Sommelier Tries Every Costco Liquor | World of Wine | Bon Appétit

It tastes like the liquid that's in chocolate, you know, how it looks like other chocolates and you bite into it and something squirts out, that's what it tastes like. I think the time has come for many things. I'm still thinking about the peanut. butter and whiskey, but I can come close to this, I get it, hey, I'm Andre Houston Mac and today we're going to try the Costco line of Kirkland Signature Liquors Costco sells its lines of spirits for a fraction of the cost of name brands, but is there any good? Well today we're going to test them out and find out that Costco is the largest retail buyer of

liquor

and

wine

spirits, not only are they sold like the name brands we all know and love, but they also.

We have created their own line of

wine

s and spirits called Kirkland Signature, they are really very affordable. So today we are going to find out if this is a really good deal, are they comparable to the well-known brands we all know and love? Well first we have Kirkland Signature American Vodka $13.99, this is a 1.75 L. I think most, if you call it mango, weighs a little less than half a gallon, so a standard bottle of alcohol is 750 ml , so it's probably bigger. sitting next to the same bottle of titos, it's like $32, you think about the price, you know this is about half, so Costco doesn't make them, they don't distill them, they don't bottle them, they have a relationship with a distiller.

We are buying and selling them exclusively in their store under the Kirkland Signature brand. Vodka is made from the distillation of grains of corn, wheat, barley, whatever they have. They are using corn. Here the water is heated and they basically take the evaporation of the fermented grain and capture it. that and that's actually the clear spirit that says it's distilled six times the more times you distill it and you pass it the smoother and cleaner the final product is supposed to be but I think there's overdistillation which means you can take away a lot of the flavors and a lot of the characteristics that you want can be eliminated, here we go, we pour a little bit into our glass.

It's very funny because they talk about vodka. It's supposed to be an odorless flavor. It's simply not true. It is not. It gives off a lot of flavor and

every

thing, but it smells like isopropyl alcohol, yes, it smells quite medicinal, maybe that's why it's distilled six times. This is a tasting glass that I like to use and instead of swirling like you do. wine, this is a way of opening and it covers the glass and then you can lift it and smell vakka properly, really odorless and tasteless, it gives off something but it's really nothing. This actually smells like a rub right here you can rub this on your wound and then drink some people say you shouldn't pay for expensive vodka but there is a difference between how This vodka is made and another vodka that would be next to here, it would actually smell different if it were next to each other, you can tell the differences between the two.

It's very difficult for me to say if this represents value, does it taste like quality? Yes I am. I'm going to mix it with something else, yeah, so for me it doesn't really matter. I think it's pretty well done and we'll do the trick. Next up is Kirkland Signature Vodka, which is imported from France and priced at a whopping $19.99 this is the most expensive Kirkland Signature Vodka option. I see that it has been distilled five times. The previous vodka was distilled six times. It is distilled from grains. Grains are not listed. It is a French vodka as it says it is imported there.

It is elaborated. There the grain could be from somewhere else, I don't know, but I think the idea and the type of marketing behind Greay Goose is that all the luxury products seem to come from France, to the point that you see a brand like this . that's either a parody of that or a copy of luxury products imported from France and applying it here to vodka like we've seen Gray Goose do and I think if you walked into Costco and your brand looked like this, I think you might be tempted to buy. How much better is my brand than this one?

This is what makes it a luxury vodka. Without screw cap. It has a fake cork. There you fancy those French. It is lightly scented. You know it smells like powdered sugar. there's a fruit component behind Quint or guava and it's distinctive, you know, definitely different from the vodka we had before. It has a different flavor if I compare it to the previous one, it is much more refined, I wouldn't call it sweet, but it is like this type of toasted sugar that is found in the grain in the stye in which it is made, it gives it a higher flavor than the previous vodka we tried, you can sip it a little bit and it's definitely you.

