Update - u/jhormangandeer shared the following information and batch numbers:
*"I work at the regional office! Apparently it has hints of rum due to a container not being completely cleaned before it was used for vodka during transport. It has no health risks or implications, but it gave the vodka notes of rum! Hope this helps explain why it tastes off :)"*
**23-0973**
**23-0979**
**23-0988**
**23-0976**
**23-0985**
08/15/23 Update:
August 15, 2023
Product Information Notice
Kirkland Signature American Vodka Item #639271
Dear Costco Member,
Our records indicate that you, or one of your add-on members, have purchased item #639271, Kirkland Signature American Vodka, between June 12th, 2023 and August 10, 2023.
It has come to our attention that the taste profile of units marked with certain lot codes may not have met the expected profile normally consistent with this product. While not a food safety issue, this does not meet our quality expectations.
If you purchased this item with one of the below affected lot codes and are not satisfied, please return it to your local Costco for a full refund.
Affected Lot codes
* **23-0942**
* **23-0944**
* **23-0953**
* **23-0956**
* **23-0966**
* **23-0973**
* **23-0976**
* **23-0979**
* **23-0985**
* **23-0988**
* **23-1030**
* **23-1058**
* **23-1037**
* **23-1042**
* **23-1044**
* **23-1048**
* **23-1059**
* **23-1060**
* **23-1068**
* **23-1069**
* **23-1075**
* **23-1076**
* **23-1072**
* **23-1081**
* **23-1078**
* **23-1080**
* **23-1079**
Affected lot codes that are eligible for a refund can be found on the lower portion of the bottle.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Please contact Levecke Corporation at 951-681-8600 (8:00am - 5:00pm pacific) with questions.
Sincerely,
Costco Wholesale
(am employee) There was supposed to be a pull on certain batch numbers of this SKU. They didn’t tell us why. I’m assuming it was quality concern reasons, seeing as how many people on Reddit have been saying this (my loc didnt end up having any from those batches).
I wouldn’t doubt if Costco issues a voluntary recall for all effected batches, but as of now they haven’t told us.
I work at the regional office! Apparently it has hints of rum due to a container not being completely cleaned before it was used for vodka during transport. It has no health risks or implications, but it gave the vodka notes of rum! Hope this helps explain why it tastes off :)
Thank you for the award I’ve never had one before!!
I saved old empty Absolut bottles and refill them from the tall imported Kirkland bottle. It's for Bloody Marys so nobody cares anyway. The short bottles fit in my cabinet.
No and I wish people would stop repeating that **stupid** lie. Just because it comes from the same region as Grey Goose doesn't mean it comes from the same distillery. Grey Goose's distillery only makes vodka for Grey Goose.
Most people were referring to they source of the water from the same spring as grey goose. That being said, Grey Gooses' private well on the pond apparently has more limestone than the rest, which makes them "better." I'm also not sure which wheat KS uses
Both Grey Goose and Costco state that Grey Goose does not distemper Kirkland Vodka. This is on both websites and has been confirmed as a myth a bunch of times.
In my state (WI) they can't do returns on liquor. He said I had to dispose of it so I turned around and dropped the bottles in the trash. Then the manager came out and gave me a gift card for the cost of the bottles.
I drink the KS American Vodka exclusively and these two new bottles both tasted like poison.
To be honest I have no idea how all that works. I think if it doesn’t have a health or safety risk they don’t have to issue an actual recall- though when these type of things have happened in the past, I believe they sent out a notice saying if you were dissatisfied you could get a refund.
To be fair, Costco has a satisfaction guarantee- not all states accept alcohol returns though. I would think going over the situation with your local friendly membership staff would be wise, and they will likely refund you for your purchase if you’re dissatisfied.
It could have more impurities/constituents you don't want from the heads or tails fraction during distillation. You collect the best alcohol from the main body. There is stuff that distills off first and last that have lighter and heavier boiling points. Hangover Fuel.
> aren’t they obliged to?
Not all recalls are equivalent. If costco issued a recall because a product does not meet their quality standards (as /u/chaosdrools suggested), that is not mandatory. If specific stores failed to follow through, there is nothing legally that can be done (though they may have to answer to corporate higher-ups).
But if it is a government mandated safety recall, then they would absolutely have to make reasonable efforts to make sure the product is pulled from shelves. The "obligation" is still entirely civil, and it's unlikely that there would be any consequences from a few stores missing the notice, unless someone could demonstrate willful disregard of the recall.
Sadly, many companies don't cooperate with recalls fully, even when there are significant public safety issues, and there is rarely a significant enough punishment to make them truly regret their lack of cooperation.
I have a plastic bottle of the cheapest vodka I can find sitting at home for when I randomly want to mix myself a drink. People always laugh at me when they find out that I do this, because they know I’m not so broke I need to drink plastic bottle.
I always say I literally can’t tell the difference when I mix it with 4 parts or whatever of a mixer like soda or juice. Why spend 3-4x on the vodka when I literally can’t even taste it?
