Costco Offering Refunds for ‘Terrible’ Tasting Kirkland Vodka After Some Batches Were Allegedly Tainted With Rum, Says Reddit

(Photo: Omar Abascal/Unsplash)

For about a month, Reddit has been a buzz with commenters complaining about a change in the quality of Costco’s Vodka. Last week it appears that Costco started offering some customers refunds for Kirkland Signature American Vodka purchased between June 12th – Aug. 10th. 

For years there have been rumors that Kirkland vodka was actually Grey Goose. However, this has been debunked by several publications and according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) COLA database, Costco sources its vodka from the LeVecke Corporation. 

This company is a wholesale distributor and bottler of distilled spirits and has several alcohol brands in its portfolio including Pau Maui Vodka which makes its vodka from Maui Gold Pineapples. The COLA registration doesn’t make it clear if LeVecke produces the Kirkland vodka or if it is being sourced from somewhere else.

On August 15, a Reddit user shared that Costco sent them a notice which stated there was a problem with the Kirkland Signature American Vodka. 

The notice stated, “It has come to our attention that the taste profile of units marked with certain lot codes may not have met the expected profile normally consistent with this product. While not a food safety issue, this does not meet our quality expectations.” 

It further stated that the product could be returned to Costco for a full refund and included the affected lot codes. 

(Photo: AntifaSuperSoaker69/Reddit)

Some of the first Reddit posts complaining about the vodka started last month with one saying the vodka “tasted and smelled like Flintstone vitamins” and another questioning if the vodka “got significantly worse.”

In another comment on Reddit one customer commented: “It’s terrible. Couldn’t get past the first sip. I knew it smelled off, but the taste was even worse. Never again.”

Since the news was shared that Costco is offering refunds commenters provided additional details about what may have gone wrong. 

One Reddit user said, “What I’ve heard is that some lots had to be pulled because of cross-contamination with rum. Apparently some vats weren’t completely cleaned after having rum in it. So now we have Kirkland Limited Edition Pirate Vodka.”

Another user responded, “This is correct. An employee from another post said certain batches are recalled, but it was up to the store’s discretion to do so. We bought a bad one, had a tiny amount of it and it’s hardly drinkable and we were able to return it and the returns associate confirmed it was recalled as well. Just return and try another bottle. Our second bottle from another store was fine.” 

Kirkland has a spiced rum that is made by Sazerac Distillers, the same company behind Buffalo Trace, Fireball Whiskey and Parrot Bay. However, if the vodka did come in contact with a container with residual rum in it, this likely occurred before bottling and before it reached Costco. LeVecke manages a few rums including Mahina Rum, but because LeVecke is a wholesaler the problem could have occurred at any number of points in the process. 

Fortunately for those who purchased the vodka, it just tasted bad and they can get their money back. A good reminder that sometimes when things taste off they might actually be off, so trust your senses. 

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