Kirkland 17 Year Speyside Single Malt Sherry Cask Finish

Heat noticeable on the nose even after it sits with a bit of ice, with hints of dried fruit and caramel/toffee. The richness of those sweeter elements becomes more pronounced on the palate alongside the velvety smoothness of the sherry to combat the rising heat. Interesting conflicting balance. Finish is fairly short and hot, with a nondescript spiciness. Flash fire; brûléed dessert.

I keep seeing this one discussed on various chat boards and forums. For $60 its reputed to hit far above its price point. I walked into my local Costco on the right day, they had a skid of cases just opened. The worker there said he expected them all to be gone in 24 hours, it's a hot ticket. I grabbed one immediately (had to hold back from getting 2, I'm impulsive that way) to put in my basket along with Kirkland 12 Year Blended scotch, which is part of my dig into affordable blends for cocktails. Reviews forthcoming. This expression was tasted neat, on a single large cube, and in a Rob Roy. For comparison I did a side-by-side with Aberlour 16. On the nose the Kirkland is sweet, fruity and a bit tropical with notes of coconut, apples, and pears. Ethanol is, thankfully, absent or nearly so. This smells to me like a soft, sweet Macallan with the intensity turned down. The Aberlour is similar in its gentle demeanor. It is a bit mustier with an earthier note of clay, ripe orchard fruit, figs and vanilla bean. On the palate the Kirkland is drier than the nose suggests, but far from dry. Nice integration of sherry fruits, brandied cherry, ripe apples rides on a wave of breakfast cereal. The Aberlour is drier still, richer and earthier with notes of dark chocolate. If I may apply a metaphor, the Kirkland is between the stacks of the public library and the Aberlour is in the leather seating of a private library. Very much similar, yet meaningfully different experiences. There's no need to go into too much detail about the Rob Roy. Sufficient to say this single malt loves the play with a quality sweet vermouth. I used Cnia Mata Spanish Tinto Riservo, an excellent vermouth that has much of the strengths of both Punt e Mes and Antica, but with great balance and finesse. The Kirkland is really quite a nice cocktail whisky! As expected, ice dulls the nose, sweetens the flavors and dilutes much of what makes this so special. That said, the Kirkland 17 remains a sweet sipper that agrees with a drop of water or a cube of ice. Dealer's choice. At the end of the day, this is simply an excellent scotch whisky. It's satisfying in every way. One could wish for a bit more assertive character, perhaps clearer indications of its time in the barrel. But for the price, this is an easy recommendation. The Aberlour is about $100 local to me and loses decisively in the value equation. Costco, this is an impressive achievement. Yes, I should have bought two!

Go for it before it gets sold out, excellent choice for the price point