There’s a new character in the cast of award-winning rums produced by Koloa Rum Co., and this one seems poised to be a winner, too.
The Kalaheo distillery began offering Kauai Coconut Rum in August, and it is catching up to the traditional best seller, Kauai Dark Rum.
“It’s definitely, here in the tasting room, the best seller,” Jeanne Toulon, director of business and public relations, said during a recent tasting. “It’s very smooth.”
Smooth, indeed. The rum is perfect for sipping, with a warm bouquet and a full coconut flavor but not syrupy-sweet like some brands. I’m not generally a fan of flavored alcohol, but this one enchanted me with one sip. And if you aren’t a sipper, the coconut is robust enough to take almost any mixer to the next level.
Toulon recommended the Russian Rum Slinger (pour 1 1/2 ounces of Kauai Coconut Rum and 1 1/2 ounces of coffee liqueur over ice and top with half and half).
Tasting room “rum slinger” Roxanne Carvalho recommended a Koloa Breeze: Kauai Coconut mixed with pineapple juice and cranberry juice.
Kauai Coconut Rum was also incredibly delicious when simply added to POG. And it really brightened up a mug of strong coffee on a dark, rainy day. Suddenly, the storm clouds weren’t so ominous; after all, without rain, we wouldn’t have coconuts, right?
The best clue of Kauai Coconut’s popularity can be seen during the tastings, Toulon explained. People generally look interested as the rum slinger introduces them to the Koloa Rum lineup. They pay attention, nodding as they sample Kauai White and Dark, then make a mini mai tai using Kukui Brand mix.
They look a little more intrigued when tasting the Kauai Spice, a rich, fragrant rum, about which Carvalho quipped, “My boss calls this a sipper. I call it a kicker.”
But when folks taste the Kauai Coconut for the first time, they break out into smiles. Immediately. Just about everybody, every time.
“It makes ‘em happy,” Toulon said with a bright smile of her own.
Toulon is eager to see how Kauai Coconut fares in several upcoming national judging competitions. She’s optimistic, given its popularity and the rave reviews garnered so far, that it will be honored just as the four other rums have been. “We’re really excited,” she said.
The recent rum tasting was as educational as it was tasty. While pouring tiny samples of the various rums, Carvalho tied together the history of sugar cane in Hawaii with its impact on the ethnic populations, language and culture. It was a surprisingly comprehensive history lesson full of tradition, peppered with jokes and Pidgin, and it certainly gave that particular group of tourists a little more to take home than just an appreciation of the unique rum made on Kauai, using Kauai ingredients.
The free rum tastings are offered every half hour at the tasting room; check www.koloarum.com for hours.
Kauai Coconut Rum is available at Koloa Big Save, Princeville Foodland and Kapaa, Safeway in Kapaa, Hanalei Liquor, Sueoka’s, Kukuiula Store and Living Foods. A 10 percent kamaaina discount is offered on all sales at the company store on the grounds of the Kilohana Plantation, 3-2087 Kaumualii Highway in Lihue.
