Who Makes Costco's Kirkland Signature Blended Scotch Whisky?

While Costco is a go-to for bulk boxes of cereal or cult-favorite rotisserie chicken, as plenty of alcohol aficionados will tell you, you shouldn't skip its liquor aisle. The retailer is hailed for its notably affordable selection of booze, including some of the best and worst Kirkland Signature liquors. One of the top among them? The Kirkland Signature Blended Scotch Whisky. As you may know, Kirkland Signature is the name of Costco's own private label. But since Costco is based in the United States, and Scotch whisky must be made in Scotland, you might be wondering whether or not this liquor is legit.

Well, Kirkland brand products are actually outsourced to other manufacturers. And while many of those producers are oftentimes kept under wraps, such is not the case with this particular product. Peek just below the Kirkland label and you'll find the name Alexander Murray & Co. Ltd, which has been supplying Scotch for the private label since 2007. This independent merchant sources whisky distilled and aged in Scotland, then bottles and distributes it in the States, including at your local Costco. Although the company is based in the U.S., it finds its roots back in the whisky-making motherland. It was founded in 2004 by Scotsman Steve Lipp, and is named for his great uncle, whom he honors for giving him his first sip of the spirit, or what the Scots call "the water of life."

As noted, for a spirit to legally be called Scotch whisky, it must be distilled and matured in Scotland, specifically in oak casks and for at least three years. Generally, Scotch must also be bottled in the country to earn that distinction. Per the label, Kirkland Signature's product is indeed made and aged in oak casks in Scotland. However, Alexander Murray & Co. imports those casks and bottles the product in the U.S. The reason it's able to bend the rules a bit and still call itself Scotch is due to the word "blended" on the bottle. 

What exactly is blended whisky? It's a spirit combining one or more types of single malt whisky and one or more types of single grain whisky. Apparently, there's a loophole in the United Kingdom's strict distilling and labeling laws that allows Scottish-made whisky to be bottled elsewhere as long as it is a blended product. All single malt Scotch, on the other hand, must be made and bottled by the same distiller in — you guessed it — Scotland. 

Although some connoisseurs consider blended whiskies to be bottom of the barrel (pun intended), Kirkland blended Scotch whisky has left plenty of sippers more than impressed — especially given its roughly $22 price tag. "The nose is delightful. Tasty enough but definitely on the sweeter side. For its value, [I] think it's quite good," wrote one reviewer on Reddit. Another commenter confidently declared, "Solid swilling scotch, great value."