You May Be Able to Find a Popular Japanese Whisky for a Great Price at Costco

A whisky from a popular Japanese brand is hitting some shelves in Costco. (Photo: [email protected] GDA via AP Images)

The Tasting Table reported on Monday that an expression from the popular Japanese whisky brand, Nikka, has been popping up on shelves at Costco, and people are talking.

Nikka From the Barrel is a well-loved whisky from the brand — though it technically does not meet the new criteria of Japanese whisky. This whisky is a blend of an excess of 100 different whiskies aged in a variety of casks including vintage bourbon and sherry barrels.

The brand claims the whisky is meant to replicate a richly complicated whisky “from the barrel” that blenders get to taste. Tasting Table claims that the whisky’s prices might vary depending on which Costco it’s purchased from, but on average it sells for $20 below retail.

In April, new labeling standards went into effect in regards to providing consumers transparency about what actually constituted a Japanese whisky.

The guidelines asserted that for a whisky to be labeled as an authentically Japanese whisky, it must possess exclusively raw ingredients sourced from Japan. Malted grains are the only type of grain allowed in the mashbill.

Saccharification, fermentation and distillation must take place exclusively in Japan. Alcohol distilled in Japan must amount to no more than 95%. The whisky must be bottled exclusively in Japan and the ABV must clock in at a minimum percentage of 40.

Because Nikka From The Barrel is sourced from other batches distilled outside of Japan, it technically does not qualify as a Japanese whisky, though it is still quite popular. If you want to read a review to hear what we thought about it, you can view that here.

Costco is known to be a great resource for bargain whiskey finds. In March, Blanton’s fans could find bottles of the brand’s popular bourbon in select Costcos around the country, particularly in sunny California. The bottles of Blanton’s could be found for around $56.89.

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