In 1778, the HMS Resolution, commanded by Captain James Cook, made landfall on the island of Kaua'i, the oldest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. Cook was the first European to visit the Hawaiian islands, and his sailors undoubtedly exhausted from a long and arduous journey are believed to have introduced the concept of rum to the Hawaiians. Within a few years, Hawaii's first successful sugar plantation was established near the town of Koloa on the island of Kaua'i. "In many ways, this is where it all began," says Robert Gunter, master distiller at Koloa Rum Corporation. Each Koloa Rum is made exclusively from raw sugar cane crystals, which are grown on the island of Kaua'i. The island's rich, volcanic soil, along with its temperate climate, produce naturally flavorful and dense sugar cane. In addition, unlike most distilleries which use molasses in order to produce rum, Gunter only uses raw sugar cane crystals, which contain naturally higher concentrations of sucrose and minerals. "It just creates a better rum," says Gunter. After purchasing the sugar crystals from the Gay & Robinson Sugar Plantation (situated on the western part of the island), Gunter ferments the sugar using a proprietary strain of yeast he sourced from Guadeloupe, an island in the French Caribbean. "Never underestimate the importance of yeast in producing a quality rum." Following fermentation, the wash is twice-distilled through Koloa Rum's vintage, 1210-gallon, hybrid copper pot and column still. The still, which was originally manufactured in Pennsylvania shortly after World War II, was previously used to distill bourbon in Kentucky. During distillation, Gunter forces the alcohol vapors to pass through the column's seven plates. As the alcohol vapor rises, it is stripped of impurities and becomes more concentrated. In order to create Koloa Gold Rum, Gunter infuses the rum with carmalized sugar following distillation. Koloa Gold Rum has a vivid golden color, along with notes of sugar cane, candied apples, maple and vanilla that lead to a caramel finish. The rum earned the Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012 and at the International Rum Festival in 2013. In order to create Koloa Spice Rum, Gunter infuses the rum with carmalized sugar, natural vanilla and a proprietary blend of herbs and spices following distillation. Golden wheat in color, Koloa Spice Rum has hints of allspice, cinnamon and cake, and finishes with a touch vanilla. The rum earned the Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012, and the Bronze Medal at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival in 2011. In order to create Koloa Dark Rum, Gunter infuses the rum with a completely unique set of herbs and spices, which gives the rum its signature deep mahogany color, and contribues notes of crme br?le, vanilla and caramelized oranges to the rum. Koloa Dark Rum earned the Gold Medal at the Miami Rum Renissance Festival in 2011, where it was named "Best in Class." Once each rum has been infused with the requisite ingredients, Gunter brings the rum to proof using water sourced from Mt. Waialeale, one of the wettest spots on earth. "The water is captured during rainfall and is slowly filtered through layers of volcanic strata before reaching these vast, underground aquifers," says Gunter. "That's what adds the unique taste and mouthfeel to our rum." Once the rum is brought to proof, each bottle is filled and labeled by hand. 

In 1778, the HMS Resolution, commanded by Captain James Cook, made landfall on the island of Kaua'i, the oldest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. Cook was the first European to visit the Hawaiian islands, and his sailors undoubtedly exhausted from a long and arduous journey are believed to have introduced the concept of rum to the Hawaiians. Within a few years, Hawaii's first successful sugar plantation was established near the town of Koloa on the island of Kaua'i. "In many ways, this is where it all began," says Robert Gunter, master distiller at Koloa Rum Corporation. Each Koloa Rum is made exclusively from raw sugar cane crystals, which are grown on the island of Kaua'i. The island's rich, volcanic soil, along with its temperate climate, produce naturally flavorful and dense sugar cane. In addition, unlike most distilleries which use molasses in order to produce rum, Gunter only uses raw sugar cane crystals, which contain naturally higher concentrations of sucrose and minerals. "It just creates a better rum," says Gunter. After purchasing the sugar crystals from the Gay & Robinson Sugar Plantation (situated on the western part of the island), Gunter ferments the sugar using a proprietary strain of yeast he sourced from Guadeloupe, an island in the French Caribbean. "Never underestimate the importance of yeast in producing a quality rum." Following fermentation, the wash is twice-distilled through Koloa Rum's vintage, 1210-gallon, hybrid copper pot and column still. The still, which was originally manufactured in Pennsylvania shortly after World War II, was previously used to distill bourbon in Kentucky. During distillation, Gunter forces the alcohol vapors to pass through the column's seven plates. As the alcohol vapor rises, it is stripped of impurities and becomes more concentrated. In order to create Koloa Spice Rum, Gunter infuses the rum with carmalized sugar, natural vanilla and a proprietary blend of herbs and spices following distillation. Golden wheat in color, Koloa Spice Rum has hints of allspice, cinnamon and cake, and finishes with a touch vanilla. The rum earned the Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012, and the Bronze Medal at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival in 2011. Once each rum has been infused with the requisite ingredients, Gunter brings the rum to proof using water sourced from Mt. Waialeale, one of the wettest spots on earth. "The water is captured during rainfall and is slowly filtered through layers of volcanic strata before reaching these vast, underground aquifers," says Gunter. "That's what adds the unique taste and mouthfeel to our rum." Once the rum is brought to proof, each bottle is filled and labeled by hand.