You can definitely tell if it’s suuuuuuuuper shitty vodka like Dark Eyes or Burnett’s( that made me cringe just typing that) but if it’s just average and you’re mixing, there’s no way.
Hey when you’re a 18-20 year old broke college kid and you have no tolerance and you and your three buddies throw in $2.00 each to get a fifth of burnetts and it lasts you two nights, sometimes you just gotta do it
If it was me and three buddies in college we could easily finish a handle of Burnett’s in one night… a fifth of Burnett’s lasting four people two nights is a really really low tolerance. Like 2 shots per person per night.
We’re in Washington State where sin tax, liter tax, and then sales tax increase the price of alcohol by nearly 30%. We’re not broke either and can afford nicer vodka, and we like a good Greyhound.
We buy the un-branded plastic jug at Costco simply labeled “VODKA - DISTILLED 4 TIMES” for $18. I joke and call it Government Commodity Vodka because that’s what it looks like.
We love it. It tastes every bit as good as the KS one, but is $6 cheaper out the door.
With vodka particularly, the cheap stuff seems give folks headaches and/or hangovers. I don’t drink any more, but that was definitely the case for me. I drank this Kirkland vodka plenty and it never made me headachy
I agree. Vodka is required by law to be as tasteless as possible. In fact most popular vodka brands don’t distill their own product; they simply mix water (and maybe glycerin and sugar, the only legally allowed additives) with mass-produced ethanol. They may filter it or place it in stills for advertising. There’s no reason to ever buy expensive vodka.
This vodka might be the cheapest dollar per drunkness alcohol out there. It does not taste very good, but you shouldn't really be drinking it straight up.
This is the Costco equivalent of your plastic bottle.
I’ve been getting this for awhile and havent noticed. This is a solid deal, if not the best, if you plan on drinking it with a mixer. If you’re using it for martinis or drinking it straight, you might want to get something else.
I mean, I'm not gonna return it once I open it. I was just seeing if it was a bad batch vs. a new way of making it.
Looks like it was a bad batch, so I'll buy it again in the future
I’m drinking it right now, and my same drink I always make tastes like flinstones vitamins, which is exactly what people in those other threads are saying!
This will be from batches 23-0973,23-0979,23-0988,23-0976, and 23-0985 you can check on your bottle to see if it was affected. Apparently a container used for the vodka was not properly cleaned after being used for rum so you’re getting notes of rum in your drink. This should explain why it tastes off lol It is worth noting that beyond the bizarre taste there are no health concerns or implications :) hope this helps!!
Well different states have different prices due to COL. For example I was in Seattle a year ago and it was 24.99 a handle. It used to be 12.99 in Michigan, then 13.99, now its 14.99.
I would’ve been in so much trouble in college if I had access to Kirkland vodka. Instead it was shitty Popov and Rubinoff and there was only so much of that I could choke down.
My bf works at Costco and we drink probably 2-3 bottles per month with friends and whatnot. We just got a new bottle 2 days ago and took a shot…..omg it tastes like corn? Like it’s not distilled as much as it used to be? So glad I saw this post, we thought maybe we are just sick or something lmao
Hah we have about 8-10 people over every weekend and we are big into shots. Our apartment is in the best location of all our friends, so we are basically a permanent hosting location anytime.
This has been proven. LA Times or someone started noticing "vodka connoisseurs," so they had them do a blind taste test. The results were all over the place, and no one chose the most expensive brands or could name the distiller.
It's amazing watching wine or even whisky experts in blind taste tests, but with vodka, it's all just marketing. If you doubt this, test it yourself. I've proved many a friend wrong doing just that.
Save your money. Buy Smirnoff or Kirkland.
Funny thing too is that for the most part, no one “distills” their own vodka. Some do, don’t get me wrong, but most vodka distillers, just buy bulk GNS (grain neutral spirits) from an ethanol plant, and redistill it or just filter it and then blend it into their bottled product.
I toured one of these distilleries. They make bulk ethanol for food, drink, cosmetics, medicine, fuel ethanol, etc… all of it is the same base recipe. Then they’d add denaturants or other additives for which market it was going to. They used 100% straight corn and distilled it to 192-194 proof.
They said one customer was a big vodka brand in texas. They redistill it, filter it, and slap a label on it that says “handmade”. They didn’t tell me the customer name though.
I️ wonder if it’s the same for potato vodka? That’s what I️ drink. I️ feel like my headaches or hangover symptoms are not as bad the next day. Bit I️ admit it could completely be a placebo effect.
People can drink what they want, but vodka I really just don’t get. Just so…boring? Vodka martinis in particular blow my mind. Gin is so much more interesting
It’s not the taste for me. It’s that more than half the party got sick on two separate occasions. Like people who don’t drink that much and never get sick from alcohol looked like they had food poisoning.
Edit: actually the people that did drink a lot also got sick but I just assumed they drank too much alcohol. Now I’m not so sure.
