{"id":3171,"date":"2026-08-08T09:02:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/?p=3171"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:28:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:28:25","slug":"kirkland-18-year-highland-single-malt-scotch-costco-tullibardine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/08\/kirkland-18-year-highland-single-malt-scotch-costco-tullibardine\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirkland 18 Year Highland Single Malt Scotch Arrives at Costco \u2014 Is Tullibardine Behind the $74.99 Whisky?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Kirkland<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Arkansas Whiskey Watch \u2022 Little Rock<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An 18-Year Highland Single Malt for $74.99<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Costco is currently selling Kirkland Signature Aged 18 Years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Sherry Cask Finish<\/strong> at its Little Rock warehouse. The 750 mL bottle is 46% ABV \/ 92 proof<\/strong> and carries Costco item #1252125<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The price is noteworthy on its own. The story becomes more interesting when the exact Costco SKU is traced back to an earlier release that was explicitly identified overseas as coming from Tullibardine Distillery<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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See the Tullibardine Evidence<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
What the Costco Asterisk Means<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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18 YEARS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minimum age statement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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46% ABV<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

92 proof<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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$74.99<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little Rock warehouse price<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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#1252125<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costco item number<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Who Makes Kirkland 18 Year Scotch? The Short Answer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Costco does not identify the distillery behind the current 2026 U.S. release.<\/strong> However, a 2019 Costco release carrying the exact same item number \u2014 #1252125<\/strong> \u2014 was identified in Taiwan as whisky from Tullibardine Ltd.<\/strong> The current Little Rock bottle also matches the historical release on age, Highland designation, 750 mL size, 46% ABV and sherry-finished format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes Tullibardine a strong, historically documented candidate<\/strong> for the source of the current whisky. It does not<\/strong> yet prove that Tullibardine supplied the 2026 batch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Kirkland Signature 18 Year Highland Single Malt: Bottle Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Kirkland
Kirkland Signature Aged 18 Years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Sherry Cask Finish, bottled at 46% ABV \/ 92 proof.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Brand<\/strong><\/td>Kirkland Signature<\/td><\/tr>
Type<\/strong><\/td>Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky<\/td><\/tr>
Age<\/strong><\/td>18 Years<\/td><\/tr>
Finish<\/strong><\/td>Sherry Cask Finish<\/td><\/tr>
ABV<\/strong><\/td>46%<\/td><\/tr>
Proof<\/strong><\/td>92 Proof<\/td><\/tr>
Bottle Size<\/strong><\/td>750 mL<\/td><\/tr>
Country<\/strong><\/td>Scotland<\/td><\/tr>
Costco Item<\/strong><\/td>#1252125<\/td><\/tr>
Little Rock Price<\/strong><\/td>$74.99<\/td><\/tr>
Warehouse Sign<\/strong><\/td>Asterisk \/ \u201cDeath Star\u201d<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Why an 18-Year Age Statement Is Significant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An age statement on Scotch whisky has a legal meaning. It is not an average. When an age appears on the bottle, that age refers to the youngest Scotch whisky contained in the product<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means an 18-year-old Scotch cannot contain younger Scotch while legally carrying an 18-year age statement. There could be whisky older than 18 years in the bottle, but none younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A whisky bottled in 2026 and labeled 18 Years Old<\/strong> necessarily contains spirit distilled no later than approximately 2008. Scotch needs only three years of maturation in oak to qualify as Scotch whisky, making an 18-year expression six times the legal minimum maturation period<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is no shortcut to an 18-year age statement.<\/strong> The inventory had to exist, mature in Scotland and remain committed to aging for nearly two decades before this bottle could appear on a Costco shelf.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Understanding the Label: Single Malt, Highland and Sherry Cask Finish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Single Malt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSingle malt\u201d does not<\/strong> mean single barrel. It means the whisky was produced at one distillery<\/strong> from malted barley under the rules governing Single Malt Scotch Whisky.