Info
Distilled, blended and bottled by Kōloa Rum Company Kalaheo, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, 40% ABV/80 Proof.

Kōloa Gold Rum is made from pure cane sugar, distilled in an impressive vintage 1,210 gallon, steam-powered copper pot still and cut with filtered water from the ancient Mount Waiʻaleʻale.

The rum is distilled 2 times at 160 – 180 ABV.

Appearance
A vibrant, golden hued rum with a wonderful and surprisingly deep viscosity on the glass. Shimmering, light golden legs run slowly and deliberately down the inside of the glass.

Nose
Initially starts off a rich caramel with wafts of butter toffee, light hints of amaretto and freshly roasted macadamia nuts.

Taste and Finish
This soft, candy-like gold rum presents itself boldly with no pretenses other than being a good-tasting gold rum. The mouth feel is viscous with an upfront caramel blast that finishes with vanilla, light macadamia nut brittle and toasted almond.

Info
Distilled, blended and bottled by Kōloa Rum Company Kalaheo, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, 40% ABV/80 Proof.

Kōloa Gold Rum is made from pure cane sugar, distilled in an impressive vintage 1,210 gallon, steam-powered copper pot still and cut with filtered water from the ancient Mount Waiʻaleʻale.

The rum is distilled 2 times at 160 – 180 ABV.

Appearance
A vibrant, golden hued rum with a wonderful and surprisingly deep viscosity on the glass. Shimmering, light golden legs run slowly and deliberately down the inside of the glass.

Nose
Initially starts off a rich caramel with wafts of butter toffee, light hints of amaretto and freshly roasted macadamia nuts.

Taste and Finish
This soft, candy-like gold rum presents itself boldly with no pretenses other than being a good-tasting gold rum. The mouth feel is viscous with an upfront caramel blast that finishes with vanilla, light macadamia nut brittle and toasted almond.

About the Brand

Since our first batch of rum was bottled and distilled in September 2009, the Kōloa Rum Company has been bringing The Spirit of Aloha to the world.

To produce Kōloa Rum, we first start with pristine rainwater from Mount Waiʻaleʻale and the nearby mountain peaks and rainforests that filtered through volcanic strata into vast underground aquifers. Our rums only use pure “tall cane” sugarcane, locally sourced coffee, chocolate and ingredients to develop authentic flavors of the spirits we produce.

Using these unique, authentic ingredients, our premium Hawaiian rums are twice-distilled, blended, bottled, and shipped directly from the distillery in Kalaheo, on the south side of the beautiful Garden Isle of Kauaʻi. The Kōloa Rum Distillery Team is proud to produce and ship across the U.S. mainland, Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Japan and Western Canada. Our rums are distilled in single batches using our vintage (circa 1947) 1,210-gallon copper-pot still, with a copper column and condenser. During the second distillation, the distillate is collected in three sections – heads, heart, and tails. Kōloa Rum uses only the heart of the batch.

Our unique distillation process and quality ingredients used combine to provide the smooth, clean and polished flavor and aroma characteristics that distinguishes Kōloa Rum from most others.

Info
Distilled, blended and bottled by Kōloa Rum Company Kalaheo, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, 40% ABV/80 Proof.

Kōloa Dark Rum is made from pure cane sugar, distilled in an impressive vintage 1,210 gallon, steam-powered copper pot still and cut with filtered water from the ancient Mount Waiʻaleʻale.

The rum is distilled 2 times at 160 – 180 ABV.

Appearance
This dark rum is a genuinely deep chocolate brown that rolls with a cloying viscosity around the glass, developing into thick, slowly rolling light black coffee colored legs.