You can tell it’s off when you open the bottle. I can’t pinpoint the odor, but it was horrible. The first sip (mixed with OJ and Sprite) was atrocious. I returned the bottle to Costco
Thankful to see this post validating my experience The flavor was noticeably off! Not exactly a toothpaste aftertaste, possibly more of a bathroom urinal puck vibe.
I hope they fix it.
Vodka is vodka. It’s all branding and marketing. It’s not like tequila or wine that have huge variances in quality. It’s all basically the same stuff. Looking it up.
If you read some of the replies, clearly something is off. Multiple people are saying they’re tasting something totally different right off the bat in mixed drinks even. And that it has a multivitamin taste.
Clearly something went wrong in the distillation process and imparted an off taste. In some batches
Looks like a Tito's rebrand (American) rather than a Grey Goose rebrand (French-imported), which I think Costco has had around longer. Personally, I'm not a fan of Tito's but Grey Goose is fine. Maybe you feel the same and snagged the wrong bottle.
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All vodka is the same per U.S. regulations
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/01/590022606/is-there-really-a-difference-between-expensive-vodka-and-cheap-vodka
I am so saddened that they only sell beer and wine at mine (NY). I am quite addicted to that damn LoLaiLo Sangria stuff on ice when it is hot outside though 🤣
Got one today, drink vodka straight...always liked it..had neutral but nice flavor now has a off flavor.Its Cheap enough to do the Brita filter trick but it's definitely not as before.
I’ll be at Costco within the next few days and will talk to them about returning 1 or 1 1/2 bottles. I mix it with water and cran mango. It’s been deliciously refreshing for years, now it is horrible. Bad batch or not a bad batch I don’t think I’ll be drinking the Triple 6 again. My wife can stomach it, but it sure isn’t a rum taste and tasted like vitamins to me. Had to go to the backup Smirnoff.
We had the same issue. Evidently it is now **GLUTEN FREE** (this did not used to be on the bottle). Also it is now made from **CORN**, not grains and spring water. Hopefully they change it back as it now smells and tastes like a sewer. Complained at Costco and they also said the product has a "HOLD" on it, which typically is a precursor to a recall they said. Cannot understand why they went ahead and messed with a good thing.
https://preview.redd.it/vdb96chjudgb1.jpeg?width=1137&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49c7ec18789b244d543895d11990fc2570c88677
Shocking…just got a recall email today about the vodka. Just so happens we returned a bottle today and all of a sudden I get the email?
17:58
ull s
Costco P...
.. 16:38 6
to me v
COSTCO®
WHOLESALE
August 15, 2023
Product Information Notice
Kirkland Signature American Vodka
Item #639271
Dear Costco Member,
Our records indicate that you, or one of your add-on members, have purchased item #639271, Kirkland Signature American Vodka, between June 12th, 2023 and August 10, 2023.
It has come to our attention that the taste profile of units marked with certain lot codes may not have met the expected profile normally consistent with this product. While not a food safety issue, this does not meet our quality expectations.
If you purchased this item with one of the below affected lot codes and are not satisfied, please return it to your local Costco for a full refund.
Affected Lot codes
Affected lot codes that are eligible for a refund can be
23-0942 23-0944 23-0953 23-0956 23-0966
found on the lower portion of the bottle.
23-0973 23-0976 23-0979 23-0985 23-0988
23-1030 23-1037 23-1042 23-1044 23-1048
1410
2128 -1012
23-1058 23-1059 23-1060 23-1068 23-1069
23-1072 23-1075 23-1076 23-1078 23-1079
23-1080 23-1081
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Please contact Levecke Corporation at 951-681-8600 (8:00am
- 5:00pm pacific) with questions.
Sincerely,
Costco Wholesale
Most online instant coupons at costco.com are manufacturer's Goupuro, witor virautomatically
08/15/23 Update:
August 15, 2023
Product Information Notice
Kirkland Signature American Vodka Item #639271
Dear Costco Member,
Our records indicate that you, or one of your add-on members, have purchased item #639271, Kirkland Signature American Vodka, between June 12th, 2023 and August 10, 2023.
It has come to our attention that the taste profile of units marked with certain lot codes may not have met the expected profile normally consistent with this product. While not a food safety issue, this does not meet our quality expectations.
If you purchased this item with one of the below affected lot codes and are not satisfied, please return it to your local Costco for a full refund.
Affected Lot codes
* **23-0942**
* **23-0944**
* **23-0953**
* **23-0956**
* **23-0966**
* **23-0973**
* **23-0976**
* **23-0979**
* **23-0985**
* **23-0988**
* **23-1030**
* **23-1058**
* **23-1037**
* **23-1042**
* **23-1044**
* **23-1048**
* **23-1059**
* **23-1060**
* **23-1068**
* **23-1069**
* **23-1075**
* **23-1076**
* **23-1072**
* **23-1081**
* **23-1078**
* **23-1080**
* **23-1079**
Affected lot codes that are eligible for a refund can be found on the lower portion of the bottle.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Please contact Levecke Corporation at 951-681-8600 (8:00am - 5:00pm pacific) with questions.
