Costco Wholesale Collection Tequila Has Been Spotted In Stores

Costco has a well-earned reputation for amazing deals on food, but members also know that the discount warehouse is a great place to grab booze. The best-known deals come from the store's in-house brand Kirkland, which is priced at bargain rates despite being made by the same distilleries as Jim Beam and Macallan. Costco also sells plenty of popular brands beyond its Kirkland offerings, and sometimes that means premium products at steep discounts. The bottles sold can vary by store, but as the stalwart fans frequently discover, sometimes Costco scores a really unique bottle.

As spotted on Reddit, a Costco in San Francisco is stocking bottles of Código 1530 Añejo barrel strength tequila, labeled as limited edition and part of the Costco Wholesale Collection, and retailing at $125.88. This brand labeling is a new development for Costco, as most liquors sold at the store are in normal bottles and not sold as direct partnerships. It's hard to parse how widespread this release will be, but in a statement to Tasting Table, a Código 1530 Tequila spokesperson has confirmed that it partnered with Costco to create a custom-selected bottling of its barrel strength añejo.

"Código 1530 Tequila continues its traditions with its popular single barrel program offering a unique barrel aged product that allows for customization of the bottle. When purchased through a licensed liquor entity, our program is available for private customers, restaurants and retail stores. We were thrilled to partner on the Costco Wholesale Collection, a custom selected bottling of our Añejo Barrel Strength expression," they stated.

While this Costco-branded tequila is a new type of offering, Código itself is an established brand in the premium tequila world. While it's hard to say exactly what the Costco bottles will taste like, because the nature of small batch liquors can change with each barrel, Código describes its 1530 Añejo barrel strength collection as having a unique smoothness, with tastes of caramelized vanilla and dark chocolate, and a toasted oak aroma. Being an añejo tequila, it's a longer-aged spirit, spending two years in French White Oak Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels. It also has no flavors, colorings, or other additives, and is bottled at 88 proof. At online retailers, it can go for around $160 or more, so the Costco price looks like a pretty great deal, which isn't a surprise.

Given the high price point and quality, this is definitely a sipping tequila for those who really love the spirit, but Costco has made it a little more accessible for people who might want to give a premium spirit a try. It will be interesting to see if this is a one-off, or if the Costco Wholesale Collection rolls out more branded collaborations like this.