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The 2025 release of Costco's Kirkland 15-year Highland Scotch hit shelves in late January and is a recurring installment on an annual cadence. The first pallet to hit my local store sold out almost immediately. Thankfully, we got two more shipments at one pallet each that hung around a bit longer and I was able to snag a bottle. Like in previous years, this Highland Scotch is finished in sherry casks. Alexander Murray & Co. is the bottler with MISA imports out of Texas bringing it to the States for consumption (Costco's standard sourcing pattern for Scotch). The bottle has a nice heft to it and there is an ensconced Alexander Murray Lion adding some nice texture to the front of the bottle. Steve Lipp, CEO of Alexander Murray, calls it "Perfect for after dinner drinking." All-in-all, this shows an attempt to elevate the product and presentation from the ubiquitous blends and non-age stated iterations you'll sometimes find under the Kirkland label.
Neither Alexander Murray & Co. nor Costco reveal their source for Kirkland branded liquors, so we are left to guess for ourselves. This strategy makes sense as it allows them to change producers year-over-year as needed to obtain the best pricing and to avoid cannibalizing the distiller's main brand. Glenmorangie, Tomatin, and the Dalmore (in that order) are the three largest Highlands producers and all of them offer sherry aged single malts as part of their ongoing lineups. Each would have the capacity to fill a large white label order without harming their first-party business. Tomatin seems to be the most likely as they have a history of working with independent bottlers (though I can't find anything explicitly tying them to Murray & Co.) and focus on a lot of blends which may leave room for some single malt stock to walk out the door at a lower price. Glenmorangie's Lasanta sherry cask is a younger and little more expensive and the Dalmore focuses on their own line of premium and costly products, though Alexander Murray has bottled some single malts from them before. With a bottle of Lasanta on my shelf, I think we can let taste be the tiebreaker between Glenmorangie and Tomatin.
🛒Sourced: $54.99 - Costco Perimeter, GA 750ml
🧪Proof: 92 proof, 46% ABV
🎨Color: Y6 - a deep and ruddy gold, brimming with potential. You can definitely see the age and second cask in the coloration.
🥔Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley - Aged for 15 years in used Bourbon Barrels and then finished for 9 months in Oloroso sherry casks.
👃Nose: Boozier than I would have expected and packing a bit of funk. Sulphur and rubber offset by rose and lemongrass.
😜Palate: Marzipan nuttiness which definitely comes from the cask. Medium thickness. A three movement palate flows from from the confections to hay and honey before a bit of kerosene on the transition to the finish. Drinks hotter than its proof but not intolerably so.
💦Finish: Fairly short. This is the only place I really can detect a fruited influence from the sherry. Raisins and black currant as the brief flash of heat begins to fade. Belched at one point and it tasted like the purple Nerds candy, pretty interesting.
🏆 Overall: 6.5/10 - Good - An agreeable Dram - It has depth and complexity even if some of the flavor profile is not to my particular persuasions. At the price point, you'll not find many 15 year competitors, but I'm not sure the Kirkland's age shows through. I pulled that Glenmorangie Lasanta 12yr and can say that the Kirkland does not taste like sherry aged Glenmorangie distillate in the slightest. The two are very different, and the Kirkland comes away worse for the contest. The Lasanta has a fuller mouthfeel, more pronounced sherry influence, and more dynamic flavor profile with less astringency. That being said, any well aged bottling from Costco is worth trying at least once. If it hits for you, that's all that matters. My final guess for the distiller: Tomatin.
1/2 Bottle update: Definitely a bottle that benefits from a lick of air. I get much more of the red fruit and sherry. It's balanced and beautifully sweet. In a head to head, I picked it and the Lasanta half and half out of eight tastings in a three bottle panel with Costco's Kirkland 16YR Scotch, also sherry finished and the clear third place of the three.
💵Would buy again? Doubtful. I'm going with the Lasanta or Glenfiddich's 12 year sherry edition for the same price.
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously.
10 | Perfect | You didn't think anything could be this good | A clear champion.