All Your Questions About Costco's Kirkland Liquor Answered

A lot of people head to Costco for the chain's alcohol. In 2023, the big-box giant was the largest individual alcohol retailer in the world, selling approximately $6.5 to $7 billion dollars worth of booze, according to Forbes. Its liquor is an especially strong seller, with unit sales outpacing other stores across the United States — and savvy shoppers know that its Kirkland brand liquor is the stuff to get. Although Costco stocks plenty of recognizable brand names, its Kirkland liquors rival the best of them, thanks to being a combination of affordable and drinkable.

If you're wondering what the deal with Kirkland liquor is, though, you're not alone. Supermarket-brand liquors can often be perceived as being lower quality than those sold by big distilleries, and it's easy to assume that's the case at Costco. But it's often not true. Kirkland liquor is usually relatively cheap, but that doesn't mean it compromises on taste. You can even buy it without being a Costco member. So, how does Costco pull it all off? We've got your answers right here, on everything regarding Costco booze.

For a lot of new Costco customers, the Kirkland brand name can be a little confusing initially. Who makes Kirkland Signature, and why is this name on pretty much every product in-store, including the liquor? The truth is that the Kirkland name is a highly established entity that has been in Costco stores for decades. Costco debuted the Kirkland Signature brand name in 1995, with the line named after the store's former location in Kirkland, Washington. Each item is supplied by a different manufacturer, but they all come together under the Kirkland umbrella.

Before this, Costco brand liquors were all sold under different names. While this was intended to give each liquor item its own identity, it made things a little messy. "The conventional wisdom said that you had to have a different name for every class of product that you had — a la Sears Roebuck with the Kenmore appliances and the DieHard batteries and the Craftsman tools," explained Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal to CNN. However, when Sinegal identified that this process just diverted valuable resources and time away from actually selling the products, the Kirkland line took flight, and the store's booze was incorporated into it.

One of the greatest mysteries in this life is who makes supermarket-brand items — and that mystery swirls around Kirkland liquor quite often. If you thought that Costco had a bunch of distilleries somewhere, you'd be mistaken. Kirkland liquor is in fact made by numerous different private distilleries which then supply the store with booze. By doing this, Costco ensures that it gets a quality product, and these distilleries ensure that they're getting a regular paycheck from a reputable brand. Win-win, right?

It might surprise you to know that some of the individual distilleries behind Kirkland liquor are actually pretty big, too. The company behind Kirkland scotch is none other than Alexander Murray, one of the biggest independent distilleries in Scotland (although it actually puts its whiskies out from a production facility in California). Meanwhile, its Kirkland spiced rum is apparently made by Sazerac, the company behind Pappy van Winkle and Buffalo Trace bourbons. Costco's Kirkland brand tequila comes from Corporate Distillery Santa Lucia, S.A. de C.V., a distillery that makes a wide range of other tequilas. Importantly, Costco is usually a little shy and retiring about revealing what companies make its Kirkland products, so it's useful to take all this info with a grain of salt.

It's a question we've all had, time and time again: Why are store-brand items cheaper? Is it because they're of inferior quality, or made with cheaper ingredients? Plus, when it comes to alcohol, what are you actually drinking when it's cheaper? Rest assured that when it comes to Kirkland liquor, the reason it's cheap isn't because it sucks. One of the facts you may not have realized about Costco alcohol is that its Kirkland booze operates with a very low markup. In other stores, alcohol is so expensive because the retailer marks it up once it receives it from the wholesaler to create more profit. Costco, by virtue of its big-box design and larger items, doesn't do this. Instead, its markup is usually set at around 14%.

One of the reasons it's able to do this is its membership fee. The membership costs cover a lot of Costco's income, and it rewards its customers by giving them slightly cheaper items while also making them feel like they're part of an exclusive club. Kirkland liquor also benefits from that distinctive Kirkland brand name. Keeping things Kirkland helps Costco save on marketing and branding costs, meaning that if you're willing to compromise on a fancy label you can be rewarded with a fantastic (and fantastically affordable) beverage.

Costco's membership model is well known, with folks having to fork out $65 a year for a primary yearly subscription to the store. This membership grants you access to Costco's entire line — but one massive secret is that you may not need it. Well, if you're buying Kirkland liquor, that is. In certain states, you don't need a Costco membership to buy alcohol. You can just walk straight in (after telling the person who's checking the door for membership cards that you're only there to purchase booze), pick up your Kirkland liquor, and head to the check-out.

At present, 14 states allow you to buy liquor from Costco without a membership, including California, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Vermont. This all comes down to each state's laws, which prohibit stores like Costco and Sam's Club, which charge a membership fee, from stopping people without memberships from buying alcohol there. Bear in mind that doing this might take slightly longer than if you have a membership, as once you get to the cashier they may need to supply you with a temporary membership number so that the purchase can go through. However, what you'll lose in time, you'll gain in savings.

You never truly know what you'll find when you step into a Costco, and one of the biggest shocks you might experience is a lack of Kirkland liquor. However, it's worth bearing in mind that while not every Costco store has alcohol in its main building, it's never too far away. State laws across the U.S. vary considerably when it comes to what stores can house in main buildings, and what needs to be placed in a separate section or structure. As such, if you're in a state like Florida or Georgia, you might find that Kirkland liquor isn't in the big Costco in front of you, but in a separate standalone Costco Liquor store located somewhere nearby.