I'm not afraid to put it in a cocktail or drink, how can they sell this vodka at this price? It looks like they're not making any money, but what you have to understand is that Costco is escaping from what we like to call a grocery store model and so they're getting the volume that they can do two a bottle with this, but they're selling millions of bottles. of these across the country to put money in the bank and not percentages so they are selling millions of bottles of these in a smaller fraction that adds up next we have Kirkland Signature this is the Canadian blended whiskey from Canada and it costs $ 18.99.

Canadian whiskey is made from grain and must be aged at least 3 years to be called Canadian whiskey has to be a product of Canada, so it is a blend of different distillates from all over Canada. You know, Canadian is all about blended whiskey, so when you see an age statement like this on a bottle, it's 6 years, so it's been at least 6 years in plaster, you have to understand that oak is porous and therefore allows air to pass through, there is evaporation, so all those things that the face notices, all those complexities, all those things happen when a spirit is plastered, when it is in an oak barrel, so if you look at the shape of the bottle, I'm sure it reminds us of a certain brand of Canadian whiskey, which you know, I feel like it's a real homage, it's trying to trigger your inner thoughts to say, hey, this is Canadian. whiskey these are all the hallmarks of famous brands that you don't know it smells like whiskey so the perfume is somewhat floral there is a sandalwood it smells slightly medicinal is this canadian whiskey yes it is the best canadian whiskey not only do I wish it were more rounded like um it just se it feels like something is missing when I say around it just doesn't, it doesn't have this mouthfeel, it doesn't feel like there's something in the middle of the palette, right in front, I'm putting

every

thing in and bringing that in. in the middle it's kind of like ah it just falls flat and there's nothing else and then you get a little bit of finish at $18.99 not a bad price maybe this is what you buy and put it in a fancy deanero and serve it like when your thirsty friends come to see you, like you're feeling weak in general, so this is the Kirkland Signature Blended Scotch Whiskey that's $19.49.

It's more or less the same bottle format, so it's a 1.75. I guess you know, people call it a hand just because it has a built-in handle. Here it was distilled and matured in Scotland. It is an imported product, as you can see here on the front, it says it is matured in cast American oak. It's very common in caramelization and vanilla isn't and kind of like bourbon and it's interesting that the Scots have picked up on that to mature their scotch in scotch is special for a lot of different reasons, a lot of them have to do with water and the use of local water. source, they are using local grain, that sense of Terre and what it brings.

Scotch whiskey can really only be made in Scotland, yes there may be versions made elsewhere but the idea that all these little things add up they put it down and do it. Scotch Scotch has a name on the front Alexander Murray and Company in a big box store like that I might feel a little cold you're just pushing me with all these products and maybe knowing there's a real name behind the brand might add a level of authenticity your customer is looking for. This is giving red Johnny Walker vibes. I enter here. I think the first thing I get out of this is what we call Pete.

It smells like an iodine strip, so it smells like when. you open a package of Band-Aid Pete is an immature form of charcoal Pete is something desirable. I think that's why I'm drawn to Scotch, but it's an acquired taste and to me it's a beautiful thing when I find it in whiskey. whiskey has a caramel type flavor, it's a little bit like nutmeg and cinnamon and then there's this big block, this structure of the scotch is really beautiful. I like this flavor and the way this reminds me. from a certain place in my life going to college this is where this is all I drank I'm sure if I knew they came out with this I'd probably be drinking this and not the other one in 1949 this is all the best Right, next is the whiskey Kirkland Signature 12 Year Old Blended Scotch from Scotland, comes in 1.75L format and costs $36.49, but here it's twice as much, so it's been aging in mold for 12 years, so it's very, very a long time compared to blended scotch which I think has about 3 years of casting once you put Spirit In A Bottle it doesn't age anymore, the aging process all happens in the mold when you're talking about mold spirits oak that have cracks. it allows oxygen to come into the extraction of compounds from the oak coils and all those things that everyone attributes to the complexity and nuances that you get.

