Kirkland Signature Speyside 24 Year Single Malt (2021 Ed.)
Whisky : Kirkland Signature Speyside 24 Year Single Malt (2021 Ed.)
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 46%
Cask : Ex-Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry Finish
Age : 24 Years
Nose : Fruit, spice, and wood. Christmas Cake stuffed with fragrant cinnamon, ginger, and loads of sweet dried fruits gradually faded toward dark chocolate and varnished wood notes. Woody resin and curing oak dissipated only slightly with a few drops of water, which brought out leather and dried plums.
Palate : Medium-bodied with a notable tannic structure and notes of fruit, chocolate, and wood. Rum baba cake quickly came to mind, followed by dried figs, dates, and raisins. Bitter chocolate came on the mid-palate with woody resin, wood varnish, and antique furniture. Woody tannins carried into the finish with weathered oak and unsweetened vanilla.
Finish : Lingering notes of dark chocolate, vanilla, and oak.
Score : 4
Mental Image : Licking the Wooden Cake Batter Spoon
Notes : Costco strikes again! Another twenty-something Speyside single malt to herald the beginning of fall. This bottle reprised many of the same notes as prior editions and Alexander Murray has generally done well to maintain a consistent flavor profile. However, I thought this bottle was the first one that began to stray a bit from the core experience— though, in some respects, it reminded me of the 20 Year released in 2018. That bottle was also a bit less fruity than the others and with a much greater amount of tannic oaky notes.
I have no idea as to the origin of the whisky. I have guessed and felt good about my guesses in the past, but I am just not quite sure this time. In an interview a few years ago, Alexander Murray CEO Steve Lipp said that they sourced a lot of their whisky from distilleries with which most Americans would be unfamiliar, and name-dropped Glenrothes, Tomintoul, Glen Ord, and Craigellachie. Past bottles reminded me of Glenrothes, but some of those bitter chocolate and oak notes distracted from the spirit and left me unsure how to begin guessing on this one.
Overall, I thought this was a good bit oaky and with more bitter notes shining through than previous editions. It lacked the same malty richness that I thought made the other bottles interesting and enjoyable. Price was one mark in this bottle’s favor, especially as the price has continued to decrease since it peaked in 2019/2020. I found this bottle for $67, whereas some of the bottles from 2020 had hit as high as $85. So, for a twenty-something Speyside single malt, the price is attractive— but this was the first one where I just was not sure it was worth it, and the first I did not score a six.