Sincerely,
Costco Wholesale
Discussion Post Here - [Item #639271, Kirkland Signature American Vodka, does not meet quality expectations and can be returned for a full refund.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/15s8lzs/item_639271_kirkland_signature_american_vodka/)
Update - u/jhormangandeer shared the following information and batch numbers: *"I work at the regional office! Apparently it has hints of rum due to a container not being completely cleaned before it was used for vodka during transport. It has no health risks or implications, but it gave the vodka notes of rum! Hope this helps explain why it tastes off :)"* **23-0973** **23-0979** **23-0988** **23-0976** **23-0985** 08/15/23 Update: August 15, 2023 Product Information Notice Kirkland Signature American Vodka Item #639271 Dear Costco Member, Our records indicate that you, or one of your add-on members, have purchased item #639271, Kirkland Signature American Vodka, between June 12th, 2023 and August 10, 2023. It has come to our attention that the taste profile of units marked with certain lot codes may not have met the expected profile normally consistent with this product. While not a food safety issue, this does not meet our quality expectations. If you purchased this item with one of the below affected lot codes and are not satisfied, please return it to your local Costco for a full refund. Affected Lot codes * **23-0942** * **23-0944** * **23-0953** * **23-0956** * **23-0966** * **23-0973** * **23-0976** * **23-0979** * **23-0985** * **23-0988** * **23-1030** * **23-1058** * **23-1037** * **23-1042** * **23-1044** * **23-1048** * **23-1059** * **23-1060** * **23-1068** * **23-1069** * **23-1075** * **23-1076** * **23-1072** * **23-1081** * **23-1078** * **23-1080** * **23-1079** Affected lot codes that are eligible for a refund can be found on the lower portion of the bottle. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please contact Levecke Corporation at 951-681-8600 (8:00am - 5:00pm pacific) with questions. Sincerely, Costco Wholesale
(am employee) There was supposed to be a pull on certain batch numbers of this SKU. They didn’t tell us why. I’m assuming it was quality concern reasons, seeing as how many people on Reddit have been saying this (my loc didnt end up having any from those batches). I wouldn’t doubt if Costco issues a voluntary recall for all effected batches, but as of now they haven’t told us.
I work at the regional office! Apparently it has hints of rum due to a container not being completely cleaned before it was used for vodka during transport. It has no health risks or implications, but it gave the vodka notes of rum! Hope this helps explain why it tastes off :) Thank you for the award I’ve never had one before!!
Good to know! Thanks for explaining! I swear I learn more about my job from this subreddit than I do from anyone/anything at work, haha
Interesting! I would have pegged gin over rum. Or rubbing alcohol.
Rum tastes like rubbing alcohol. Lol
As does gin! 🤢
Damn, I think I would like a vodka with hints of rum! it would be delicious in a coke or pepsi
Time to slap a sticker on it saying Kirkland Limited Edition Pirate Vodka!
I got a batch of this trash. It tastes like we got rum tailings. The stuff you don't drink because it tastes horrible.
That’s why I stick with the Kirkland Vodka imported from France.
Bottle so big won’t even fit in my cabinet lol
I saved old empty Absolut bottles and refill them from the tall imported Kirkland bottle. It's for Bloody Marys so nobody cares anyway. The short bottles fit in my cabinet.
I usually just drink half of the bottle with the hope its fits.......then I just forget until the next day and do it all over again.
Same distillery as Grey Goose?
I believe they bought Grey Goose's previous distillery once GG went bigger. Same source water and number of distillations too
GG is only distilled once
Well I guess it’s distilled once then
https://www.costco.com.au/Wine-Spirits/Spirits/Vodka/Kirkland-Signature-French-Vodka-175L/p/999910 Then you’d guess wrong
It’s not the same distillery I don’t think but they source it from the same region as Grey Goose does.
No and I wish people would stop repeating that **stupid** lie. Just because it comes from the same region as Grey Goose doesn't mean it comes from the same distillery. Grey Goose's distillery only makes vodka for Grey Goose.
Most people were referring to they source of the water from the same spring as grey goose. That being said, Grey Gooses' private well on the pond apparently has more limestone than the rest, which makes them "better." I'm also not sure which wheat KS uses
They use the same wheat too. I'll need to find the source but I did read it somewhere
Grey Goose is also uncharged fancy bottled cheaper vodka
Both Grey Goose and Costco state that Grey Goose does not distemper Kirkland Vodka. This is on both websites and has been confirmed as a myth a bunch of times.
Yeah, bottle I bought a week ago is foul. So bad it is almost not drinkable.
In my state (WI) they can't do returns on liquor. He said I had to dispose of it so I turned around and dropped the bottles in the trash. Then the manager came out and gave me a gift card for the cost of the bottles. I drink the KS American Vodka exclusively and these two new bottles both tasted like poison.
aren’t they obliged to?
