How Does Trader Joe's Keep Its Scotch Prices So Low? - Tasting Table

"If you're shopping in a state where grocery stores are allowed to sell liquor, you might even see Trader Joe's brand whisky on the shelves with a low price tag attached to it. So, how is it that a grocery chain can put proper, single-malt Scotch on the shelves for just $20 to $30 a bottle? The answer is similar to that of most of the deals you find in the store: A private label bottled by a non-distiller producer (NDP) in Scotland."

"Alexander Murray & Company is the NDP responsible for a number of the Scotch offerings found at Trader Joe's. NDPs are defined as companies bottling whisky that are not distilling it. In some cases that work is contracted out, while in other cases the NDP is simply buying mature whisky from other distilleries. These whiskies are then sometimes blended or finished in specialty casks to produce a unique product."

"Don't find yourself scoffing at the idea of buying a bottle sold by a company that did not itself distill the whisky. There is an exceptional amount of skill that goes into blending whisky, and NDPs can produce some truly outstanding product. In fact, the bourbon voted best in the world at 2025's International Wine and Spirit Competition came from an NDP."

"You shouldn't get your hopes too high with these Trader Joe's bottles. The grocery chain is likely not trying to win awards, so it isn't likely that the $20 bottle will be the best whisky you've ever tasted. Instead, what is likely happening is that Alexander Murray & Company is buying up small lots of Scotch whisky that other distilleries were for some reason unsatisfied with, and bottling it as a low-price product for Trader Joe's stores."

Trader Joe's sells single‑malt Scotch at unusually low prices, often in the $20–$30 range. Those bottles are private‑label whiskies bottled by Alexander Murray & Company, a non‑distiller producer (NDP) in Scotland. NDPs bottle whisky without owning the distillery; they either contract bottling work or purchase mature spirit from other distilleries. NDPs frequently blend or finish whiskies in specialty casks to create unique expressions. Skilled NDP blending can produce outstanding spirits — a bourbon produced by an NDP won top honors at the 2025 International Wine and Spirit Competition. Trader Joe's offerings are likely sourced from small lots other distilleries deemed unsatisfactory and sold affordably.

Read at Tasting Table