Costco's New Kentucky Bourbon Bottles Are Turning Heads

Costco is known and loved (among other things) for offering private label liquors that are considered good value in terms of quality and price. In recent months, however, Costco bourbon lovers may have noticed that Costco's private label bourbons that had been sold under the Kirkland label, have been missing in action. Indeed, in February, one Reddit user said they'd been trying and failing to find Kirkland bourbon at various Costcos in the Chicago area and was wondering whether anyone else had been having any luck — or if perhaps Kirkland bourbon was being discontinued altogether (via Reddit). A hopeful answer came from one Redditor, who said they'd heard Costco was actually in the midst of switching to a "Barton branded version" and linked to a photo of an upcoming Costco slash Barton bourbon label. As it turns out, the respondent was right. 

Costco has, in fact, partnered with Barton 1792 Distillery to develop three Kirkland Signature Kentucky Straight Bourbons, according to the May 2021 edition of Costco's magazine, Costco Connection. These include Small Batch (92 proof), Bottled-in-Bond (100 proof), and Single Barrel (120 proof). The first of the three, the Small Batch, is slated to turn up on Costco shelves in select locations in June as part of a "rotational program" and in limited quantities.