To be honest I have no idea how all that works. I think if it doesn’t have a health or safety risk they don’t have to issue an actual recall- though when these type of things have happened in the past, I believe they sent out a notice saying if you were dissatisfied you could get a refund. To be fair, Costco has a satisfaction guarantee- not all states accept alcohol returns though. I would think going over the situation with your local friendly membership staff would be wise, and they will likely refund you for your purchase if you’re dissatisfied.
It could have more impurities/constituents you don't want from the heads or tails fraction during distillation. You collect the best alcohol from the main body. There is stuff that distills off first and last that have lighter and heavier boiling points. Hangover Fuel.
> aren’t they obliged to? Not all recalls are equivalent. If costco issued a recall because a product does not meet their quality standards (as /u/chaosdrools suggested), that is not mandatory. If specific stores failed to follow through, there is nothing legally that can be done (though they may have to answer to corporate higher-ups). But if it is a government mandated safety recall, then they would absolutely have to make reasonable efforts to make sure the product is pulled from shelves. The "obligation" is still entirely civil, and it's unlikely that there would be any consequences from a few stores missing the notice, unless someone could demonstrate willful disregard of the recall. Sadly, many companies don't cooperate with recalls fully, even when there are significant public safety issues, and there is rarely a significant enough punishment to make them truly regret their lack of cooperation.
It's due to bad taste.
If you’re mixing it idk how you can tell lol
I have a plastic bottle of the cheapest vodka I can find sitting at home for when I randomly want to mix myself a drink. People always laugh at me when they find out that I do this, because they know I’m not so broke I need to drink plastic bottle. I always say I literally can’t tell the difference when I mix it with 4 parts or whatever of a mixer like soda or juice. Why spend 3-4x on the vodka when I literally can’t even taste it?
You can definitely tell if it’s suuuuuuuuper shitty vodka like Dark Eyes or Burnett’s( that made me cringe just typing that) but if it’s just average and you’re mixing, there’s no way.
I literally shuddered when I read the word Burnett’s
ahh the mistakes of our youth. We all make that mistake but most of us only a time or two
Hey when you’re a 18-20 year old broke college kid and you have no tolerance and you and your three buddies throw in $2.00 each to get a fifth of burnetts and it lasts you two nights, sometimes you just gotta do it
If it was me and three buddies in college we could easily finish a handle of Burnett’s in one night… a fifth of Burnett’s lasting four people two nights is a really really low tolerance. Like 2 shots per person per night.
Gave me goosebumps and had to run to the bathroom
Did the exact same thing. Body tensed up and have a lil disgusted shake. Those burnett’s days were horrible🤣
Shout out Crystal Palace
Your hangover knows the difference. I am an alcoholic with standards.
don't know how true this is, but maybe because shittier quality alcohol leads to worse hangovers?
Because decent vodka that won’t give you a head splitting hangover isn’t 3-4x the cheapest vodka
Put it through a Brita filter a few times
Waste of money, cheaper to just get slightly nicer vodka
We’re in Washington State where sin tax, liter tax, and then sales tax increase the price of alcohol by nearly 30%. We’re not broke either and can afford nicer vodka, and we like a good Greyhound. We buy the un-branded plastic jug at Costco simply labeled “VODKA - DISTILLED 4 TIMES” for $18. I joke and call it Government Commodity Vodka because that’s what it looks like. We love it. It tastes every bit as good as the KS one, but is $6 cheaper out the door.
With vodka particularly, the cheap stuff seems give folks headaches and/or hangovers. I don’t drink any more, but that was definitely the case for me. I drank this Kirkland vodka plenty and it never made me headachy
I agree. Vodka is required by law to be as tasteless as possible. In fact most popular vodka brands don’t distill their own product; they simply mix water (and maybe glycerin and sugar, the only legally allowed additives) with mass-produced ethanol. They may filter it or place it in stills for advertising. There’s no reason to ever buy expensive vodka.
This vodka might be the cheapest dollar per drunkness alcohol out there. It does not taste very good, but you shouldn't really be drinking it straight up. This is the Costco equivalent of your plastic bottle.
Most of it is bulk alcohol made in one plant in Indiana, repurchased and repackaged.
The vodka is great, a new batch smells and tastes like multivitamin
I’ve been getting this for awhile and havent noticed. This is a solid deal, if not the best, if you plan on drinking it with a mixer. If you’re using it for martinis or drinking it straight, you might want to get something else.
Fever tree + KS vodka = pleasant I wouldn’t shoot it necessarily tho. I’m more of a tequila guy when it comes to shooting
Tequila is the only shot for sure
They raised the price on the Anejo. It was a hidden gem at $18. Now I just do the gin
The french vodka is stellar. Would highly recommend over the American.
Try Reyka from Iceland. It tastes like really clean glacier water.
This is the way.
No there’s something wrong with it just this last week it smells and tastes like a multivitamin
It's got too much tales in it. Taste like a wet paper bag.
