Kōloa Kaua'i Gold Rum

Gold Rum Tasting - Quatro, mostly Spanish-style Havana Club Anejo (USA) Don Q Gold Bacardi Gold Koloa Kauai Gold Koloa Kauai Disclaimer: from a sample bottle bought at the distillery store, and not opened right away upon returning home. A - Light gold, like oaked Chardonnay N - At first, savory, almost bready, like a fresh baked homemade loaf, then oddly sweet, like cleaning products, and almost a cucumber vegetal note, odd. P - Light flavor, some burn, some lingering wood; not fruity, somewhat earthy, barely sweet; faint but round flavor of some nutty dessert Follow-up - Smells like hay, tastes like buttered pancakes with a hint of dried maple syrup upon returning. — So this probabbly doesn’t fit well in the category, but what else to compare this with? Verdict - the different process shows in the product, with unusual notes making their way across the nose and palate. Curious to try a small daiquiri, but makes me think more of a cane juice spirit than molasses from the unusual and unexpected notes. Havana Club Disclaimer: bottle open for a while, still ~2/3 full A - Medium gold hue, like German bier N - Fairly strong ethanol, hints of caramel and… crème brûlée? P/F - Hollow impression of Carmel and vanilla, like from a dried out old rum cork, but somewhat light; slight earthy bitterness like young oak; subtle sweetness but still not really fruity, ethanol is restrained, bitterness builds on the palate Follow-up - Smells like sophisticated carmel candy, tastes like toffee bar after returning. Verdict - possibly doesn’t belong in this category, but surprised with better-developed “usual suspects” type flavors, and stood out in terms of color to the last sip. Might remain more noticeable in a mixed drink than others. Don Q Disclaimer - nearly a bottle kill, and mostly empty for quite a while, months probably A - Pale straw, like a dry white wine N - Light ethanol, toffee and some fruit, papaya maybe? P/F - Light but inoffensive, barely a burn, caramel; burnt sugar, some burn, some wood tannin; brown bread, subtle vanilla, no fruit really Follow-up - Smells like a fruit bowl, tastes like agave nectar after returning. Verdict - lovely fruitiness compared with the others, almost shockingly so. Likely a more harmonious mixer, and pleasant enough to sip on its own. Inviting nose and rewarding palate. Bacardi Disclaimer: Freshly-cracked small 2 dcl bottle, but sat on dram store shelf who knows how long… A - Medium light gold, like domestic beer N - Cleaning products as first, but then ethanol, steeped black tea? Then finally some sweetness, like vanilla latte syrup P/F - Smooth entry with some light vanilla carmel; more subtly sweetness with almost-bitter woody pine-wood lingering; vaguely sweet, somewhat ethanol, light bitterness Follow-up - Smells like sawdust, tastes like dregs of watered-down vanilla iced latte after returning. Verdict - bad nose with smooth taste, oddly enough, although a less-enticing flavor palate than others in the category, can see why this might be a friendly go-to for mixing, if one sought a less filtered experience than the ubiquitous BCB.

Continuing Koloa Tasting with distiller Bob Gunter (Tasted 2nd) Per the Distiller: Made from sugarcane juice and distilled in 2 copper hybrid stills. Aged for 90 days in ex-bourbon barrels. 3.23.22 Served: Neat, Flute Bottle Open: Same Day Last intake: White Rum A: Very little charcter. Though we are tasting through 8 rums, so I don't have as much time as I would like to dwell on it. F: Some caramel character from the barrel. Very thin bodied. Entirely unoffensive, but uninteresting as well. 2.5/5 Would mix in cocktails that don't rely on rum character, but would not spend money on it.

Citrus-like aroma and a little chemical, like a lemon scented bleach wipe. Flavor mildly matches the aroma. Just like their white rum, I'm not getting "rum" flavors. A little peppery, mostly on the finish, but not cinnamon- that is, sweet - like one would expect. Not a sipper and I seriously doubt this would be any good for a rum cocktail as there is no rum taste. I didn't finish the dram, just not worth the disappointment. Rating based on neat sipping.

A fairly unremarkable rum. Very light bodied, though astringent on the nose. Notes of caramel with a very mild chemical taste, it honestly tastes like watered down captain morgan. As others have mentioned, I wouldn’t spend money on it, but would use in cocktails where one is not trying to convey the character of a rum.

Surprisingly buttery at first. The sweetness of the sugarcane follows. A slightly spicy finish. Mixes very well with juice (especially POG in true Hawaiian style).

Nice mixing rum. Sweet typical rum flavor with some heat and afterburn. Overall, good fit mixing but would not recommend for sipping