchy palate: I didn't find much to sell me on this brown versus other options. Do suspect this could be a solid choice for a well cocktail mixer if you are cost minimizing as the peppery finish helps it to stand out in a whiskey coke.
💵Would buy again? I really shouldn't, but I'm curious to see if it gets better. I have seen others say this year's edition was significantly worse than those prior. For less than $20 bucks, I probably won't have enough self control to not try again.
1/2 Bottle Update: After taking some more time, I find myself divided on this model. I initially rated it a 4 with water, bumped it up to a 4.5 for the tipsy review and now feel that a 3 is more appropriate for the neat rating. I am not excited to be drinking the rest of this bottle but it is not outright bad for the price. There are some very charitable scores out there for this bottle, but I just don't see it. Spend more for the Bottled-in-Bond, it is way better on a per dollar basis, or hit the even bigger upgrade to the single barrel.
Bottle Killed: Yeah nothing to see here, move along. Kirkland has many better offerings both in the set below and in their age stated scotches when it comes to whiskey.
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| Costco's Kirkland Bourbon Lineup |
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I'd rather have.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.