Kō Hana Rum for the 4th: Kila Cask Strength (American Oak), Koa (Aged in Hawaiian Koa Barrel)

Fire up the grill, throw on a vintage Illinois-made watch, and crank the Creedence Clearwater Revival, it's time for the 4th! And this time around we're heading to America's most recent state, Hawaii, for some cane juice rum. Now I could have thrown Kō Hana's basic unaged Kea rum into this as a point of reference but this is America darn it, and 40% isn't good enough. So instead it's all higher proof aged expressions, one in good old quercus alba and the other in native Hawaiian acacia koa. Stats:
- Kō Hana Cask Strength "Kila" Hawaiian Agricole Rum Aged in American Oak (Kunia Camp, O'ahu; from the 2023 Hawaiian Heirloom Collection, 4.5 years old; 60.5% ABV), 87+/100
- Kō Hana "Koa" Hawaiian Agricole Rum Aged in a Hawaiian Koa Wood Barrel (Kunia Camp, O'ahu; from the 2023 Hawaiian Heirloom Collection, 5 years in ex-bourbon with an 8 month finish in Koa; 50% ABV), 85/100
The Kila was the big surprise here. With white oak-aged cane juice rums I tend to expect a very very "bourbony" profile, and this absolutely isn't that: it's soft spoken and honeyed and sort of reminiscent of artisanal donuts and, for all that, quite complex. It's not a big shouty kind of rum like the Papalin Haitis or the Hampdens I've reviewed in the last couple of videos, to the point that I'm pretty sure I would fly right past it in the course of a longer tasting event. But give it your time and attention and the quality is obvious: actually, this might low-key be the best American rum I've ever tasted.
The Koa, meanwhile, is a really cool idea that I totally support in theory: I mean, how cool is it to age a spirit in wood actually from the area where the spirit is made? And the local wood does indeed add some lovely darker, spicier elements. But as an 8-month finish as opposed to a longer full or secondary maturation, it actually loses a lot from the Kila. It feels congested and dulled down, as if the producers dumped the cask in the middle of its aging ditch (see • The Aging Ditch (Or, W... for the reference) before the koa and the spirit had time to fully integrate. It's still good and, yes, pretty darn cool, but I don't think it justifies the eye-watering $150 for a half-bottle.
And that's it. Happy Independence Day everyone, go buy some high proof Hawaiian rum...
Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon ( / differentspirits ) -
Eric Amig
Anthony
Kingsbury bushcraft
Clematis
Rob D
Liam Davitt
Joe Devine
Samuel Dose
Stephen Eckert
eon Ingmar nine
Steve Frazee
Ian Gendler
John Halliday
Alex Hurd
Trevor Jarrait
Jonathan Lestingi
Kyaru
Jason Newquist
No Thanks
Chris Rhodes
Randy Rice
RumSquirrel
Chris Sherman
Gordon W
Zach W

[@WalkerKlondyke]

I thought I was going to want a glass of rum after watching this video, but now I just want a jelly donut and a cup of tea 😂

[@differentspirits4157]

@@WalkerKlondyke ...based. 😅

[@RobynSmithPhD]

I was also skeptical of the unaged at 40%, but honestly, it’s so flavorful! Maybe I was pleasantly surprised because my expectations are low for anything that’s 40%? But I would recommend giving it a chance! Lemme know if you want a sample!

[@kaktuskontrafaktus]

The big upside of aged agricole tasting like bourbon is that you don't have to drink bourbon.
I just need St. James/Depaz/Rhum J.M/etc to make higher proof (50-60%?) versions of their basic bitch VSOPs, the price gap between those and the Brut de Fût bottlings is just too wide.

[@MrPsiman]

not in love with their pricing for anything and it's prevented me from buying. I would like to try Koloa cask strength single barrel stuff that is around 5 years old and around $85 but it's not easy to get a hold of and I know it would not be in the league of things I can get at the same price or less.