Life is too short to drink bad whiskey. Fortunately, good whiskey doesn’t have to break the bank, but the challenge is always finding that rare perfect bottle that combines top-tier quality with a great deal. If you don’t have a Costco membership, then you’re in luck.
Department store brand Kirkland has a line of whiskeys that are often dismissed as inferior by connoisseurs, and I admit, I used to be one of them. I’ve had a few moments of scorn as friends pulled out that giant jug of Kirkland and wondered: How can something as mass-produced as craft whiskey be and still be good? In the case of Kirkland Signature Single Barrel Whiskey, I’m right. It’s great, period. Especially for a whiskey under $40.
The bottle is part of a series released by Kirkland that includes a bottled bond bourbon and a small-batch bourbon. But the Single Barrel Whiskey is the best, coming in at a whopping 120 proof and rivaling other Kentucky whiskeys.
“Single cask” means that the whisky is bottled from a single barrel, as opposed to several barrels combined. In theory, no two bottles are the same, as the barrels age and impart different flavors.
After opening the bottle and letting it breathe for a moment, I poured a modest glass and found the color to be a dark copper hue with golden edges. The nose is dark oak with vanilla and peppery notes. Initially impressed by the color and smell, I was excited to try a sip.
The flavor came through to the nose—sweet, slightly warm, and dark oak charcoal. I got strong notes of vanilla, caramel, and a hint of orange peel. The overall flavor was like a Werther's toffee. The finish was smooth, with a bit of heat from the strong alcohol and a hint of peppery notes.
After my first taste, I let the bottle breathe a bit more before adding a splash of water to soften the massive 120 proof. This improved the whiskey by mellowing out the harsh heat and spice characteristics while bringing out more fruit and sweet candy flavors. All in all, this is a very good whiskey for the price. In fact, it compares favorably with many other Kentucky whiskeys that sell for much more.
Here’s the not-so-secret reason: It’s produced by the Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, in the heart of bourbon country. Barton is owned by the Sazerac Company, which also produces Buffalo Trace and Blanton’s. The Barton name is stamped on the bottle, so there’s no confusion about where this bottle comes from. Barton 1792 master distiller Danny Kahn’s signature is also on the bottle, showing his influence on the single barrel reserve project.
It says a lot that Costco sources its whiskey from a tried-and-true Kentucky distillery. Barton 1792 Distillery has been producing whiskey in the heart of Kentucky since 1879. I’ve been to Bardstown and can confirm that 1792’s 196-acre distillery, which has 29 barrel-aging tanks, is steeped in bourbon history and prestige.
To get a second opinion and see how the Kirkland single barrel bottle compares to other whiskeys, I headed to my local whiskey bar, The Whisk(e)y in Fort Collins, Colorado, which has over 2,200 bottles.
There I met certified whiskey master Sam Wright, who commented on the standard 1792, the 1792 full-proof bottle, and the 1792 full-proof single cask bottle.
“The 1792 has everything you could want in a bourbon,” Wright said.
After tasting the Kirkland single barrel, he decided that this was a whiskey that would score highly in any reasonable competition. He tasted sweet, fruity elements and a great finish. He added a little water to open up the oils in the whiskey and noted that this brought out more of the dark sugars in the whiskey.
“There's nothing to complain about here,” he noted. “This is a high-quality bottle that you can share with friends, and everyone will like something about it.”
David Young
We then compared it to a 1792 full-proof bottle and a 1792 full-proof single barrel bottle, both excellent Kentucky whiskeys in their own right. They had some similar characteristics, such as sweetness and fruit flavors. The full-proof single barrel was perhaps a notch ahead of the Kirkland bottle in terms of smoothness. But at half the price, it's hard to beat the Kirkland.
Overall, Kirkland's Signature Single Barrel Whiskey is a great choice at a nearly unbeatable price point for the money. Because it's a limited-edition bottle, this one comes and goes at various Costco stores. So if you're a member and see this bottle on the shelves, grab one—or two—when you see it. They don't last long.
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