Kohala Bay Rum

On 2017-02-18 06:48, jokeiii wrote:
My current KB stand-in is 5:1:1 Coruba:Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still:Plantation OFTD. So far, indistinguishable in Barrel o' Rum. Testing will continue because, y'know, science.

I've been using 5:1:1 Appleton Reserve:Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still:Plantation OFTD with about 1/2 part Coruba mixed in. Makes great Black Magics and Yeoman's Grogs.

On 2017-02-19 13:25, CincyTikiCraig wrote:

I've been using 5:1:1 Appleton Reserve:Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still:Plantation OFTD with about 1/2 part Coruba mixed in. Makes great Black Magics and Yeoman's Grogs.

Hmm. I might tinker with an Appleton/Coruba blend. Something like 3:2:1:1 Coruba:Appleton Reserve:Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still:Plantation OFTD.

Science!

Damn, there's certainly a lot of tinkering! I think I'm likely to just use Coruba once my handle of Kohala Bay runs out, unless I have some Smith & Cross and can do the original suggested blend.

I suppose that I'm obsessing about this, but we know that Kohala Bay is an Appleton product. Consider all of the dark rums that Appleton produces:

Appleton Gold
Appleton V/X (new name: Estate Signature)
Appleton Reserve (new name: Reserve Blend)
Appleton 12 Year (new name: Rare Blend 12 Year)
Appleton Estate 21 Year
Appleton Estate 50 Year
Coruba Jamaican Dark
Coruba Gold (European markets only)
Coruba 12 Year "Cigar Blend" (European markets only)

Somewhere in these rums, or blends thereof, lies the secret of Kohala Bay. Thoughts?

On 2017-02-20 19:31, CincyTikiCraig wrote:
I suppose that I'm obsessing about this, but we know that Kohala Bay is an Appleton product. Consider all of the dark rums that Appleton produces:

Appleton Gold
Appleton V/X (new name: Estate Signature)
Appleton Reserve (new name: Reserve Blend)
Appleton 12 Year (new name: Rare Blend 12 Year)
Appleton Estate 21 Year
Appleton Estate 50 Year
Coruba Jamaican Dark
Coruba Gold (European markets only)
Coruba 12 Year "Cigar Blend" (European markets only)

Somewhere in these rums, or blends thereof, lies the secret of Kohala Bay. Thoughts?

The rum genome project?

Really loving this mix:

5 parts Appleton reserve
1.5 Part Hamilton Black
1 part OFTD

The best damn mixing rum I've ever had!

On 2017-03-05 18:59, lll888 wrote:
Really loving this mix:

5 parts Appleton reserve
1.5 Part Hamilton Black
1 part OFTD

The best damn mixing rum I've ever had!

Hey,111888! Have you had Kohala Bay rum? I'm just curious if you are actually comparing it directly or mixing blindly based on suggestions the way I am. I am using a similar mix of either appleton reserve or coruba, hamilton psb, and plantation OFTD in similar proportions and I agree that it is hard to beat as a funky and flavorful Jamaican mixing rum.

Wow, a lot of you guys have been busy! I admire the tinkering. I may need to update my suggested substitutions, but have not had time to try any of your blends. And, sadly, I've still not been able to find Hamilton Black Pot Still in South Florida. Jokeiii, where do you get it?

Congrats to Quince_at_Dannys, lll888, Scaramouch, jokeiii and CincyTikiCraig for all their fine work. I'll be trying some of those out when I get a chance.

My new suggestion is a blend using the new Plantation Dark, which is heavy on the Jamaican funk. Has anyone paired this with OFTD? A 3:1 blend would yield something around 94 proof, which is close to Dagger's 97. To get it down to Kohala Bay level, it would need to be a 6:1 mix. This might not be dark or punchy enough.

Let me know if anyone tries this, or any other blends with OFTD. I think this may be the way to go rather than using a 151 Demerara to bring up the proof.

Okole maluna!

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[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2017-03-18 23:43 ]

I've just thrown a hand grenadine into the KB subs mixture. More to follow:

"Ho boy! Here is a "hogo" opening nose that's funky, grassy, earthy, woodsy, salty, resiny, yet sumptuously appealing; hogo, old closed room funk continuous deep into the second nosing passes. "Entry is deeply flavorful, keenly bittersweet, slightly smoky, tobacco-like, resiny/woody; mid-palate features a highly complex and concentrated molasses rum bearing that 's simultaneously graceful and rustic and it's this fragile balance between opposites that makes this rum exceptional. Admittedly, with this level of "hogo", it's not for everyone. I however, relish and admire this type of regional authencity.

