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Kuleana Hokulei Rum
Kuleana Rum Works was founded in 2013 on the island of Hawai’i with the mission of creating rums and celebrating the richness of Hawaiian culture. The company grows 40 varieties of heirloom sugarcane on their farm in Kohala and uses it to make fresh juice for their fermentation process. The company also focuses on operating with zero waste, using crushed cane for mulch, compost, and cattle feed, and utilizing drip irrigation from their solar powered well. In 2018, the company launched three products, and in 2022, it released Hokulei. The rum is a blend of seven rums aged between 18 months and 18 years. These molasses-based rums were sourced from Panama, Nicaragua, Barbados, and Venezuela. Then they blended these rums with one of their rums made from sugarcane juice, aged 18 months in ex-Cognac barrels, and a 15 year aged rum from Barbados. Then, to add an additional layer to the flavor profile, they added rum from Trinidad. The final blend is bottled at 46% ABV at the company’s facility. The company does not use any additives or coloring when making their products.
Kuleana Hokulei Rum
Appearance
The short-necked 750 ml bottle has a single label that wraps around the bottle and is filled with information about the product. Each label also notes the batch and bottle number of the product. In this case, the bottle is from batch number 12 and is bottle 312. A clear wrap secures the wooden-capped, synthetic cork to the bottle, with the words Respect+Responsibility around the cap and the logo on top.In the bottle and glass, the rum holds a golden amber color. Swirling the liquid creates a thin ring around the tasting glass that slowly thickens and releases a couple of waves of thick legs down the side. It takes quite some time for the ring to evaporate, leaving beads and residue in its wake.
Nose
The aroma of the rum leads with strong fruit notes accompanying the initial rush of alcohol. As the rum settled, I discovered the fruit notes to be fresh cut bananas, grilled pineapple, raisins, and lime. Followed by an interesting blend of baking spices and vanilla rounding out the nosing experience.
Palate
The first sip of the rum delivered a bit of heat as the proof of the rum conditioned the palate with a rush of Madagascar vanilla. The texture of the liquid changes with every sip from smooth to dense as different flavors manifest. The fruit flavors from the aroma are present, with the added twist of passion fruit and sweet apples in the mix. The citrus notes manifest as lime zest on the palate, with a bit of saltiness coming into play. As the toasted oak char notes form, there is an earthy, mineral rich undertone that is quickly dominated by nutmeg and clove notes. It is these notes that settle into a long, dry finish.
Review
This was my first time trying a rum from Kuleana Rum Works, and I thought as a blend it was quite interesting. From the unique texture of rum to the complexity of the flavor profile, there was a lot to unpack during the evaluation process. There are quite a few dominant flavors that are enhanced by the underlying notes. Engineered to be a sipping rum, the company achieved this goal with this proprietary blend, which made me want to try the other products in their rum line that were produced solely with Hawaiian sugarcane. I will make sure to pick up the other rums in their line to evaluate in the future. The Hokulei blend is an easy purchase for anyone who enjoys sipping and savoring a complex rum that has a unique place in today’s market.
