🍺 Costco's Kirkland Vintage Ale 2025

🍺 Costco's Kirkland Vintage Ale 2025 - Review & Tasting Notes

Fall is in the air, and that means we have yet another year of Kirkland's Vintage Ale! Brewed proudly by Deschutes (pronounced "Da-Shootz") in Bend, Oregon, this Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout spends nine months in the wood, picking up what the whiskey left behind (mostly vanillin and tannins). Bottled over the summer, this particular beer is from Lot B. Neither Costco nor the packaging give us much additional detail beyond the ABV and style. I remember finding last year's edition to be solid but nothing to write home about, fairly dry but a pleasant pour. The use of the work "vintage" to me implies that some changes may be made year-to-year but we'll have to see if our taste buds can help us validate. How does the 2025 vintage fair?

Costco's Kirkland Vintage Ale 2025 Glass close up

💅Style: Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

🛒Sourced: $7.99 Costco, GA for a 22oz bottle. $2 cheaper than the 2024 edition!

💥Hops: Not Mentioned sadly. Other ingredients include chocolate malt, milled oats and Dutch cocoa. Chocolate malt is a darkly roasted malt, primarily made from 2-row barley, which contributes rich, coffee-like, and cocoa-like flavors and dark color to beer. Note that it gets its name from its flavor and color, not from containing actual chocolate, though that's why they're kicking in some Dutch cocoa.

🧪ABV: 12% a wee step up from the Abyss and Black butte standard offerings.

🍋IBUs: Not Disclosed.

🎨Color: Heavy black oil with a creamy tan ring of foam.

👃Nose: Very malty with brown sugar, molasses, and dark chocolate.

😜Palate: Full bodied to the point of bordering on creamy. Lots of vanilla, some toffee, and toast. I get more of the vanilla/candy than chocolate, but it's well-balanced, flavorful but not overwhelming.

💦Finish: Short (it's a beer after all), one final flicker of caramel leaves your tongue well coated. The aftertaste is sweet earth.

🏆 Overall: 7/10 - Great - Well Above Average - With imperial stouts I'm always looking for balance. There's a temptation to either overdo it entirely and kick in too many additives or to let fear or economics drive you and skimp, the former making a flavor dumpster fire and the later leaving your with high-gravity brown water. Kirkland 2025 Vintage Ale is fantastic and threads the needle well. I would swear that it is a night-and-day difference over 2024, especially where body is concerned. Deschutes has tuned the recipe well. Picking up a few more of these; I'm going to try to find a lot A to compare as well.

💵Would buy again? I have eight bucks. I like beer. Why the hell not? This is my second year, and I'll keep the tradition rolling.

Costco' Kirkland Vintage Ale 2025 with box and glass

⚖️Rating Scale:

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

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, an agreeable dram indeed

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.

🥃Review #15 Costco's Kirkland Small Batch Bourbon

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...

🥃Review #53: Costco's Kirkland 15YR Highland Single Malt Scotch - 2025

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 Alex...

🍺 Definitive Light Beer Tier List: Meta-Analysis & Ranking

Trends come and go: Craft Beer, Hard Seltzer, Canned Cocktails, and more. In the world of beverage, the currents are constantly shifting, but one drink has an irrevocable grip on America: Light Beer. Good old beer flavored beer may take a hit from new competition, but brands like Miller Lite and Michelob Ultra constantly sit at the top of sales volume lists, even with the fall of Bud Light and rise of Modelo's Flagship. But which light beer is best? Let's find out. Methodology - Light Beer Ranking Taste preferences vary significantly between consumers, but across a large sample we should be able to get a somewhat representative picture of the populations preferences. For this ranking, we will combine data sourced from multiple beer rating sites with an internal Castle & Cairn house ranking to create an overall beer quality score. The starting population of beer brands will be those that are explicitly branded as "flagship light" or beers with less than 100 calor...

🍺🍷🥃 Beer, Wine, and Spirits Rebate Website Master List

If there is anything I love more than a good drink, it's saving money buying that good drink! The rules for providing discounts on alcohol differ substantially between states with some allowing outright discounts or coupons and others entirely disallowing any sort of purchase incentive. Thankfully though, in my native Georgia as well as most states, a simple reimbursement approach is permissible. Last Updated & Validated 4/17/2026 . Added a number off options for beer and multi-bev. Alcohol Rebate Site Master List The following sites are relatively stable for each manufacturer. New offers usually come out every few months. None of these are affiliate links and I provide no assurance as to the process. I have saved so much money using rebates and hope you have similar success. Best practices and general process advice will be presented at the bottom. New sites will be added as I uncover them. Beer Rebates Boston Beer Company Brands - Angry Orchard, Dogfish head, Hard Moun...

🥃 Review #40: Kirkland Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2024)

Like Costco's other Scotches, the Kirkland Signature Islay Single Malt is bottled for Alexander Murray and imported by MISA Imports after being distilled and aged in Scotland (TTB.gov plant registry TX-I-1277). The isle of Islay is one of the southern most islands in Scotland and is one of the five whisky regions ensconced in law. There are only nine active distilleries on the island, and the Islay style is typified by strong peat or smoky flavors. As a single malt, we know that the juice in this bottle comes entirely from one of those nine! All of the distilleries are significantly smaller than Glenlivet and many of the mainland producers. Taste testing has people split between Caol Illa, Bruichladdich (Port Charlotte), and Bunnahabhain as being the source. Caol Illa and Laphroig both have done deals for private brand scotch without rights to name the source distillery, but Laphroig does not match the flavor profile for this bottle. Realistically, Caol Illa is the most likely cand...

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