Koloa Kaua’i Coffee Rum

I’m wary of coffee rums. I had one and it was more sugar with a hint of coffee. So when I walked into a liquor store that was doing tastings, and saw this, I raised my eyebrow in caution. But I walked away pleasantly surprised, and with a bottle in my arm.

What Is The Rum

Koloa Kaua’i Coffee rum is a collaboration between Koloa Rum and Kauai Coffee, blending their finest together to create the perfect dessert rum. This sweet rum, that is very much more of rum than a liqueur, is twice distilled and then blended with the coffee to give it a nice rich flavour.

How Does It Taste

The previous coffee rum I had tried suffered from being far too sweet. And while Koloa Kaua’i is also quite sweet, that sweetness works in its favour, rather than overpowering and becoming unpalatable. It cuts the sharp, bitterness of the coffee to bring a delicate balance that is perfectly blended. At the tasting, I had a small swallow, served neat. That was perfect and it completely sold me on the rum. When I got it home, I poured it over ice, and it didn’t quite work as well. Ice brings out the sweet in rum, and that pushed it a little too far over that sweet line.

However, when I first sipped it, I turned to my wife and said “This would make an excellent White Russian.” Or White Russian variant, as it were. White Hawaiian? White Caribbean? Whatever we call it, I went home, mixed it with cream, and damn that was delicious.

Do I Recommend

This rum is absolutely a must try, if not one to have on hand. It’s a higher end one, that comes from a smaller distiller, so you won’t be able to walk into just any random liquor store and find it. But if you do find yourself in a liquor store carrying it, do yourself a favour and pick it up. It’s worth every penny. Try it neat. Try it in a White Russian. I had it with my morning coffee one weekend, it was delicious there. I had it with a Christmas Eve hot cocoa, and it was the perfect addition to a hot drink. This is the accent rum you need, especially in the cold throes of winter.