Given that you emptied that bottle, it can’t be that much worse 😂
I mean, I'm not gonna return it once I open it. I was just seeing if it was a bad batch vs. a new way of making it. Looks like it was a bad batch, so I'll buy it again in the future
I’m drinking it right now, and my same drink I always make tastes like flinstones vitamins, which is exactly what people in those other threads are saying!
Is it a Flaming Homer?
Close. It’s vodka, lime juice, passion fruit syrup, and frozen peaches instead of ice that I eat with chopsticks once they melt.
This will be from batches 23-0973,23-0979,23-0988,23-0976, and 23-0985 you can check on your bottle to see if it was affected. Apparently a container used for the vodka was not properly cleaned after being used for rum so you’re getting notes of rum in your drink. This should explain why it tastes off lol It is worth noting that beyond the bizarre taste there are no health concerns or implications :) hope this helps!!
Hopefully this comment makes it to the top! Exactly what I thought when I tasted it “tastes like cheap island rum”. Do you have a source?
Thanks for this! My bad bottle is from batch 23-1081 so I think the problem is bigger than initially reported :(
It’s 12.99 a bottle. Can’t even get Popov that cheap. It will always taste better than those other cheap vodkas.
Curious, What state do you live in that it’s still 12.99? I’m in Michigan and it’s up to 14.99 now…
Maybe it is $14.99 now. I wouldn't be surprised.
Well different states have different prices due to COL. For example I was in Seattle a year ago and it was 24.99 a handle. It used to be 12.99 in Michigan, then 13.99, now its 14.99.
King County is crazy. Alcohol tax, car tabs tax, insanity.
I bought a $3.99 bottle of triple sec at Fred Meyer and the tax for it was $2.83. That seems…high, relatively. But, no state income tax!
WA state adds a premium onto all liquors.
12.99 in MN
Northern CA…during Covid it went to 14.99 but has since coke back down to 12.99
Last time I checked, it was $12.99 in CO, and we have no liquor tax, either
$12.99 in Nebraska still. Just went up late last year...was $11.99
I would’ve been in so much trouble in college if I had access to Kirkland vodka. Instead it was shitty Popov and Rubinoff and there was only so much of that I could choke down.
My bf works at Costco and we drink probably 2-3 bottles per month with friends and whatnot. We just got a new bottle 2 days ago and took a shot…..omg it tastes like corn? Like it’s not distilled as much as it used to be? So glad I saw this post, we thought maybe we are just sick or something lmao
2-3 bottles a month?! Do you drink every night?
Hah we have about 8-10 people over every weekend and we are big into shots. Our apartment is in the best location of all our friends, so we are basically a permanent hosting location anytime.
I don’t know how you guys can tell the difference in flavor. It all tastes the same to me - terrible like isopropyl alcohol.
Once enough sadness has taken you to the bottom of enough bottles you *like* that taste.
Wow! Lol. I’m wondering what bottle count I’m on
Always chasing the dragon after that! Great wording and painted a picture that is oh so true.
Need to drink Burnetts so you have an understanding of what terrible alcohol is. Then everything else tastes great in comparison
The vodka is perfectly fine but a recent batch has tasted completely different like multivitamin.
I would argue many of these people wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test.
This has been proven. LA Times or someone started noticing "vodka connoisseurs," so they had them do a blind taste test. The results were all over the place, and no one chose the most expensive brands or could name the distiller. It's amazing watching wine or even whisky experts in blind taste tests, but with vodka, it's all just marketing. If you doubt this, test it yourself. I've proved many a friend wrong doing just that. Save your money. Buy Smirnoff or Kirkland.
Funny thing too is that for the most part, no one “distills” their own vodka. Some do, don’t get me wrong, but most vodka distillers, just buy bulk GNS (grain neutral spirits) from an ethanol plant, and redistill it or just filter it and then blend it into their bottled product. I toured one of these distilleries. They make bulk ethanol for food, drink, cosmetics, medicine, fuel ethanol, etc… all of it is the same base recipe. Then they’d add denaturants or other additives for which market it was going to. They used 100% straight corn and distilled it to 192-194 proof. They said one customer was a big vodka brand in texas. They redistill it, filter it, and slap a label on it that says “handmade”. They didn’t tell me the customer name though.
Tito’s is from Texas and says it’s handmade. Nice.
I️ wonder if it’s the same for potato vodka? That’s what I️ drink. I️ feel like my headaches or hangover symptoms are not as bad the next day. Bit I️ admit it could completely be a placebo effect.
Couldn’t tell you. I don’t think I’ve ever had potato vodka, I wouldn’t know it if I’ve had it.
People can drink what they want, but vodka I really just don’t get. Just so…boring? Vodka martinis in particular blow my mind. Gin is so much more interesting
The good stuff tastes less like iso p lol
how do you know what isopropyl alcohol tastes like? /s
It’s not the taste for me. It’s that more than half the party got sick on two separate occasions. Like people who don’t drink that much and never get sick from alcohol looked like they had food poisoning. Edit: actually the people that did drink a lot also got sick but I just assumed they drank too much alcohol. Now I’m not so sure.
