Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Costco's Liquor

While a Costco membership can definitely save you cash if you're buying products in bulk or regularly stock up on groceries for the entire family, it may not be worth the money for occasional shoppers. Particularly, if you're only looking for a place to score the odd bottle of wine or spirits. The great news is that you may not actually need a Costco membership to fill your bags with discounted booze. However, this depends on the state you live in, or rather the state you shop in.

Different states have different laws regarding whether an establishment that sells alcohol has to make it available to the general public. Currently, this is the case for 14 states but since regulations change all the time, it's best to call your local Costco to get the lowdown on the current situation.

Those living in one of the states where membership is a prerequisite to buying Costco liquor need not despair because there is a way around this dilemma. And it is all thanks to the Costco cash card — an equivalent of the traditional gift card. The caveat is that a Costco cash card can only be purchased by Costco members so you may need to get a friend involved in the deal or buy one on Amazon or eBay.

Costco is well-known for passing savings onto its customers. Unlike most other retailers that mark up their goods by between 25 and a staggering 50%, Costco liquor mark-ups are significantly lower. In fact, the chain store has capped them at 15% for its home Kirkland brand and 14% for all other brands (the average mark-up at the store stands at 11%). Inc. gives an example of Costco's pricing, explaining that if the retailer buys ink cartridges for $50, customers will typically pay around $55.50 for those ink cartridges on store shelves. 

So how does Costco make money, you may ask? The chain of discount stores makes its profits by buying products in bulk. We have also learned that it stocks less inventory than other retailers. The bulk of Costco's profit, however, comes from its memberships. For example, in 2018, around 75% of Costco's yields came from its membership fees. Costco offers two types of memberships. A $60 Gold Star Membership that opens access to any Costco store worldwide and a $120 Executive Membership that gives members 2% cashback on certain goods.

The rumor that Kirkland's French vodka is made by the manufacturers of Grey Goose has been doing the rounds for a while now. This, however, doesn't necessarily make it true. The fact is that the two brands are not made by the same distillery. Nevertheless, there is some basis for this pervasive rumor because both Kirkland French vodka and Grey Goose are made with water obtained from the same source — more specifically, the Gensac Springs in France's Cognac region.

While Grey Goose representatives have confirmed that the brand sources its water from "an exclusive well" in Gensac-la-Pallue, this is probably where the similarities between the two products end. Grey Goose representative told MUNCHIES in an email that "since its creation in 1997, Grey Goose has been produced with the finest French ingredients, using a proprietary recipe and process that was designed by our Cellar Master, Francois Thibault." (via Vice). To some, however, the pedigree doesn't make much difference. Spirits-tasting expert Fred Minnick told Business Insider, "Vodka is purely marketing — there is nothing special about it. It is meant to be thrown in with something else and take on the character of whatever it is mixed with."

Considering that Grey Goose is a premium vodka three times the price of Kirkland French vodka, however, it may come as a surprise that the Costco liquor has apparently scored better in a number of blind taste tests.

Under the Label compared rankings from various industry competitions that put the two vodkas head-to-head and found Grey Goose lacking. According to the company's research, Kirkland came out a clear winner with an aggregate score of 88 compared to Grey Goose's 82 (via Vice). Similarly, a blind taste test of six vodka brands by The Kitchn placed Kirkland French Vodka first and rated Grey Goose sixth. When the two vodka brands were compared, Grey Goose was described as more "silky and weighty" than Kirkland's French Vodka.

Nothing quite encapsulates the countdown to Christmas as an Advent calendar. And they come in all shapes and sizes, from traditional chocolate versions to more unusual options such as Lego Advent numbers. Imbued with the festive spirit, Costco is doing its bit to keep the Christmas spirit alive with their hugely popular Wine Advent-ure Calendars and Brewer's Advent Calendars. Both make a great addition to eggnog and Christmas-themed liqueurs.

Costco's Wine Advent-ure Calendars come with 24 375-milliliter bottles of wine from across the globe including Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, and Hungary. "Each year we taste hundreds of wines in order to reach the final assortment. It's our goal to make the pack a fun and interactive discovery of wines from around the world," wine buyer for Costco's Midwest Kirk Johnson told Costco Connection.

Meanwhile, Brewer's Advent Calendars come with 24 cans of German craft beer, ranging from hefeweizen to Bavaria's Märzen. Beer buyer for Costco's San Diego region Tony Rizzo told Costco Connection, "I love that each year there are about six new beers in this pack based on feedback we receive from our members."

The word on the street is that Costco's customers are often extremely hopeful about the store's return policy. From stories about customers trying to return dead plants to tales of a woman trying to get a refund for a 13-year-old fish, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to keep this myth alive. While in reality, the chain's return policy may not be quite this liberal, the discount chain does accept most returns. However, Costco liquor can be an exception to this rule.

Regardless of whether your bottle is sealed or not, Costco's liquor return policy is regulated by state law. As such, if you are not satisfied with your boozy purchase, it is best to call your local Costco to find out exactly what their stance is on alcohol returns. In the states where liquor returns are allowed, Costco offers refunds up to 90 days after purchase if the product is unfit for consumption, spoiled or expired, or you have bought it by mistake (via DoNotPay).

Not all bottles of liquor with the Kirkland Signature label are created equal, and dedicated customers have noted a few products that stand above the rest. One clear winner in the bunch is the Kirkland Signature Irish Cream liqueur, which u/phoenixchimera on Reddit says is just as good as Bailey's Irish cream. Other stand-outs include the añejo tequila, which is aged and typically meant for sipping. 

The French vodka also seems to be preferred by most Costco customers to the American version. u/LongtimeLHVLurker wrote on Reddit that in a blind taste test of Kirkland Signature French vodka, Kirkland Signature American vodka, SKYY vodka, and Tito's that the French bottle came out on top as it was smooth without too strong of a burn. Another international favorite is the Kirkland Signature Canadian whisky, which is comparable to the ever-popular Crown Royal blend. "The Canadian whiskey is my well/nightcap choice of beverage for normal weeknights," u/HNL2BOS wrote on Reddit. 

It may seem like Costco literally has anything you could ever want or need, alcohol included. As previously mentioned, they keep their selection small and ever-changing. There are a few popular kinds of alcohol the brand doesn't carry at all. For example, while they keep plenty of tequila in stock, they also don't sell its agave-based sibling mezcal. That could change in only just a matter of time as the spirit grows in popularity. Additionally, the availability of certain liquors might depend on the location of the Costco warehouse where you're doing your shopping. 

Costco also keeps it pretty plain and doesn't offer many flavored spirits, especially popular flavored vodka or flavored whiskey varieties. It's also unlikely that you'll find any other liqueurs aside from the Irish Cream in stock, meaning you might have to shop at a traditional liquor store to complete your home bar (via Instacart).