The Popular Brand That Makes Costco's Kirkland Signature Spiced Rum

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Spiced rum is a quintessential addition to any home bar, the perfect accompaniment to a cold Coke ... and, unexpectedly, pairs amazingly with chocolate. We love stocking our bar carts at Costco because the warehouse retailer carries great-quality spirits under its private label, Kirkland Signature, that are actually bottled by big-name distillers. The only real difference is the price. For example, Santa Lucia is the brand behind Costco's tequila, just like Distillerie de Gayant produces Kirkland vodka — and not Grey Goose, as rumors often attest. The company behind Costco's Signature Spiced Rum isn't much of a mystery, however. In fact, it's right on the label, where you can learn that Sazerac bottles the rum in Louisville, Kentucky.

Costco labeling its spiced rum so clearly is a newer development, since, as recently as 2022, there was rampant speculation about the provenance of the bottles. Any number of posts and blogs guessed that Cruzan or Captain Morgan were the manufacturers, owing to the fact that the rum came from St. Croix and liquor experts stated that it tasted similar to one or both of those rums. The truth that Costco's spiced rum was bottled by Sazerac came a bit out of left field. The company is American and privately owned, with its own rums including Black Magic, Parrot Bay, and Myer's. Users of social media site Reddit noted that, over a year ago, Costco's spiced rum had changed taste and appearance. It's possible that the 2022 guesses were correct, but that Costco switched its supplier to Sazerac somewhere along the way.

While a rum and Coke is the default cocktail for enjoying a vanilla-heavy spiced rum like Costco's, it's far from your only option. The great thing about spiced rum is that it's so full of character that very simple mixers produce drinks with big flavor. Switching up your soda component and mixing spiced rum with real ginger ale (a slice of lime is optional) produces a spicy-sweet thirst quencher that will have you reaching for another sip. Or maybe you'd prefer to grab your favorite root beer or cream soda for a pairing that's long on mellow, creamy sweetness, like a melted ice cream float with a decidedly adult twist. Likewise, a splash of pineapple juice in your iced spiced rum screams "tropical" and is perfect for savoring on a summer night. Spiking your lemonade or iced tea with spiced rum is another effortless way to cool down with a drink that goes down easy and tastes great.

For the amateur mixologist, you might be surprised how effortlessly Costco's spiced rum can tiptoe into classic cocktails in lieu of the traditional spirit and really elevate the end product. Try spiced rum in an espresso martini, a screwdriver, a frozen daiquiri, or even a classic tiki Mai Tai. Now that we know where the Kirkland Signature spiced rum comes from, we're all the more keen to experiment with its possibilities!