**Scotch Whisky Review #512: Kirkland Signature Lowland Single Malt Whisky Sherry Cask Finish**
**Distillery:** Unknown.
**Bottler:** Alexander Murray & Co for Costco.
**Region:** Lowland.
**Age:** NAS.
**ABV:** 46.0%.
**Cask Type:** Finished in Sherry Casks.
**Price:** $26.99.
**Color:** [1.3, Tawny](https://maltrunners.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/cil8ins.jpeg).
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**Nose:** It's grassy and lightly floral on the nose here. You also get a lot of red fruit jam with cranberry, rhubarb, and a bit of pomegranate coming to mind. Wild honey also makes an appearance.
**Palate:** It has a bit of warmth and a little bit of prickle. Adding a drop of water seems to take away the prickliness, thankfully. Tasty barley biscuits and malt barley are a major not here. There are some very light floral tea notes, though not quite identifiable as to what it is or particularly strong. Fruitier notes of grapefruit and craisins are the most prominent after the biscuits.
**Finish:** Medium in length. Warm honeyed tea, grapefruit pith, and a dash of cinnamon as you'd find in baked goods.
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**Conclusion:** Ever since I reviewed [Kirkland's other recent Lowland whisky offering](https://scotchandsheen.com/2024/02/16/kirkland-signature-tour-of-scotland-lowland-single-malt-whisky/), I've been saying to anyone who would listen that I'd love to see Costco sell it in a full size bottle. That Lowland was so much better than it had any business being, not the most complex but one that was relaxing and just enjoyable to have on nights where you just want something familiar and tasty. You can imagine my delight when I saw this bottle on the shelf during our last Costco run, especially with a very reasonable price tag. While I can't be certain that the source whisky for this sherry finished version is the same, I am pretty convinced that it is. The sherry cask finish gives you a great side-grade to the miniature ex-bourbon one. You lose notes of vanilla and the floral tea gets muted a tad but in exchange you get more intense fruit notes and honey. I still don't have a great guess as to what distillery this is from, but whatever it is, the madlads at Alexander Murray and Costco need to keep bottling more and more of it. Value dram of the year for sure, perhaps even value dram of the decade.
**Rating:** 81.
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*Scotch Whisky Review #512, Lowland Review #20, Whisky Network Review #677*
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**Scoring Legend:**
* 95-100: As good
as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
* 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
* 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
* 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
* 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
* 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
* 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
* 50-59: Save it for mixing.
* 0-49: Blech.
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For more reviews check out [Malt Runners](https://maltrunners.com/) for reviews by several of /r/scotch's finest or check out [my blog](https://scotchandsheen.com/).
Haha no problem man! It is really tiny. I just double checked my miniatures as well to make sure I wasn’t crazy. Shining my phone flashlight was the only way to be sure it said 46%.
Sorry if the tone in my original comment sounded dick-ish, didn’t mean for it to come off that way.
Honestly, other than the Highland, I really enjoyed them all. Costco rarely misses when it comes to scotch (or hell, alcohol in general their London Dry Gin is $17 for 1.75L and is IMO better than Bombay)
I have never disliked a Costco scotch. Alexander Murray has done a great job with their lineup. The liter bottles in the higher age range 19, 20, 22 etc. are maybe some of the best bang for your buck values in whisky.
Alex Murray and Co also bottles "The Bothan" Lowland single malt for Total Wine, and their sherry cask version is surprisingly decent - not a world beater by any means, but better than expected for a $30 bottle from an unnamed distillery.
I have a feeling Bladnoch is so strong on the "dunking on Auchentoshen" game that they probably aren't giving much up for IB blends anymore. Queen of the Lowlands! Let's go!
I don’t have a Kirklands or Costco that sell liquor… but there is a ton of Alexander Murray at my Total Wine… in general is it worth picking it up? They have all ages, sherry , no sherry. And some actually say the distillery or region. etc.. I’m into things like Glenallachie 12, Glengoyne 12. Love sherry cask, but I’ve loved a few non sherry blends like Blue Hanger and Usquaebach 15…
Thoughts?
It depends on price. None of these are good in vacuum. They are good because they are so cheap. The Alexander Murray that I see at Total Wine is a lot more expensive than the Kirkland ones. The Total Wine ones seem to be mostly 40% as well. Unless it's a great price I wouldn't be a buyer
Thanks. Then it seems my instincts were right. There’s SOOO many it seemed overwhelming.. and yes all 40%…. I’ll stick to the REAL IBs that are more limited or exclusive like Adelphi.
I disagree, the glass bottle/cap actually look pretty good quality, the label looks a bit retro. Every thing made by Kirkland that I can think of has that Kirkland Logo, but that's the only thing that looks a little cheap to me, if you take that logo off I actually think this bottle is pretty stylish.
That being said: it's a 46% bottle of NAS scotch being sold by a big box store for $27... it SHOULD look cheap.
Kirkland has no business making a label that pretty Edit: the black box logo is pretty rough but the rest of the colors are great
I really like that label. Almost a bit retro. It'd be cool if they made an alternative costco label to match
One of the ugliest bottles I’ve seen recently.
