A Mysterious New Costco Bourbon Has Appeared on Shelves

A Costco Warehouse in Cranberry Township, Pa., Thursday, April 9, 2026. (Photo: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A new challenger approaches the whiskey shelf at Costco.

Last week, a Reddit user in Minnesota spotted a Kirkland Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey priced at $27.69 per 1.75-liter bottle. Though the size and price of the whiskey are hardly unusual by Costco standards, keen-eyed fans were quick to point out that it’s a wholly new launch from the brand, and one that managed to slip onto shelves without so much as a murmur from upper management.

So what might drinkers expect from the super-sized surprise?

According to its back label, the 92-proof bourbon is distilled, barreled and aged in Bardstown, Kentucky, before being bottled by DC Flynt in Columbia, Tennessee. Flynt is one of Kirkland’s most frequent collaborators in the alcohol space, producing many of the brand’s in-house wines as well as its Kirkland Signature London Dry Gin.

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DC Flynt is not known to have distilling operations in Kentucky, however, implying the juice was distilled by someone in Bardstown. That doesn’t narrow it down too much, as Bardstown earns its reputation as the “Bourbon Capital of the World” by having many critically acclaimed producers. Possible distilleries include Bardstown Bourbon Company, the MGP Ingredients-owned Lux Row, Willet or Heaven Hill.

The most obvious contender is the Bardstown-based Barton 1792 Distillery, which produces Kirkland’s Small Batch, Bottled-in-Bond and Single Barrel Bourbons. All three are fan favorites in online whiskey circles and have earned decent reviews from critics at their price point.

However (and this is the big however), those bourbons are all clearly labeled as a collaboration between Kirkland and Barton 1792 — a distinction that the newly spotted whiskey is mum on. Though it’s possible that the brands have doubled down on their partnership with a budget-friendly offering, it seems odd that Kirkland would white-label a distiller that shoppers know and love from its warehouses.

Given its size and price, the new whiskey will likely be sold as a cheaper, cocktail-friendly alternative to Kirkland’s Bardstown-produced bourbons. The bottle has yet to be spotted outside of Minnesota, so it’s possible that Costco is testing its popularity ahead of a potential nationwide rollout.