A Limited Edition $20k Royal Salute Scotch Was Spotted At Costco

Costco is loved by its shoppers for the often shockingly low prices you can find on bulk purchases, but what you might not know is that, sometimes, the prices can surprise you in the other direction too. This isn't because some items are overpriced at Costco, it's because, every once in a while, your local store may score an order of some of the most luxurious products on the planet. Imagine loading up your cart with chicken breasts and olive oil before you stumble onto Costco's $2,000 tin of golden caviar. Sure, it's a party-sized tin, but you don't expect to see many four-figure prices in your discount warehouse. You can even stop by a Costco in California for rare wine, with many bottles exceeding the $30,000 mark. And now, one intrepid shopper has just stumbled on one the most expensive Scotches you'll ever see in their local Costco.

According to Reddit user WhilePrimary, who shared their find with the Costco Alcohol group, their local store in Scottsdale, Arizona is boasting a bottle of $20,000 Royal Salute Scotch. Obviously, this is no ordinary Scotch — it's been aged for 52 years, including 14-years in a single cask, and it comes in a handsome wooden container. Believe it or not, the price tag is actually true to Costco's thrifty nature as well, because other retailers are selling this Scotch for more than $30,000. Who knew 20 grand for a bottle of alcohol could be a good deal?

Royal Salute is a premium Scotch brand that was originally produced in 1953 to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It's owned and manufactured by Chivas Brothers, the company behind Chivas Regal, Ballantine's, the Glenlivet, and other high-end alcohol brands. Royal Salute's flagship bottle is the still-pricey but much more reasonable 21-year-old Scotch, which was the original blend created for Queen Elizabeth. 

Royal Salute is produced at Strathisla Distillery, the oldest continuously operated distillery in the Scottish Highlands. The 52-year-old Scotch is described as having a nose of plums, toffee apples, and dark chocolate-covered hazelnuts, while it tastes of sweet marmalade, cloves, ginger, pears, and licorice with a sweet, balanced finish. So why the sky-high price? Beside the extensive aging, only 106 bottles were ever produced, and only 20 made it to the U.S., with one of those bottles sitting in a Costco in Arizona.

What's amazing is that this isn't even the most expensive liquor ever spotted at a Costco. In 2019, a $30,000 bottle of Balvenie 50-year Scotch was found at a store in the Washington D.C. area, while another shopper once found a $27,000 bottle of Macallan. We don't know how many rare Scotch collectors are hanging out at Costco, but it's clear from these bottles that a love of great deals crosses class lines. And hey, maybe those notes of marmalade and cloves go great with a Costco hot dog?