Aging for 12 years, a very long time, paying for storage, the longer it takes the spirit. The longer it's out of the mold, you won't see a change in your money, which is why you're paying double for the 12 year old. It could even be the same Scotch that has just been aged for about 12 years. It's kind of perfect and par for the course. I get some prune, it smells like it has all these aromatic mats. A small urine element, but not as strong as this sweet wood plum. There is definitely some spice in the middle palette. The finish is quite clean.

This is a good zipper for $36 in that price range. It offers quality, especially at 12E. You really can't buy 12E at that price of all the things we tested today. I haven't really said that. I would go out and buy this, but I would buy this, which is good. Next up is the Kirkland Signature Irish Whiskey, which costs $28.99. Irish tend to be a little lighter and softer, and they really don't. I like pee so you don't pick up any of those types of flavors. For me, it's a slightly smooth and fun whiskey that we all like to drink.

Let's jump right into this giving you some J Vibes. here, when we bought this bottle, it was next to a bottle of Jameson. I think it was like $60 for the same size so you're thinking you know this is like half the price. Here I get a kind of caramelized apple. sweetness that expresses itself as vanilla here tastes grainy, presents a different elegance to this particular spirit but to me that is Irish whiskey, EAS could charge $40 for this bottle here and if you don't mind the brand name on it As for your Irish whiskey, I think this is something you might want to gravitate toward, so next we have Kirkland Signature, this is the Blanco tequila, better known as Costco Migos, priced at $32.99, he says which is 100% agave and generally what that means is that it is made from the real plant.

You can add different types of glucose and different types of sugars to the distillation, which does not make it 100% Agave. 100% is what you want and Agave is a huge type of pineapple. plant that takes years to mature, you know, you think about the raw product and how long it takes to make a fully mature agave plant. This 100% agave means something. I'm excited to get into this when you really think about it. Blanco is kind of the entry level of all tequila, it's the base spirit that you get once you steal aave and then when you start aging it you choose the different designated ones, whether it's Reposado or Nao, so it says 92 points here . and to be honest, I don't really pay attention to scores or numbers or anything like that.

For some consumers it's a really big deal, so I don't poop on them or anything like that. It doesn't impress me, it just makes me nervous. intrigued as we now set the standard to say this is 92 points, but I normally don't give most tequila actually comes from an area called Jisco, there are several different agave distillates from that area, it's called tequila batch numbers, that It is a sign of quality. that they are grouping them individually, but it could also mean that if there is a recall, you can select it in a defective batch and recall that batch.

If you look inside here, on the back of there, you can see how printed inside the bottle and normally that's the lot number, if something were to happen, they would limit it to that particular lot or lots and then they would take it back, well, Let's go ahead and try this sucker, it smells like a cave. A lot of people would say, Oh, it smells like tequila, but I mainly buy fresh cut grass, white pepper, citrus apple grass. I like this a lot. I would sip it. It tastes like tequila. It has many of the distinguishing characteristics of a well-produced tequila.

It would be perfect as I am enjoying it right now. Ranch water has been my favorite option in the summer, so this, tapa Chico and lime, amargarita, but it's definitely something you can sip and drink straight, so for $33 you do the quick math. The bottle costs about $14 for me, which is extreme value. This is comparable to one of my favorite Don Julio Blanco Granites. I don't know if there are additives or anything added to this and that's not what this tasting is about, this is just testing if there is quality and value in these bottles, uh, and there definitely is in this Blanco tequila.

Alright, next we have Kirkland Signature, this is year tequila, it's $29.99 and it's in a 1L bottle, so here we go. a little smaller in size but still larger than a normal 750 ml size, this costs $11 more per liter than the last tequila we tried, so before we are talking about Blanco, which is like the raw

liquor

that comes out of the process of distillation and then when you get to ano which actually means the age is aged after 3 years in Oak cast, at one point this tequila looked exactly like the Blanco and then it goes into the aging process in the cast when you introduce the aging process and in Oak it's going to take vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, it's going to have these complexities and caramelization, so I'm excited to try this, it has a complexity, it's a sweet woody smell, like applewood, nutty butternut, lime, citrus oil, this is sweet. to me it tastes sweet, tequila is not supposed to be sweet, there are a lot of brands that have these other elements and to me that is not tequila, if you like something like casamigos that is sweet or something like that then maybe this is it your jam, but for me I want something a little more authentic with the flavor of agave.

