Costco Was Just Spotted Selling A Rare Kentucky Bourbon For A Steal

Costco may be crowned the new King of Kentucky. A customer shopping at a Costco store in California spotted a bottle of the 2024 King of Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon for just $259.99. That's close to an 87% markdown on what the 2024 expression usually goes for! Though the 750-milliliter bottle of the premium bourbon has a suggested retail price of $350, online prices hover around $2000, reaching as high as $2500 – this is largely due to the distillery's commitment to exclusivity and quality.

Evidence of the sighting was posted on the r/Costco_alcohol Reddit page without a caption, leaving commenters in awe. "I am filled with jealousy," one commenter said. "Please tell us you bought it," said another. 

It isn't uncommon for Costco to offer premium liquor for a significantly dropped price. There are several discounted, rare bottles of bourbon to look out for at Costco. For example, in the first few days of January 2025, a customer at the supermarket warehouse clocked a bottle of W.L. Weller Special Reserve Bourbon – another pricey bourbon brand selling for under half the price at Costco.

King of Kentucky is owned and distilled by Brown-Forman, which also produces Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. Since 2018, the distillery has released a hyper-limited, single-barrel expression annually. The bourbon is aged for 16 years and has an ABV of about 65%.

Prior to 2018, the distillery released blended expressions, but the King of Kentucky brand has since committed to producing single barrel bourbon. Each barrel and each year's expression is one of a kind, and only a select number of bottles are filled for each release. The brand does not produce a constant volume of bourbon each year, which contributes to the individuality of each bottle.

The 2024 release consisted of 5,600 bottles from 63 barrels. Because of the limited quantities, the distiller mainly limits the distribution of its premier bourbon to Kentucky, with a select number of bottles offered in other states. This makes Costco's substantial markdown in California even more shocking. The store tends to offer lower prices for high-end liquors sold under its Kirkland Signature name — like how Costco's new Cognac is made by a bougie French brand – but the King of Kentucky bourbon found on a store shelf in California was still dressed in its original garb.