The Costco Whiskey That Probably Costs More Than Your Car
If you've ever visited a bourbon distillery, during a discussion of the differences between bourbon and whiskey, you might have heard the common refrain: "All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon" (via Jim Beam). The same is essentially true for Scotch, which is a type of whisky made in Scotland. Outside of Scotland, it's referred to as Scotch or Scotch Whisky. Unsurprisingly, Scotland just calls it whisky — spelled without the 'e' (per Insider).
The price for Scotch can vary dramatically depending on the age, quality, and reputation of the distillery. Independent and rare Scotches are going to be the most expensive, but you can generally find excellent, affordable, and moderately-priced options as well (via Whiskey.com).
Varieties of Scotch also run the gamut from barrel-aged to single malt and blended malt, among others. Should you need some inspiration on what to imbibe, we've got recommendations on the best scotch whiskies to drink in 2022. While some of our suggestions range in the hundreds of dollars, these Scotch selections are 'peat' cheap compared to the Costco Scotch whisky that probably costs more than your car.
Why does this Scotch cost so much?
In October, u/Casakid posted a photo to the r/Costco subreddit depicting a $36,999 price tag for a bottle of Singleton 54-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Unsurprisingly, this had commenters expressing sticker shock. The caption reads, "My Costco has a bottle of whiskey that costs more than most new cars."
Featuring a cost so astronomically high that it is unattainable yet for a privileged few, it had contributors lampooning the absurdity of it all. Acosmichippo cracked, "Meh, I'll stock up when it's on sale." Others rode along with the car comparison, with one contributor quipping, "I bet it tastes better than a new car, too." Another joked, "Can't beat that new car smell, though!" One Redditor even calculated the math breakdown to determine how much a shot would set you back. "A single shot is $2200/shot! Damn!"
So what makes this particular Singleton Scotch so expensive? As previously stated, a combination of factors contribute to the price of whisky, but two of the biggest that affect the cost are rarity and age. This Singleton 54-year-old is part of an exceptionally limited release of only 235 bottles in select markets, dubbed their Paragon of Time collection. It was originally filled in a Pedro Ximenez sherry-seasoned cask in 1966 (per Forbes). According to Caskers, it's the "oldest Singleton expression to date."
And surprisingly enough, Costco's price is actually a deal for this bottle. Wine-searcher.com lists the average price as $44,185. But if you think this is the most expensive whiskey out there, think again. Craft Irish Whiskey Co. sells a whiskey gift set for $2 million, with age and rarity again driving the price. However, it does also come with luxury Faberge jewelry, so there's that.