I mean, I think additives can be added. There's definitely wiggle room and a way to handle safely, but when I grew up, Teila didn't taste as good. I know I sound like a boomer, I'm not a boomer, but there's something different about it and it's the tequila that actually tastes like bourbon, which I think to the American palate is something they're used to and it takes away from the flavor. and some authenticity of the tequila and that's not where I'm at, it's authentic in the market, but to me I feel like it's not real, so next we have the berland signature, this is London dry Jen, this is $17.99, so Jen is actually just vodka, that's botanical flavored, Jen's calling card is Juniper, it's a little hard to explain what it smells like, but it's very different.

I think a lot of the stuff you pick is cilantro. Juniper are some of the important things you pick up at Jen neutral. grain, so this could be made from any type of grain, so you're distilling grain and then what makes Jen Jen is the Botanical, that you use that flavoring that makes it Jen versus vodka so dry in London Jen, I think it means which is made with natural ingredients. Botanical and not chemicals so no artificial flavorings or anything like that, it smells like Jen so when you say it smells like Jen what you smell is coriander but mostly juniper it also smells like it could be medicinal and it actually tastes civilized .

I'm not too crazy about botanicals for me, it feels really soft, nice and elegant looking at Value here. I think this was placed right next to the Bombay Sapphire in the store, which was twice the price. I think the only thing I'm shaving. Poetically about its softness, but that could be its flaw if you don't like Jen or never had Jin in the past, maybe this is a starting point for you in that sense of how powerful it is, it just feels a little more weak. not in your face I still try it after but I like this style so next we have the Kirkland Signature CNAC XO and it is priced at $449.99.

This is a normal bottle. This is a 750 bottle, but what we all need to know is that it is cognac. XO expensive, it's 10 years old, right? Then it has been aged at least 10 years. It's made from grapes, so instead of having your grain, you use grapes here and how it's different from wine, you're actually fermenting it and making it. and you are not distilling it, we are talking about France, here Conac is a region where the grapes must be grown there and must be distilled and made there for it to be called CAC. It's funny because this bottle size for a regular bottle of cognac at $49.99 is par for the course, the fact that it has a 10 year age statement and is still the same price you would find as a regular one.

I think that's where the value should normally click for I would take it in a shot of brandy. I think it's a great way to drink it, especially in the slow months. It's quite tasty. I think the orange zest. Orange peel. There are plums and apricot. It is quite easy to palate. It has a sophisticated flavor. It has a polished flavor for lack. Or rather, it's smooth, so yeah, so if I had to explain what cognac tastes like to me, it's kind of a cross between whiskey and rum, so rum you think is sweet and with all these warm spices, but you don't get that severe backbone like whiskey, I think if you put them together, refine it and smooth it out, you get CAC.

I don't think it's on that level like an exo henesy or EXO cordon blue and stuff, but this is a decent producer and I think a fun alternative, you guys should fight for this one, whoever it is, when you leave like it's snowing like um, it's here, so moving on, we have Kirkland Signature Spiced Rum and it's coming. at $13.99 wow this is a big bottle for $13.99 this is a 1.75L I think every spirit brand is trying to get to the CAC level we have to talk about is a sip but the Rum should be drunk the same way as CAC some rums, not all rums.

I don't know if this is one of those rums, but we are going to find out that this is the sugar cane distillate that is prevalent in the Caribbean islands. It says it's bottled by Sazar in Louisville, Kentucky. the sazar company we know they make szar Ry but they also own a lot of other things, that's a great name, although they may not have anything to do with it, says their bottle there maybe they're just bringing it. in the EMB bottling, but I think for some people that might reassure people who know that accompanying the size of sazar and the reputation is involved in this project smells like egg cream, all this like rich, warm spices, nutmeg , cinnamon, it smells like that.