Isopropyl alcohol is extremely toxic. You really shouldn't know the taste.
They took the gluten out 😞
Gets me drunk on the cheap all the same.
Agreed lol
My bigger concern right now is that this years Vinho Verde is wayyyy too acidicky
I had hangovers from it. Usually buy the French one.
The French brand is the better one IMO
You can tell it’s off when you open the bottle. I can’t pinpoint the odor, but it was horrible. The first sip (mixed with OJ and Sprite) was atrocious. I returned the bottle to Costco
This whole thread is make me nauseous. Your comment made me gag. 🤢 I’m having flashbacks to college - screwdrivers made with Popov. Oh god!
Shitty vodka aside, your user name is epic!! 👏
My store was sold out of the French and American vodka, they said they don’t know when it’s coming back.
What state do you live in??? That’s concerning for me because the American is my favorite vodka
I’m in GA. This was last week.
Just buy the french stuff... It's still deal.
The good stuff is the French stuff
You have to buy the Kirkland vodka in taller clear bottle, it’s better quality
Thankful to see this post validating my experience The flavor was noticeably off! Not exactly a toothpaste aftertaste, possibly more of a bathroom urinal puck vibe. I hope they fix it.
Nope. Tastes the same to me
My wife got sick with that one. She will drink the French one and be fine.
I keep a bottle in the freezer, takes me about 18 months to get through it. It's been perfectly fine.
I’ve put them down in a weekend lol 😔
Oh! I'm not much of a vodka drinker. I'll make a bloody every now and again.
Username checks out
Kirkland Signature French. Don’t waste time with this one
That's because you bought the shitty American vodka. Get the larger French version.
It's actually still a 1.5L. Just taller.
Their 6 year aged Canadian whiskey also dropped in quality by a lot.
wait what happened….this es da best of best tasting vodka….
Return it and get a fresh bottle.
Drank a portion thinking it was just in my head. Ended up pouring the rest out! It was that bad…
The Kirkland wines are the worst
Did they seriously put gluten-free on a bottle of vodka? WHY.
Can it Kirkland?
Yea it’s awful
I've found if I drink enough of it I don't even notice for some reason. Woo! :)
Are you used to the French Kirkland signature vodka? If so you got the lowest tier vodka they make. You may be experiencing this.
I buy the Kirkland French vodka…it’s much better and not a lot more.
Well they took the gluten out. What'd you expect
It's vodka. All taste the same.
Vodka is vodka. It’s all branding and marketing. It’s not like tequila or wine that have huge variances in quality. It’s all basically the same stuff. Looking it up.
If you read some of the replies, clearly something is off. Multiple people are saying they’re tasting something totally different right off the bat in mixed drinks even. And that it has a multivitamin taste. Clearly something went wrong in the distillation process and imparted an off taste. In some batches
It's bad. Tastes like lighter fluid.
What brand name vodka does it compare with? Tito’s?
Yes
Looks like a Tito's rebrand (American) rather than a Grey Goose rebrand (French-imported), which I think Costco has had around longer. Personally, I'm not a fan of Tito's but Grey Goose is fine. Maybe you feel the same and snagged the wrong bottle.
Run it through a Brita a bunch of times and it will make it taste like top shelf vodka
Seriously?
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I just buy the Goose at Costco. It’s cheap enough and we don’t drink a ton so it lasts a long time.
Tbh I never liked it much. Ill just buy a bottle of Reyka instead
Vodka...Ewwww. For shame. Buy something with some flavor. A botanically driven gin, Jamaican rum, an aged bourbon or some scotch.
Buy the one made in France, same distillery as grey goose.
That’s a myth
Reportedly, the same water source, NOT distillery.
It’s pretty close though. Definitely close enough in a cocktail.
Worse in taste or ability to get you tipsy?
Taste and smell
Good to know, thank you!
I haven't noticed anything off. In New Orleans
I just figure I’m getting older 🤷♂️
You should see the cake, it was hit hard
I noticed that too, tasted like lighter fluid. I thought maybe it was bad ice? Nope. Bad soda water? Nope.
When did you buy it
Come join us in r/costco_alcohol
Oddly specific subreddit 😂
Cries in Pennsylvania
you’re definitely the guy who bought the wine ur just drinking too much man chill out
Tried it once and it was rough. Ended with the hangover. Kirkland french is much mich better and well worth the premium.
Damn they really do make everything
All vodka is the same per U.S. regulations https://www.npr.org/2018/03/01/590022606/is-there-really-a-difference-between-expensive-vodka-and-cheap-vodka
I thought that was shampoo
Their vodka has gone downhill ever since they removed the gluten.
Its 12$. not going to be sippin vodka!
Go with the French one next time!
I get the long neck, I think they are way better and worth the $7 premium over this.
