The Kirkland Whisky We Wouldn't Buy For Drinking Neat

There are some unbelievable deals to be found at Costco. From irresistible snacks to cheap pots and pans, the wholesale club knows how to attract those looking for a bargain, and if you're a whiskey drinker, there might even be something for you there too. Costco has a great range of liquors available from its in-house brand, Kirkland Signature, but there is one we wouldn't recommend if you like your whiskey neat: the Kirkland Blended Scotch Whisky.

One of our experts tested out every Costco Kirkland Whiskey available (there is a difference between whiskey and whisky, by the way) and the Kirkland Blended Scotch Whisky came out at the bottom of the list. There's no denying that this blended Scotch is cheap; at the time of writing a 1.75-litre bottle was retailing for $23.49 in Northern California. But there are drawbacks to that. The bottle doesn't indicate how long the blend has been aged, which probably means it only just meets the minimum three years required for it to be labeled as Scotch.

Because of this, it lacks depth and flavor. Our tester felt that its profile was too harsh, and the mouthfeel was too thin for his liking. It's a fine Scotch that won't offend anyone when served in a warm hot toddy, but it's too boring to drink neat — some big spirit drinkers won't even touch it all.

While some people like the Kirkland Blended Scotch Whisky, a lot of hardcore whiskey drinkers seem to agree with our tester's analysis. One spirit reviewer called the nose "stingy" and palate "waxy", while others commenting on his review said they could never drink it on its own. "This is horrible. The only way that I have been able to palate this is with a mixer," one person said.

A Costco blogger had people test it, and she said they compared the taste to that of hairspray or medicine. Shoppers have debated whether or not the Scotch is good on social media too but, again, no one seems to want to drink it neat. One Reddit user said, "Nothing good but nothing bad." Another said, "I don't like this one much. Had one bottle and I won't buy again."

The spirit has 2.66 stars on Distiller.com, where whiskey enthusiasts have even said it's "too light to stand up to cocktails". People don't seem to like the peat-forward and woody flavor, or the bitter taste. One reviewer said, "It doesn't have the brightness, complexity, and subtlety but it is perfectly serviceable. Just make sure to calibrate your expectations." If you are on a budget, a better choice for a neat drink would be the Kirkland Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which topped our list. The 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch is pretty solid too, but maybe more for a simple whisky cocktail instead of a straight up sipper.