Thirsty Thursday Eve - Kirkland Signature American Vodka
Feeling a little adventurous during my most recent Costco liquor run, I decided to branch out from my standard Spiced Rum and try their Kirkland Signature vodka.
I had noticed the American Vodka before (they also have a French Vodka), and noted that it seemed to be the cheapest item by volume in the store. Even cheaper than the rum that I’m so familiar with. I considered picking up a bottle numerous times before, since it only costs $13 for a handle. Still, every time, I decided against it in favor of something else.
Anyone who knows my tastes in alcohol understands that I just don’t do vodka. I’ve tried a few brands here and there, and none of them have done much for me. One of the first alcoholic beverages I ever purchased was a bottle of Svedka, and let me tell you, it was awful. Just north of Southern Comfort, and I’d rather drink Nyquil straight than anything with SoCo in it. I hung onto the bottle of Svedka for a while, out of the inability to waste it, and finally finished it off after I learned that storing vodka in the freezer makes it more palatable. And by “more palatable,” I mean it was too cold to actually taste.
At some point, I bought a bottle of Exclusiv to try, on the recommendation of the owner of a liquor store in Woodruff. “Baby Goose,” he claimed to have heard it called, suggesting that it tasted like the legendary Grey Goose, but with a much cheaper price tag. That’s been 6 years ago now, give or take. I don’t recall exactly what the Exclusiv tasted like, but I do remember it being better than the Svedka, and not really having much of a taste. Apparently that’s the mark of good vodka, being mostly tasteless.
After my second bottle of vodka, I mostly wrote it off as something that would just never be my thing. By then, I was beginning to learn what I did like, and I realized that vodka wasn’t it. If I were going to buy a whole bottle of something, it would be something like rum or bourbon. Something I would be much more confident that I would enjoy. Vodka, like gin, would be something I drink on occasion, in a Long Island Iced Tea, and purchased by the drink from a restaurant or bar.
Rewind back to Costco’s liquor store a few weeks ago. I again considered purchasing a bottle of vodka. Upon investigating the vodka area, I noticed two different prices. At first, I wasn’t sure why two prices were listed, one of them a full $7 higher than the other. Surely, it wasn’t based on the size of the bottle. Nearly every liquor in Costco is sold by the handle. Eventually, I discovered that the country of origin was different. The French Vodka was $20, while the American Vodka was $13.
When I finally discovered the reason for the difference in price, I pondered for a moment on which to get. The French was more expensive, but presumably better quality. The American was cheaper, but how much cheaper would it taste? After a moment, I picked up the American and brought it to the counter. The French, at $20, was even more expensive than the spiced rum. Why pay more for something that I might enjoy less?
Still not quite certain, I asked the cashier if the bump in quality was worth the price difference between the French and American vodkas. His question to me, which I honestly expected, was what I planned on doing with it. I admitted that I would be mixing it, that I rarely (if ever) drink vodka straight. He suggested that it wasn’t worth paying the extra then, and that I would be better off sticking with the American vodka. Sold.
When we got home, I decided to take the plunge and try the Kirkland Signature American Vodka neat. As much as past experience had given me an aversion to straight vodka, and despite the fact that I told the cashier at Costco I’d be mixing it, I figured I may as well try what I paid for. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad. It certainly didn’t have that weird Svedka taste. Like the Exclusiv, it didn’t have much of a taste at all.
Eventually, I also tried it over ice, and mixed with cola. Again, it wasn’t bad. It didn’t have that sweet and spicy caramel flavor of the spiced rum that I love so much, but it also didn’t make the mix taste notably alcoholic. It imparted just a slight variation on the flavor, something I could certainly see drinking from time to time.
All in all, the American Vodka was better than I expected to be. At $13 for a handle, it comes out to about 32.5 cent per shot for 40 shots. Alcohol doesn’t get a lot cheaper than that, and I don’t think GOOD alcohol gets cheaper than that at all. I’ll probably keep a bottle of it on hand for visitors who prefer vodka to the other spirits that I keep on hand. Personally, I’ll probably have a mixer here and there. At this price point, this is a great liquor for maintaining a buzz.
If you like vodka, it may behoove you to step up to the French variety. For $20, it’s still quite a bit cheaper than Grey Goose, and has apparently ranked higher in blind taste tests. If you don’t like vodka, or at least *think* that you don’t like vodka, $13 is a very budget friendly way to check again. Even if you have to mix it with something, it’ll drink, and there are far worse vodkas out there. Trust me, I’ve tried them.
Resources:
BlackBook. (2013, January 22). Exclusiv Vodka: Can a Good Spirit Be Too Cheap To Succeed? Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://bbook.com/nightlife/exclusiv-vodka-can-a-good-spirit-be-too-cheap-to-succeed/
Delany, A. (2016, August 29). Costco's Kirkland Signature Is the Best Store Brand There Ever Was. Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/costcos-kirkland-signature-best-store-brand
Gordon, W. (n.d.). Drinking the Bottom Shelf: Is $10 Exclusiv Vodka As Good as Grey Goose? Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/01/drinking-the-bottom-shelf-ten-dollar-vodka-exclusive-compared-with-grey-goose.html
Marshall, W. (2016, September 02). Why Costco's Vodka May Be Your Best Bet. Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/78mevb/why-costcos-vodka-may-be-your-best-bet
I had noticed the American Vodka before (they also have a French Vodka), and noted that it seemed to be the cheapest item by volume in the store. Even cheaper than the rum that I’m so familiar with. I considered picking up a bottle numerous times before, since it only costs $13 for a handle. Still, every time, I decided against it in favor of something else.
