6 Kirkland Signature Liquors You Should Avoid Buying At Costco

There is no doubt that a lot of the Kirkland Signature line can be impressive. Not only is it great value, but there are even many products that people prefer over name brands. However, there are others that can fall short of the mark. The low price may still be enticing, but the quality either splits opinion or is just seen as outright bad. Due to this, we wanted to find the Costco liquors that you should be avoiding. Plenty of research went into these choices. Not only is personal experience used for these choices, but we've also looked at user review scores to get an objective view on these bottles of liquor.

When it comes to why you should avoid these liquors, it's not always because they are outright terrible. For some of them, there are simply better options out there at either a similar price or just for a couple of more bucks. We have a lot of appreciation for the best Kirkland liquors out there, but it's also important to note when they fall short of the mark. Here we'll take a close look at those liquors that are best left on the shelf.

If you wanted to enjoy some excellent clear spirits from Kirkland, then its vodka has long been seen as a brilliant, affordable option. Sadly, the same level of universal love can't be found for its tequila. As with many of these Costco liquors, it can split opinion. The majority of the comments are negative, but there are some who claim it's smooth and good for the price. This may be a list of liquors you should avoid buying, but the good thing about Kirkland is that at least you'll never be wasting too much money if you buy something you'll later regret.

To its credit, this is a genuine agave tequila rather than one that is partly made with other sugars. It's far from the worst tequila you'll ever drink, but it's far too rough to be given more credit than that. There is also a thin mouthfeel here, which, as you'll see, is a common theme with cheap alcohol. The palate does have a nice sweetness, but there is a lack of balance here that doesn't allow you to truly appreciate any of its flavors. The finish is quite sharp, too, which is something you rarely find with more premium tequilas. It is clean enough to be used in casual cocktails; however, if you want anything resembling a sipping tequila, it's one to skip.

For a couple of reasons, Costco is a great place to pick up whiskey. Firstly, it has an impressive selection of whiskeys that go well beyond this basic Scotch. Secondly, Costco can also be a treasure trove of rare bourbons that are priced well below secondary markets. However, while its more expensive options often provide excellent quality, its most basic options leave a little to be desired. Kirkland Signature Blended Scotch Whisky isn't terrible. But it's also definitely not a liquor we'd recommend drinking neat. If you wanted something cheap to throw in a mixer, it would be fine. 

With this bottle, you get many of the worst features of cheap whisky. Firstly, you notice the thin mouthfeel, which is unable to support any decent flavor. Secondly, you quickly get an alcohol burn to go with it. There are some redeeming features here, as it has a slight smokiness, isn't as harsh as some others, and has a fairly pleasant sweetness. Even then, it's probably for the best to spend even a couple of dollars more to get something nicer.

Plainly, the reason it's best to avoid this bottle is that there are better options out there. You'd be better off either switching it up and going for a decent bottom-shelf bourbon or, if you had your heart set on a Scotch, opting for one of Costco's other offerings. Kirkland Signature's 16-year Highland Single Malt is a great place to start.

Another whiskey that doesn't score highly on reviews is this Kirkland 4-Year Irish Whiskey. Irish whiskey is worth exploring for any whiskey lover, but this one falls short of the mark. For almost all of us, price is always going to be an important consideration when it comes to buying our liquor. However, price should never be the only factor. Aged at just four years, the profile feels thin and as though it needed plenty more time in the barrel. There is a little vanilla on the nose along with some orchard fruits, but these notes are effervescent. There is a little honey sweetness when you first taste it. Added to this is a sharp peppery edge with perhaps a little salted caramel.

It's quite pleasant when it first passes your lips, but these flavors come to an abrupt end. After this, you get a fairly unpleasant aftertaste. It lacks any of that smoothness or rich flavor you may associate with the best Irish whiskeys out there. You don't have to spend a lot to enjoy good Irish whiskey, with Jameson perhaps being the best example of that. If you want to enjoy something that has any semblance of depth or complexity, this Kirkland offering is an Irish whiskey that is best avoided.

Another of the brown spirits that comes under criticism is the Kirkland Original Spiced Rum. One of the repeated comments you get from reviewers here is an artificial taste. This is a common issue with all types of cheap alcohol, as you often get a weird chemical taste, even if the spirit itself has been made purely. Whether it's something in the manufacturing process or simply a lack of maturation, it's unpleasant. That's not the only pitfall the rum falls into. It also has that bite and harsh alcohol burn that is symptomatic of the worst spirits. Others seem a little more generous with their comments, but it's clear this rum isn't one of Kirkland's leading products.

The vanilla is heavy on the palate here, with much of the spice coming from cinnamon and nutmeg. It is also quite sugary and doesn't have that natural and layered warmth that you get with the best spiced rums. The unbalanced flavors don't make this a spirit to be enjoyed neat. With a finish that is short and a little sticky, it doesn't add up to the greatest experience. If you want to pour some spiced rum in with a mixer, it will pass that test if your aim is to get a little drunk. But for any reasonable tasting experience, it's best to look towards some of the more famous rum brands instead.

The problem that comes from making a list such as this is that it can depend on what you want. For example, if you're hosting a party where the nuances of a spirit are going to be lost on everybody, all of these bottles would be fine. However, in such situations, you'd probably pick up any old bottle as you wouldn't really care. You're probably reading this as you want your spirits to have at least a decent level of taste. That leads us to the London Dry Gin, as it's another example of a spirit that isn't outright bad, but it isn't good either. It sits in that bracket of just being okay.

Serious drinkers of London dry gin would never think of buying this a second time. It's a gin that is juniper-led and has a softness that is not overly harsh. However, the taste is both thin and lacking in any noticeable character. The problem with this gin is that it's not good enough to be a sipper, and its flavor can get lost in a mixer, making it have an almost vodka-like taste. You can taste a few botanicals on the palate, but they lack definition and depth. The finish isn't great either, as it tastes a little dusty and lacks cleanness and clarity. With these drawbacks, you'll end up wishing you had bought a more refined bottle instead.

With an XO cognac, you're expecting it to have a certain level of quality with a minimum aging of 10 years. One of the main issues here isn't that the cognac is terrible but more like it tastes like a younger version of the spirit, such as a VSOP. It lacks the complexity and refinement that you'd expect from the likes of a Remy Martin XO. It means that while the price is impressive, you're not getting the level of quality you hoped for. There are some nice tasting notes here as you get some apricot, toasted nuts, and vanilla that sit on a bed of oak. However, these notes aren't deep or layered and are a little too fleeting on your tongue.

It makes the tasting experience a little bland and can't stand up to more premium labels. The problem here is that while it may be cheap for an XO, it still costs over $50. For that price, you'd be better off buying a VSOP from one of the premium cognac brands instead. It puts this in a no man's land as you aren't buying an XO to put it in with a mixer. If you wanted a nice cognac, either buy similarly priced Rémy Martin or Hennessy, or spend a little extra to get a highly rated XO.

Tasting Table takes a pride in the authenticity of our reviews. For this article, we carefully picked six bottles that have received many poor, aggregated review scores across market sites like Distiller and community forums such as Reddit. We've mixed this in with my personal experience, especially with the whiskeys, as well as the personal experience of other Tasting Table writers. This helps to ensure this list is balanced, fair, and backed by real-world tasting experience.