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Highland<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The bottle identifies the whisky as a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky<\/strong>, narrowing the origin to Scotland\u2019s Highland whisky region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sherry Cask Finish<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The finish indicates that sherry-seasoned wood was used as a later stage of maturation. It does not<\/strong> mean the whisky necessarily spent all 18 years in a sherry cask.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Sourcing Investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Costco Item #1252125 to Tullibardine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The current American bottle does not name its source distillery. Historically, however, Costco\u2019s Kirkland Scotch program has been closely associated with independent Scotch whisky merchant and bottler Alexander Murray & Co.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2016 Market Watch Magazine<\/em> interview, Alexander Murray founder Steven Lipp said the company began supplying Scotch whisky for Costco\u2019s Kirkland house brand in 2007. When discussing distilleries Alexander Murray worked with, one of the names identified was Tullibardine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interview then addressed an industry rumor that Tullibardine was a major supplier behind Alexander Murray\u2019s Costco and Total Wine business. Lipp declined to identify private-label source distilleries, explaining that the retailers did not want those names disclosed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read the Alexander Murray Interview<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Strongest Evidence: The Exact Costco SKU Was Identified as Tullibardine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Kirkland 18 currently being sold in Little Rock carries Costco product number #1252125<\/strong>. That same number appears in a historical Costco listing from Taiwan dated July 3, 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The historical listing documents a Kirkland 18 Year Single Malt Whisky<\/strong>, 750 mL, 46% ABV, from Scotland \u2014 and identifies the distillery as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TULLIBARDINE LTD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photographs associated with the historical release go further. A bottle import label identifies Tullibardine Distillery, Blackford, Perthshire PH4 1QG, Scotland<\/strong>, while the Costco shelf card again shows item #1252125<\/strong> and identifies TULLIBARDINE LTD<\/strong> as the distillery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View the Historical Listing<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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2019 Tullibardine-Identified Release vs. 2026 Little Rock Release<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Specification<\/th>2019 Costco Taiwan<\/th>2026 Costco Little Rock<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Brand<\/strong><\/td>Kirkland Signature<\/td>Kirkland Signature<\/td><\/tr>
Costco Item<\/strong><\/td>#1252125<\/td>#1252125<\/td><\/tr>
Age<\/strong><\/td>18 Years<\/td>18 Years<\/td><\/tr>
Style<\/strong><\/td>Highland Single Malt<\/td>Highland Single Malt<\/td><\/tr>
Country<\/strong><\/td>Scotland<\/td>Scotland<\/td><\/tr>
Bottle Size<\/strong><\/td>750 mL<\/td>750 mL<\/td><\/tr>
ABV<\/strong><\/td>46%<\/td>46%<\/td><\/tr>
Finish<\/strong><\/td>Sherry Cask Finish<\/td>Sherry Cask Finish<\/td><\/tr>
Distillery<\/strong><\/td>Tullibardine identified<\/strong><\/td>Not disclosed<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Confirmed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A historical Kirkland release using item #1252125<\/strong> was directly identified as Tullibardine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Strong Indication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The current bottle matches that historical product on SKU, age, region, size, ABV and sherry finish<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Not Yet Confirmed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No 2026 primary-source document we have found explicitly names Tullibardine as the source of the current Little Rock bottles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Tullibardine<\/a>
Tullibardine name, logo and branding remain the property of their respective rights holders. Used here for editorial identification.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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About Tullibardine Distillery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tullibardine Distillery<\/strong> is located in Blackford, Perthshire, in Scotland\u2019s Highland whisky region. The site\u2019s brewing heritage reaches back to 1488, although the modern whisky distillery came centuries later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tullibardine traces its modern development to William Delme-Evans, who visited the site in 1947 and recognized the potential of water originating in the Ochil Hills. The distillery later fell silent from 1993 until 2003 before production resumed. In 2011, it was acquired by the family-owned French wine and spirits group Terroir Distillers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visit Tullibardine<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Explore the Distillery History<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Inside Tullibardine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tullibardine says its Blackford site includes much of the infrastructure needed to carry whisky from production through maturation and bottling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n