An Expensive Don Julio Tequila Is Spotted On Deep Discount At A Midwest Costco

Tequila fans, this one's for you... assuming you have a Costco membership. Recently, bottles of Don Julio 1942 were (and perhaps still are) available at a Wisconsin Costco location for $49.97. This easy-drinking aged tequila is handcrafted in small batches — a premium sipping spirit that, typically, comes with a price tag to match. However, Costco has apparently brought the south-of-the-border spirit deal to the midwest. If you're lucky, you may still be able to score a bottle.

Originally shared in a post on Reddit on August 1, the shopper who first spotted the Don Julio 1942 bottles found them inside of the Costco location in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. At the time of their visit, they said there were "about 20 left, figure they would be gone by now." As the poster noted, the $49.97 price tag is "practically free." However, this price is for the 375-milliliter bottles, not the full-size 750-milliliter ones — but it's still a good deal. 

At other retailers, 375-milliliter bottles of Don Julio 42 typically run between the $75 and $90 price range. Costco's price is almost half. Not only that, it comes in a pack that includes two additional 375-milliliter bottles of the brand's Reposado and Añejo tequilas. Commenters on the Reddit post raved when met with Costco's price. "This is an outstanding deal," said one user. "Steal," said another. A third user made a valid point: "Can't afford not to."

Smooth and complexly flavorful, Don Julio 1942 is aged for a minimum of 24 months (often closer to 32 to 35 months) — much longer than most spirits belonging to the añejo category. Befitting an añejo, Don Julio 1942 sports a deep straw gold hue and a satiny mouthfeel. Although, despite being matured in ex-bourbon American white oak casks, this 100% blue weber agave tequila sports a uniquely sweet bouquet of rose, pear, and apricot. A sip delivers a rich nose of chocolate and caramel, blossoming into flavor tones of warm oak, vanilla, brown sugar, and grassy-yet-smoky cooked agave across the palate.

Word to the wise: Costco price tag endings have meanings, and anything priced at a number with 97 cents on the end is on clearance. Full-priced items, on the other hand, end in 99 cents, and items that are temporarily on sale end with any other number end 49 or 79 cents. Costco shoppers can use this pricing tip to navigate throughout the entire warehouse. But, for discerning imbibers, this info likely indicates that the ultra-marked-down 375-milliliter bottles of Don Julio 1942 are on their way out of stores — not here to last. In case you miss the deal, Tasting Table rounded up the best (and worst) tequila to buy from Costco.