It will be chewy, it will have a texture like it's ice cream or something, or a cake smells like eggnog and maybe and maybe I'm putting too much rum in my eggnog, but that's exactly what it reminds me of. less sweet on the palate there is an element of sweetness followed and supported by those baking spices. This is tasty. I don't understand why you can't drink it the same way CAC spiced rum is used more for mixing and when you think about super aged rum like EXO and that kind of stuff those are more your go to rums for drinking so next up is EXO rum from Guatemala, it's $24.99, so if you look at this very cute little bottle, this is a normal siiz bottle.

I think today we have introduced a larger format, so it is expensive. EXO. there is some kind of special designation here, so this rum has been aged for 6 years. 6 years is a long time for a liquor or a product to be aged in a mold, it benefits from that moment and from that moment on you pay for it like a dry steak and that's why the idea of ​​it being aged in an old bourbon mold and, therefore so much, in bourbon mold American oak because of its wider grain because it has a lot of vanilla and These are desired qualities when you think about aging, so it is matured and aged in that and then placed in something smooth like a CNAC barrel to achieve some of that refinement that helps soften the strict madness. barrels of American bourbon full of tannin.

I think, hopefully, they're thinking that that can rub off on not just making a great product, but also the brand and the idea behind it. You're thinking of cognac barrels, this should slide the same way as C oh. wow, okay, like toasted almonds, like there's a slight nutty component to it to add a caramel to this thing like a sweet caramel, sweet salted caramel, so this is definitely a different Beast than spiced rum, there's not a lot of those warm spices in that element. Marmalade orange marmalade has a sweetness to it but is a bit weak and other than that it is fantastic.

I don't think it's interesting that they have two specialty rums in their line. This is a serious place. It's like that's what I keep trying. to say that in all their things they take seriously the things that they buy, you know, those are two different categories, a spiced rum is treated differently than an XO rum for sure and you can taste it in the glass, so I don't surprise that, that tells me they know what they're doing, so we move on. We have the Kirkland Signature, this is the Irish Cream Lor, it's 1.75 and it's $17.99. I generally think of Irish Cream Lor as Irish whiskey mixed with some type of dairy product, whether it's milk or cream, there are rules for it being called Irish Cream Lor and it seems very appropriate for everything else in wine and alcohol when talking about of something international. and something that has achieved a high claim people love this.

I think people really enjoy it as a post-Jenner drink, you know, maybe instead of something sweet, they have an Irish cream and man, you see this, that's why I don't do it. I really pick on this, but you know, to be honest, it looks like chocolate milk or you know coffee with a lot of cream really smells like some kind of chocolate milk, so it's caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, there's an overwhelming sweetness, there's mocha coffee which is very nice. I can see you adding this to coffee as a complement to the sweetener, and for a kick, drinking coffee with Irish Cream Lor isn't a bad way to spend the day. 17% reaches the highest levels of the wine, it is not too much. alcoholic but tasty, I recommend it for all of you, I'll give you a little chance, I'll give you a little push to get on the train today, so my general opinion today is some win, some lose, we had more value for your money than Duds. and that's a good sign, Costco knows what they're doing, it's not a lot of nonsense they're putting out and I think there's a game that people like to play, like trying to figure out where they get it from and all that.

I don't need to know who made it if it tastes good I want to drink it and I want to be a part of it you know I turned my house my bar into my house I turned it into a mini bar and then I went to all the bulletproof shops in my neighborhood and asked for a ridiculous amount. I said, let me get 10 bottles of every airplane bottle you have and the guy in the back says, what are you talking about? No. I see someone else gets that one too. I'll take it. I don't even drink pineapple sarck, but if anyone comes to the house, any of you have them.