Anyone who knows my tastes in alcohol understands that I just don’t do vodka. I’ve tried a few brands here and there, and none of them have done much for me. One of the first alcoholic beverages I ever purchased was a bottle of Svedka, and let me tell you, it was awful. Just north of Southern Comfort, and I’d rather drink Nyquil straight than anything with SoCo in it. I hung onto the bottle of Svedka for a while, out of the inability to waste it, and finally finished it off after I learned that storing vodka in the freezer makes it more palatable. And by “more palatable,” I mean it was too cold to actually taste.
At some point, I bought a bottle of Exclusiv to try, on the recommendation of the owner of a liquor store in Woodruff. “Baby Goose,” he claimed to have heard it called, suggesting that it tasted like the legendary Grey Goose, but with a much cheaper price tag. That’s been 6 years ago now, give or take. I don’t recall exactly what the Exclusiv tasted like, but I do remember it being better than the Svedka, and not really having much of a taste. Apparently that’s the mark of good vodka, being mostly tasteless.
After my second bottle of vodka, I mostly wrote it off as something that would just never be my thing. By then, I was beginning to learn what I did like, and I realized that vodka wasn’t it. If I were going to buy a whole bottle of something, it would be something like rum or bourbon. Something I would be much more confident that I would enjoy. Vodka, like gin, would be something I drink on occasion, in a Long Island Iced Tea, and purchased by the drink from a restaurant or bar.
Rewind back to Costco’s liquor store a few weeks ago. I again considered purchasing a bottle of vodka. Upon investigating the vodka area, I noticed two different prices. At first, I wasn’t sure why two prices were listed, one of them a full $7 higher than the other. Surely, it wasn’t based on the size of the bottle. Nearly every liquor in Costco is sold by the handle. Eventually, I discovered that the country of origin was different. The French Vodka was $20, while the American Vodka was $13.
When I finally discovered the reason for the difference in price, I pondered for a moment on which to get. The French was more expensive, but presumably better quality. The American was cheaper, but how much cheaper would it taste? After a moment, I picked up the American and brought it to the counter. The French, at $20, was even more expensive than the spiced rum. Why pay more for something that I might enjoy less?
Still not quite certain, I asked the cashier if the bump in quality was worth the price difference between the French and American vodkas. His question to me, which I honestly expected, was what I planned on doing with it. I admitted that I would be mixing it, that I rarely (if ever) drink vodka straight. He suggested that it wasn’t worth paying the extra then, and that I would be better off sticking with the American vodka. Sold.
When we got home, I decided to take the plunge and try the Kirkland Signature American Vodka neat. As much as past experience had given me an aversion to straight vodka, and despite the fact that I told the cashier at Costco I’d be mixing it, I figured I may as well try what I paid for. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad. It certainly didn’t have that weird Svedka taste. Like the Exclusiv, it didn’t have much of a taste at all.
Eventually, I also tried it over ice, and mixed with cola. Again, it wasn’t bad. It didn’t have that sweet and spicy caramel flavor of the spiced rum that I love so much, but it also didn’t make the mix taste notably alcoholic. It imparted just a slight variation on the flavor, something I could certainly see drinking from time to time.
All in all, the American Vodka was better than I expected to be. At $13 for a handle, it comes out to about 32.5 cent per shot for 40 shots. Alcohol doesn’t get a lot cheaper than that, and I don’t think GOOD alcohol gets cheaper than that at all. I’ll probably keep a bottle of it on hand for visitors who prefer vodka to the other spirits that I keep on hand. Personally, I’ll probably have a mixer here and there. At this price point, this is a great liquor for maintaining a buzz.
If you like vodka, it may behoove you to step up to the French variety. For $20, it’s still quite a bit cheaper than Grey Goose, and has apparently ranked higher in blind taste tests. If you don’t like vodka, or at least *think* that you don’t like vodka, $13 is a very budget friendly way to check again. Even if you have to mix it with something, it’ll drink, and there are far worse vodkas out there. Trust me, I’ve tried them.
Resources:
BlackBook. (2013, January 22). Exclusiv Vodka: Can a Good Spirit Be Too Cheap To Succeed? Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://bbook.com/nightlife/exclusiv-vodka-can-a-good-spirit-be-too-cheap-to-succeed/
Delany, A. (2016, August 29). Costco's Kirkland Signature Is the Best Store Brand There Ever Was. Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/costcos-kirkland-signature-best-store-brand
Gordon, W. (n.d.). Drinking the Bottom Shelf: Is $10 Exclusiv Vodka As Good as Grey Goose? Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/01/drinking-the-bottom-shelf-ten-dollar-vodka-exclusive-compared-with-grey-goose.html
Marshall, W. (2016, September 02). Why Costco's Vodka May Be Your Best Bet. Retrieved June 7, 2018, from https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/78mevb/why-costcos-vodka-may-be-your-best-bet
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