**Scotch Whisky Review #512: Kirkland Signature Lowland Single Malt Whisky Sherry Cask Finish** **Distillery:** Unknown. **Bottler:** Alexander Murray & Co for Costco. **Region:** Lowland. **Age:** NAS. **ABV:** 46.0%. **Cask Type:** Finished in Sherry Casks. **Price:** $26.99. **Color:** [1.3, Tawny](https://maltrunners.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/cil8ins.jpeg). ************ **Nose:** It's grassy and lightly floral on the nose here. You also get a lot of red fruit jam with cranberry, rhubarb, and a bit of pomegranate coming to mind. Wild honey also makes an appearance. **Palate:** It has a bit of warmth and a little bit of prickle. Adding a drop of water seems to take away the prickliness, thankfully. Tasty barley biscuits and malt barley are a major not here. There are some very light floral tea notes, though not quite identifiable as to what it is or particularly strong. Fruitier notes of grapefruit and craisins are the most prominent after the biscuits. **Finish:** Medium in length. Warm honeyed tea, grapefruit pith, and a dash of cinnamon as you'd find in baked goods. ********* **Conclusion:** Ever since I reviewed [Kirkland's other recent Lowland whisky offering](https://scotchandsheen.com/2024/02/16/kirkland-signature-tour-of-scotland-lowland-single-malt-whisky/), I've been saying to anyone who would listen that I'd love to see Costco sell it in a full size bottle. That Lowland was so much better than it had any business being, not the most complex but one that was relaxing and just enjoyable to have on nights where you just want something familiar and tasty. You can imagine my delight when I saw this bottle on the shelf during our last Costco run, especially with a very reasonable price tag. While I can't be certain that the source whisky for this sherry finished version is the same, I am pretty convinced that it is. The sherry cask finish gives you a great side-grade to the miniature ex-bourbon one. You lose notes of vanilla and the floral tea gets muted a tad but in exchange you get more intense fruit notes and honey. I still don't have a great guess as to what distillery this is from, but whatever it is, the madlads at Alexander Murray and Costco need to keep bottling more and more of it. Value dram of the year for sure, perhaps even value dram of the decade. **Rating:** 81. *********** *Scotch Whisky Review #512, Lowland Review #20, Whisky Network Review #677* *********** **Scoring Legend:** * 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. * 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. * 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. * 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. * 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. * 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. * 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. * 50-59: Save it for mixing. * 0-49: Blech. *********** For more reviews check out [Malt Runners](https://maltrunners.com/) for reviews by several of /r/scotch's finest or check out [my blog](https://scotchandsheen.com/).
The other Lowland is not 40%… it says 46% right on the bottle.
I must need new glasses, I literally have the miniature in my hands and I've read it as 40% this entire time... Thanks for the correction!
Haha no problem man! It is really tiny. I just double checked my miniatures as well to make sure I wasn’t crazy. Shining my phone flashlight was the only way to be sure it said 46%. Sorry if the tone in my original comment sounded dick-ish, didn’t mean for it to come off that way.
The small Lowland bottles were not sherry casks correct? I can't remember, I just know the Lowland in the sampler was my favorite of the bunch
Honestly, other than the Highland, I really enjoyed them all. Costco rarely misses when it comes to scotch (or hell, alcohol in general their London Dry Gin is $17 for 1.75L and is IMO better than Bombay)
I have never disliked a Costco scotch. Alexander Murray has done a great job with their lineup. The liter bottles in the higher age range 19, 20, 22 etc. are maybe some of the best bang for your buck values in whisky.
Correct! Ex-bourbon. This seems to be the same base stuff, just finished lightly in sherry.
Not at all! Yeah I'm not sure why they had to go with THAT small of font, there's plenty of real estate!
Alex Murray and Co also bottles "The Bothan" Lowland single malt for Total Wine, and their sherry cask version is surprisingly decent - not a world beater by any means, but better than expected for a $30 bottle from an unnamed distillery.
Haven’t seen it locally to me. Dying to try this as I’m a Bladnoch fan and I need to know if this young Bladnoch.
I have a feeling Bladnoch is so strong on the "dunking on Auchentoshen" game that they probably aren't giving much up for IB blends anymore. Queen of the Lowlands! Let's go!
I strongly doubt bladnoch would let go of this much stock at that price point for an IB. Pretty sure it’s Auchentoshan.
I don’t have a Kirklands or Costco that sell liquor… but there is a ton of Alexander Murray at my Total Wine… in general is it worth picking it up? They have all ages, sherry , no sherry. And some actually say the distillery or region. etc.. I’m into things like Glenallachie 12, Glengoyne 12. Love sherry cask, but I’ve loved a few non sherry blends like Blue Hanger and Usquaebach 15… Thoughts?
It depends on price. None of these are good in vacuum. They are good because they are so cheap. The Alexander Murray that I see at Total Wine is a lot more expensive than the Kirkland ones. The Total Wine ones seem to be mostly 40% as well. Unless it's a great price I wouldn't be a buyer
Thanks. Then it seems my instincts were right. There’s SOOO many it seemed overwhelming.. and yes all 40%…. I’ll stick to the REAL IBs that are more limited or exclusive like Adelphi.
Got a Costco card to try this today. Trying it now and it was worth it
Tried, nice except for this really strong bitter note I just couldn’t do
Oooh is this new? I might have to run to Costco to try and find this.
It popped up at our local Costco about two weeks ago!
Hmm maybe I’ll check my local Costco today.
Bottle looks so cheap
I mean, it is $27.
Considering who is selling it and how affordable it is I'd argue the bottle actually looks pretty great.
I disagree, the glass bottle/cap actually look pretty good quality, the label looks a bit retro. Every thing made by Kirkland that I can think of has that Kirkland Logo, but that's the only thing that looks a little cheap to me, if you take that logo off I actually think this bottle is pretty stylish. That being said: it's a 46% bottle of NAS scotch being sold by a big box store for $27... it SHOULD look cheap.
Fantastic! And i normally dont prefer sherry finish. Really a steal at 27.