Manulele Distillers turns ancient varieties of cane into rum

This week marks the return of “Barfly,” which originally appeared in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin from 2002 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2009. It will now be published Fridays in TGIF.

Hawaii’s past and present intersect in Kunia via sugar cane, a plant that provided for generations of Hawaiians before ushering in an industry that changed the islands forever.

Most people think of sugar cane as a commodity that flourished here in the 19th and 20th centuries, creating plantations that attracted hundreds of thousands of immigrants whose descendants now comprise much of the islands’ population. But sugar cane was grown in Hawaii long before that, and now Manulele Distillers is growing varieties of cane that date back to that pre-Western contact era and processing them into its signature Ko Hana Hawaiian Agricole Rum.

“People usually don’t consider sugar in Hawaii before the plantation era,” said Ko Hana brand manager Kyle Reutner during a recent visit to the distillery. “Five hundred years before it was a proper commodity, Hawaiians were growing it for all kinds of stuff. The Hawaiians revered sugar cane.”

Operating in some of the same fields once managed by Del Monte, Manulele owners Robert Dawson and Jason Brand took five years to research and develop the rum, turning a sugar cane nursery into a full-fledged distillery. They found evidence of 36 varieties of cane Hawaiians cultivated during ancient times, each different from the single hybrid variety created by scientists and cultivated on plantations.

Many of those varieties grew in the wild or were being safeguarded in family backyards. Manulele’s namesake cane variety, for example, grew in Maunawili and was discovered on a hike. Manulele added others after visits to botanical gardens or private homes.

“Most of it was begging aunties,” Reutner said. “We’ve been able to propagate it out because sugar cane grows so quick.”

Ko Hana ramped up production two years ago on approximately 12 acres of agricultural land. That’s up to 20 acres of planted cane now, with plans to add another 8 acres soon.

Harvested cane is processed at Manulele’s distillery, where it is pressed into juice, distilled into rum and aged in different types of oak barrels. Unlike a bottle of Bacardi or Captain Morgan’s, which are mass-produced and made from molasses — a byproduct of traditional sugar manufacturing — Ko Hana rum is distilled from cane that is cut and harvested by hand, then pressed into cane juice. There’s little use of heavy machinery and no widespread burning of crops.

Depending on the type of barrel and length of time in storage, the rum becomes one of three expressions currently offered by Ko Hana. The Kea, or white rum, is 80 proof and perfect for mixing in cocktails. The Koho is a barrel-aged select rum bottled at 86 proof, with time spent resting in oak barrels giving the liquor added natural color and more sophisticated flavors. The Koa is bottled at full cask strength, giving it even more kick, usually in the 110- to 125-proof range.

Because each batch of rum is made from a different type of cane, the variety is hand-written on every bottle. Between differences in cane type, aging time and type of barrel, Ko Hana fans will never run out of new things to try.

“They’re all different, and awesomely so,” said Reutner. “We may not always have Koa, our barrel strength, but we’ll always have something. My hope is to eventually offer a cognac finish, a bourbon finish and a 100 percent new oak finish.”

Now on sale is Kokoleka, a new liqueur made with honey sourced from Maunawili and Big Island cacao provided by Madre Chocolate. At just 60 proof, it’s a lot milder than anything else Ko Hana offers.

“It’s meant to show a different side of the flavors we have here,” said Reutner. “It’s meant to be a mixer or an after-dinner drink.”

Ko Hana has further plans to improve its product. Instead of cutting the cane in the field and bringing it back to the distillery to be pressed into juice, Reutner said they plan to take 500-gallon containers into their fields and do everything from cutting to crushing outdoors.

“Sugar cane is a little like apple juice, where it oxidizes,” Reutner explained. “The quicker you crush, the fresher ingredient you’re getting to start your process. The way it is now, within 24 hours of harvest you should be crushing cane. We want to talk about 24 seconds. As soon as it gets cut, I want to get it crushed. Nobody else in the world is doing it this way right now. There’s a difference.”

Jason Genegabus has written about Honolulu bars since 2001. Contact him at jason@staradvertiser.com with suggestions of places to visit and drinks to try; read his blog at inthemix.staradvertiserblogs.com.