If you're outside the U.S., and specifically in Alberta, Canada, things get even more confusing. Here, Costco Liquor stores are not only external, but appear to operate as a separate brand, with its own website. In other places, Costcos might relocate its products to a separate store entirely, partnering with independent stores to sell its wares close to the main building. The bottom line, though, is not to panic if you turn up to a Costco and find that there's no booze: It'll usually be somewhere nearby.

Say you buy a bottle of Kirkland liquor, try it, and decide that you don't like how it tastes. Or, you figure out that you didn't actually need the bottle you just brought home, and want to take it back unopened. What's the deal? Can you return alcohol from Costco? The answer is slightly more complicated than you might think. Costco's policy when it comes to returning its Kirkland liquor is to follow the law of your individual state. So, if your state has prohibited the return of alcohol — you're keeping it, buddy.

Oftentimes, these state laws can be pretty specific and intricate, and don't follow the same logic of return policies for other items. For example, in Maine, you're able to return items within 10 days of purchase, as long as you have a receipt. In California or New York, on the other hand, you can only return booze if it's defective in some way. Costco adheres to the laws of the states that its stores are located in incredibly rigorously, so if you're not sure about what you can do, it's always best to call your local store to check before buying.

A lot of people know by this point that Costco Kirkland Signature items come from independent suppliers, and are pretty good quality. However, does that mean that all of its liquors are just as good as each other? Not quite. Although the manufacturers behind these Kirkland liquors are all fairly well-established, they're just as capable of delivering duds — and so you need to keep an eye on which types of Kirkland liquor you're buying.

Costco's Kirkland 24 Year Blended Scotch Whisky, for instance, might not be as good as its other ones. Folks who have reviewed this whisky have found that it has an unpleasant nose and a weak, fairly simple taste. Its Kirkland spiced rum, also, has been described as pretty unexceptional. Other liquors in its collection fare much better, with its Kirkland Speyside Single Malt Whisky delivering a complex taste that completely excels its price point. The difference between its blended and single malt whiskies is all the more interesting, considering that they're both made by the same distillery.

We all love a grocery store that brings its goods to your front door, and Costco really delivers on that front (get it?). When it comes to Costco Kirkland liquor, however, things get a little more complicated. Costco doesn't deliver liquor in every state, because state laws simply don't allow it in some areas. Although retailers are technically allowed to sell alcohol for delivery in every state, this only covers wine. Only eight states allow the delivery of liquor, and several more allow beer to be delivered.

As such, whether you can buy Kirkland liquor online depends entirely on whether your state will permit it. Even then, it can be a little tricky to get on the same day. Certain states may allow the delivery of liquor, but may be slightly less flexible when it comes to third-party services that offer same-day delivery, like Instacart. In our opinion, it's far easier to jump in the car and buy your Kirkland liquor from the store.

Although we can rely on our favorite stores to deliver the goods, they're constantly switching up their product lines to offer new items or keep up with trends. The same goes for Costco and its Kirkland brand. Although certain staples, like Kirkland vodka and gin, are unlikely to be changed or removed any time soon, Costco likes to mix things up by bringing in new and limited-edition liquors every now and again.

One fact that will please Costco whiskey fans is that this often happens in its whiskey line. Costco often debuts new whiskies to fall in line with certain events, or just to cover a gap in its current product selection. At the start of 2024, it brought out an eight-year-old blended Scotch to celebrate the Lunar New Year, a product that's sure to become a collector's item. It's not just limited-edition Kirkland liquors that Costco offers, either: Every now and again, a highly-prized liquor with a significant vintage will show up on its shelves, often for a high price.

It's always a bit of a shame when you go into a new branch of a store expecting to find the same items as your regular one — but it happens more than you think. It happens at Costco, too, with its Kirkland liquor selection being surprisingly inconsistent from place to place. Although you'll typically find the basics in most places, Kirkland liquors with smaller stock pools or which have more regional specificity may be harder to find across the board.

Customers have noted that this can be a particular problem with Costco bourbon. A commenter on Reddit pointed out that its bourbon can be stocked depending on region, with stores in the Southeast getting them first. Some items can also be stocked in stores based on how available they are from distributors, and where those distributors are based around the country. As it's hard to tell exactly what's going to be in your Costco until you step foot in it, the best thing to do is to call your store ahead of time to find out if they have the specific Kirkland liquor you're looking for.

Costco Kirkland liquor is already kind of a steal, thanks to Costco's low markups. You might be pleased to know, though, that occasionally it's even more reasonable. Every now and then, Costco Kirkland liquor items will be offered at a reduced price, and keeping an eye on price tags is one of the many tips and tricks at Costco that you can employ to get an even better deal on items.

These discounts may be more likely on out-of-season items, or product lines that are being discontinued. These items will usually have a price that ends in 97 cents, 0 cents, or 88 cents, and will be a lower price than usual. Having said this, sometimes items have these price tag endings if they've been damaged in some way or have been returned, so make sure you check out the quality of the liquor you're buying before putting it in your shopping cart. Kirkland liquors may also have special promo pricing, which drops their cost for a limited time to entice savvy buyers. These will have a price ending in 49 cents or 79 cents.