Making Rum from pure cane sugar that is farmed within 15 miles of the distillery is what makes Koloa Rum Company different. They use the best ingredients they can find while supporting the local economy and ecology with their portfolio of rum products.
I’ve already toured their production facility and was introduced to the “Crown Jewel”, their copper pot still. Their hands-on single batch processing makes their rum unique. Today, I’m back visiting with Bob Gunter, the President of Koloa Rum Company, to further examine what goes into their award winning rum.
In the tasting room, Bob shows me a tray piled high with an ivory powder. I know there’s no snow on Kauai and I’m not in a scene from Scarface, so this must be sugar before me. It’s the purest form of cane sugar, almost white with an earthy aroma that bring a sensation of the dirt it was grown in.
Making rum is just like cooking, the best ingredients treated with skill always yield the best results, and Bob explains why the purest form of sugar creates a better product. Brown sugar has molasses in it. Molasses is actually a by-product of sugar production, so the more molasses you add to the fermentation, the less pure the end result will be.
From this pure ingredient comes all their rum flavors and I’m fortunate enough to be tasting them with the President of the company. Their newest product is the Kauai Spiced Rum. It’s like no other spiced rum I’ve ever tasted. It didn’t assault my palate with heavy spices. I was rewarded with the sweetness of the pure cane sugar BEFORE being given a hint of the spice on the back of my tongue.
The Kauai Spiced Rum is their newest introduction and won third price at the International Rum Competition in Miami, Florida last year. My mind starts to race, considering how I can get the great flavor of this rum into my cooking.
The Koloa Dark Rum has been my favorite since it was initially released. Bob offers me a taste, and all that I’ve learned today is summarized in one small glass. I can certainly taste the pure, local, natural sugar that he uses, but much more. I can now taste the earth, the community, the ecology and passion that goes into making every bottle of this fantastic product.
Making rum is a passion for Bob Gunter, just as cooking with natural ingredients is a passion for me. The next step will be putting our passions together. I’ve just got to create a “No Recipe” dish using Koloa Rum. I wonder what I’ll come up with……
Live a No Recipe Lifestyle!
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