Ko Hana Agricole positions Hawaii as an exporter of premium rum

Distilled from 34 heirloom sugar cane plants grown on the island, Ko Hana Agricole consists of single-origin white and dark rums, alongside a blended variety.

While Hawaii has a long history of producing Okolehao, a rum-like spirit made from Ti leaves mixed with sugar, refined rums have been relatively uncommon. By using local ingredients produced to a premium standard, Ko Hana Agricole is shifting the focus on fine rums away from the Caribbean to Hawaiian shores.

The Manulele distillery uses an eponymous variety of sugar cane, which until now has been largely disregarded because it is ill-suited for use as table sugar and therefore was overlooked by the Western world as a valuable resource. Althoiugh the distillery opened in 2014, it is only now exporting beyond Hawaii.