Taste of JASH: Nomu Edition with Kō Hana Distillers

We kicked off our Taste of JASH: Nomu Edition virtual pau hana series with Kō Hana Distillers on November 4 via Zoom. For those who attended our recent Friendship Golf Classic, you may remember enjoying their popular KOKOLEKA Cacao + Honey Hawaiian Agricole Rum out on the course!

Live streamed from the distillery’s barrel room, General Manager Kyle Reutner and Brand Manager Teves Freitas shared the history of heirloom kō sugarcane in Hawaii, introduced Kō Hana’s exclusive koa barrel aging process, and discussed how their rum is uniquely “Made in Hawaii.” In sharing the story behind the brand, they also talked about how their products, tours, and tastings have been popular with the Japanese market, and how they’ve been working on expanding their distribution overseas.

Kyle (right) and Teves (left) discuss the history of Native Hawaiian sugarcane.

For the virtual tasting, attendees pre-ordered bottles of Kō Hana’s signature KEA White Hawaiian Agricole Rum and picked them up at the JASH Office before the event. Teves taught attendees techniques for tasting rum and other hard spirits, demonstrated how to make a foolproof daiquiri from scratch, and gave a sneak peek of Kō Hana’s new line of bottled cocktails, just in time for the holiday season.

If you missed the program, you may watch the recording on our JASH YouTube by clicking HERE. To learn more about Kō Hana, order their spirits, or book a tour and tasting at their Kunia distillery, visit kohanarum.com.

Join us for our next virtual pau hana featuring Hawaiian Shochu Company on Thursday, November 18 at 5:30pm (HST)! For more information, visit jashawaii.org/toj-nomu.