Nose
Kōloa Dark Rum has a robustly vanilla nose that envelopes the perimeter of the glass, upon further and closer whiffs of this aromatic vanilla behemoth subtler notes of dark semi-sweet chocolate, fresh brewed espresso and chocolate cupcakes arrive to round out the olfactory experience.

Taste and Finish
This vanilla-driven dark rum sings from the nose to the glass exactly. It presents itself with robust flavors of vanilla, dark semi-sweet chocolate and lightly finishes with espresso, all encompassed within a dry, highly flavorful dark rum.

RECENT AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Hawaii Rum Distillery of the Year — New York International Spirits Competition – 2020

The 14 Best Rums to Drink – June 2020 Liquor.com

The 14 Best Bottles of Rum You Can Buy — Gear Patrol – February 2020

Koloa Rum is a single-batch, craft distiller and bottler that handcrafts their rums from the finest quality sugarcane and the pure, abundant waters of Kauai, Hawaii. Koloa sources their water from the crisp rainwaters of Mount Waialeale. The nearby mountain peaks and rainforests capture the rainfall as it slowly filters through volcanic strata before reaching a vast underground aquifer. This incredibly pure Kauai water imparts its own unique taste and mouth feel that perfectly complements Koloa's rum. This, combined with the tall cane sugarcane, results in a truly unique and delicious Kauai White, Gold, Dark, Spice and Coconut and Coffee Rum, as well as ready-to-drink Mai Tai, Rum Punch and Pineapple Passion products. Koloa Coconut Rum is crafted from raw Cane Sugar mash, twice distilled at 160 180 ABV in an impressive vintage 1210 gallon steam powered copper pot still and cut with filtered water from the ancient Mount Waialeale.

In 1778, the HMS Resolution, commanded by Captain James Cook, made landfall on the island of Kaua'i, the oldest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. Cook was the first European to visit the Hawaiian islands, and his sailors undoubtedly exhausted from a long and arduous journey are believed to have introduced the concept of rum to the Hawaiians. Within a few years, Hawaii's first successful sugar plantation was established near the town of Koloa on the island of Kaua'i. "In many ways, this is where it all began," says Robert Gunter, master distiller at Koloa Rum Corporation. Koloa Rum is a single-batch craft distiller and bottler that handcrafts their rums from the finest quality sugarcane and the pure, abundant waters of Kauai, Hawaii. Koloa sources their water from the crisp rainwaters of Mount Waialeale. The nearby mountain peaks and rainforests capture the rainfall as it slowly filters through volcanic strata before reaching a vast underground aquifer. This incredibly pure Kauai water imparts its own unique taste and mouthfeel that perfectly complements Koloa's rum. Combined with the indigenous tall cane sugarcane, this results in a truly unique and delicious Kauai White, Gold, Dark, Spice and Coconut, and Coffee Rum, as well as ready-to-drink Mai Tai, Pineapple Passion, and Rum Punch products. The Original Koloa Hawaiian Rum Punch, therefore, comes with a respectable pedigree. This ready-made cocktail is as delicious as it is convenient and is based on the Koloa Kauai White Rum. The addition of essences of oranges, tropical passion fruit, guava puree, and pure Hawaiian cane sugar make for an incredibly light cocktail, perfect as a summertime refreshment. Everything you need to do is add ice and enjoy.

Since our first batch of rum was bottled and distilled in September 2009, the Kōloa Rum Company has been bringing The Spirit of Aloha to the world.

To produce Kōloa Rum, we first start with pristine rainwater from Mount Waiʻaleʻale and the nearby mountain peaks and rainforests that filtered through volcanic strata into vast underground aquifers. Our rums only use pure “tall cane” sugarcane, locally sourced coffee, chocolate and ingredients to develop authentic flavors of the spirits we produce.

Using these unique, authentic ingredients, our premium Hawaiian rums are twice-distilled, blended, bottled, and shipped directly from the distillery in Kalaheo, on the south side of the beautiful Garden Isle of Kauaʻi. The Kōloa Rum Distillery Team is proud to produce and ship across the U.S. mainland, Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Japan and Western Canada. Our rums are distilled in single batches using our vintage (circa 1947) 1,210-gallon copper-pot still, with a copper column and condenser. During the second distillation, the distillate is collected in three sections – heads, heart, and tails. Kōloa Rum uses only the heart of the batch.

Our unique distillation process and quality ingredients used combined to provide the smooth, clean and polished flavor and aroma characteristics that distinguishes Kōloa Rum from most others.