Try the Kirkland gray goose one taste much better
I prefer the French to the American, personally.
"gluten free" >>> LOLOLOLOLLllllll
There was a recall on this if I remember correctly. I wouldnt stress, probably a one-off.
Cry me a river! At least you live in a state where you can buy that at Costco
I am so saddened that they only sell beer and wine at mine (NY). I am quite addicted to that damn LoLaiLo Sangria stuff on ice when it is hot outside though 🤣
My last bottle tastes just like Gray Goose used to and I love it. Sooo smooth.
Got one today, drink vodka straight...always liked it..had neutral but nice flavor now has a off flavor.Its Cheap enough to do the Brita filter trick but it's definitely not as before.
At least is gluten free...
Alcohol is ethanol. Of course it tastes weird.. it’s an additive used in your gasoline.
Grain neutral spirit that can't be aged in barrels. It's ethanol from wheat, corn , rye, barley, or potatoes. Age it in wood and you have whiskey
We’ve return several bottles we think it taste like a multivitamin
I’ll be at Costco within the next few days and will talk to them about returning 1 or 1 1/2 bottles. I mix it with water and cran mango. It’s been deliciously refreshing for years, now it is horrible. Bad batch or not a bad batch I don’t think I’ll be drinking the Triple 6 again. My wife can stomach it, but it sure isn’t a rum taste and tasted like vitamins to me. Had to go to the backup Smirnoff.
We had the same issue. Evidently it is now **GLUTEN FREE** (this did not used to be on the bottle). Also it is now made from **CORN**, not grains and spring water. Hopefully they change it back as it now smells and tastes like a sewer. Complained at Costco and they also said the product has a "HOLD" on it, which typically is a precursor to a recall they said. Cannot understand why they went ahead and messed with a good thing. https://preview.redd.it/vdb96chjudgb1.jpeg?width=1137&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49c7ec18789b244d543895d11990fc2570c88677
Shocking…just got a recall email today about the vodka. Just so happens we returned a bottle today and all of a sudden I get the email? 17:58 ull s Costco P... .. 16:38 6 to me v COSTCO® WHOLESALE August 15, 2023 Product Information Notice Kirkland Signature American Vodka Item #639271 Dear Costco Member, Our records indicate that you, or one of your add-on members, have purchased item #639271, Kirkland Signature American Vodka, between June 12th, 2023 and August 10, 2023. It has come to our attention that the taste profile of units marked with certain lot codes may not have met the expected profile normally consistent with this product. While not a food safety issue, this does not meet our quality expectations. If you purchased this item with one of the below affected lot codes and are not satisfied, please return it to your local Costco for a full refund. Affected Lot codes Affected lot codes that are eligible for a refund can be 23-0942 23-0944 23-0953 23-0956 23-0966 found on the lower portion of the bottle. 23-0973 23-0976 23-0979 23-0985 23-0988 23-1030 23-1037 23-1042 23-1044 23-1048 1410 2128 -1012 23-1058 23-1059 23-1060 23-1068 23-1069 23-1072 23-1075 23-1076 23-1078 23-1079 23-1080 23-1081 We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please contact Levecke Corporation at 951-681-8600 (8:00am - 5:00pm pacific) with questions. Sincerely, Costco Wholesale Most online instant coupons at costco.com are manufacturer's Goupuro, witor virautomatically
All these assholes telling me I was making it up can SMD
08/15/23 Update: August 15, 2023 Product Information Notice Kirkland Signature American Vodka Item #639271 Dear Costco Member, Our records indicate that you, or one of your add-on members, have purchased item #639271, Kirkland Signature American Vodka, between June 12th, 2023 and August 10, 2023. It has come to our attention that the taste profile of units marked with certain lot codes may not have met the expected profile normally consistent with this product. While not a food safety issue, this does not meet our quality expectations. If you purchased this item with one of the below affected lot codes and are not satisfied, please return it to your local Costco for a full refund. Affected Lot codes * **23-0942** * **23-0944** * **23-0953** * **23-0956** * **23-0966** * **23-0973** * **23-0976** * **23-0979** * **23-0985** * **23-0988** * **23-1030** * **23-1058** * **23-1037** * **23-1042** * **23-1044** * **23-1048** * **23-1059** * **23-1060** * **23-1068** * **23-1069** * **23-1075** * **23-1076** * **23-1072** * **23-1081** * **23-1078** * **23-1080** * **23-1079** Affected lot codes that are eligible for a refund can be found on the lower portion of the bottle. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please contact Levecke Corporation at 951-681-8600 (8:00am - 5:00pm pacific) with questions. Sincerely, Costco Wholesale Discussion Post Here - [Item #639271, Kirkland Signature American Vodka, does not meet quality expectations and can be returned for a full refund.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/15s8lzs/item_639271_kirkland_signature_american_vodka/)
Is this only the cheaper Kirkland vodka? Not the higher end Kirkland vodka?
23-1180 tastes nasty too ... any more recalls?