Post #816417 by JasonMa on Thu, Jul 24, 2025 3:43 PM

Stumbled into this thread but I was on Kauai in March for my 50th and we took the new-ish plantation tour that Koloa Rum is doing through Kauai Safaris. As they pointed out they're an independent company so they can given their true opinions on the rum (and did) bout I found out the company was started up by the son of the Koloa Rum owner and his father-in-law so not truly independent. :D

Its an open jeep tour for up to 20 people that takes you through the plantation and shows the various things they're growing as well as the animals they have on the property (all rescues apparently). Partway through they go down into a little valley and let you out on a boardwalk to a tasting room where they give you a taste of the Gold, Dark, Coconut, and Cocoa Rums, and then mix you a Mai Tai to take back on the jeep. After showing more of the plantation and letting you help feed the pigs (by throwing tortillas from the jeep) you end up at a lanai near the railroad tracks (there's also a historical railway ride through the plantation, the train was used in the Jungle Cruise movie among others) where they make up a custom drink for the tour using fresh fruit from the plantation along with some snacks and answer questions. Then they bring you back to the main buildings of the plantation. 2 hours, the tour guides were great, you get 2 cocktails and the rum samplers, even my wife and I who aren't big drinkers enjoyed it.

We picked up a bottle of the Cocoa Rum to bring home to the mainland. Haven't found the right drink to use it in yet but we did use it to make brownies which was a winner.