Costco’s Surprisingly Highly Rated Scotch Brand Releases New Expression to Celebrate the Lunar New Year

Costco

Costco unveiled a Lunar New Year limited-edition scotch whisky priced at $50 per 1-liter bottle. (GDA via AP Images)

On Monday, Tasting Table reported that Costco is rolling out a specialty scotch whisky just in time for Lunar New Year celebrations. The scotch, monickered Costco’s Year of the Dragon, hosts a modest retail price of $50 per 1-liter bottle.

The whisky contains an 88-proof 8-year-old blended scotch drawn from hand-chosen barrels. The 1-liter bottle features a gilded Chinese Dragon on its label and comes in a bespoke red box. As for the origins of the whiskies used in the blend, that remains undisclosed.

Costco has worked with the blender Alexander Murray & Co., according to the Tasting Table and has implemented malts from Speyside, Islay and the Scottish Highlands.

Costco

Costco’s Lunar New Year Expression. (Photo: u/ReluctantRaceRunner/Reddit)

As far as whisky goes, this is not Costco’s first rodeo. In 2021, Costco launched small-batch, Bottled in Bond and single-barrel bourbons. The brand partnered with Barton 1792 Distillery to develop the Kentucky bourbons that released in limited quantities.

The brand has also released various scotch whiskies, including 15-, 19-, 20-, 23- and 24-year-old single malts finished in sherry casks.

The brand additionally sells a “Kirkland Tour of Scotland” set, which retails for $60, according to Reddit.

On the platform, users expressed their enthusiasm for the retailer’s scotch brand.

Kirkland Islay is the best peated scotch out there for the price,” on Redditor commented.

Another claimed the retailer’s scotch was a better value than Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig 10 for the modest price point:

“$35 for a 50% ABV Islay is insane,” the review read.

 

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Cynthia Mersten is an Editor for Bottle Raiders and has worked in the Beverage Industry for eight years. She started her career in wine and spirits distribution and sold brands like Four Roses, High West and Compass Box to a variety of bars and restaurants in the city she calls home: Los Angeles. Cynthia is a lover of all things related to wine, spirits and story and holds a BA from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. Besides writing, her favorite pastimes are photography and watching movies with her husband.