Alc./Vol. : 42%
Origin : Jamaica
Raw material : Molasses
Fermentation : Plummer: 5 days, Wedderburn: 5 days, high esters: 2 weeks
Distillation : 2001, pot still
Tropical ageing : 11 years in Bourbon cask, Jamaica
Continental ageing, elevage : 2 years in Pierre Ferrand cask, Château de Bonbonnet, France."

https://www.plantationrum.com/plantation-jamaica-2001/

Yes, the Jamaica 2001 is legendary. I've sampled it at Miami Rum Fest, but it's not easy to come by (and quite pricey).

I'm playing with the Plantation as part of a blend. At ot's price a relatively small part of the blend (something like 1 part).

I just sampled the Plantation 2001 Jamaican rum, repeatedly, and honestly can't comprehend why it would even be brought into this discussion. For a pot still Jamaican it's very mild in flavor, more suitable as a sipper, and at just over 40% abv doesn't pack the necessary punch to be in contention as a Kohala Bay sub. Plus at the $40-ish price point doesn't seem in any possible way worth blending with multiple other rums to then be blended with multiple other ingredients to make a well balanced cocktail. Buy this rum. Sip it. Enjoy it. Maybe even make a Mai Tai with it. But by golly don't tarnish it by mixing it with other rums in an attempt to replicate kohala bay.

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2017-03-21 23:36 ]

On 2017-03-18 18:37, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

Let me know if anyone tries this, or any other blends with OFTD. I think this may be the way to go rather than using a 151 Demerara to bring up the proof.

I did try the OFTD in several combinations as part of my own KB blend experiments, but in blind taste tests 5XCoruba, 1xS&C, 1xLH151 was still the closest match to KB I've found so far, especially if you go the extra step and barrel age the blend for awhile. (For the record, I played with Coruba, Myers, Hamilton (Navy, Overproof & Black), LH151, OFTD, S&C in various ratios and combinations.)

OFTD is really fantastic - such great value - and I've been using it in Demerara Dry Floats, Swizzles and even as my Jamaican Mai Tai rum (wowza!). But my experience was that using it in a blend that tried to match KB was not as successful, it just threw the flavor off.

Of course, your results may vary :)

On 2017-03-21 23:33, mikehooker wrote:
I just sampled the Plantation 2001 Jamaican rum, repeatedly, and honestly can't comprehend why it would even be brought into this discussion. For a pot still Jamaican it's very mild in flavor, more suitable as a sipper, and at just over 40% abv doesn't pack the necessary punch to be in contention as a Kohala Bay sub. Plus at the $40-ish price point doesn't seem in any possible way worth blending with multiple other rums to then be blended with multiple other ingredients to make a well balanced cocktail. Buy this rum. Sip it. Enjoy it. Maybe even make a Mai Tai with it. But by golly don't tarnish it by mixing it with other rums in an attempt to replicate kohala bay.

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2017-03-21 23:36 ]

To each their own. As to cost of the Plantation Jamaican, I manage a large wine and spirits store and get everything at cost. I've made a Mai Tai with the Plantation Jamaican and it's just not deep enough to shine in that drink. Tonight I made a mix of 5 parts Appleton Reserve: 1 part each OFTD, Hamilton Dark, Plantation Jamaican and Coruba. I'll let you know how it works in a few cocktails shortly.

On 2017-03-18 18:37, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
And, sadly, I've still not been able to find Hamilton Black Pot Still in South Florida. Jokeiii, where do you get it?

Sorry for the delay, HH! Sunset Corners in Miami, ironically the last place I could get Kohala Bay. It's currently at $34. http://www.sunsetcorners.com/browse.cfm/hamilton-jamaican-blk-rum/4,9828.html

I've made two rounds each of the Yeomans Grog and HH's tribute to the Black Magic, and they've been the BEST versions of those cocktails that I've ever made. This mixing rum is funky but with refinement and depth.

I have never had Kohala so I lean on this group for opinions.

I have been using the 1/2 blend of S&C/EL12 in many of Hayward's drinks and some others I have on my bar's menu. Very tasty mix and adds a unique flavor when blended in just the right amount to any drink. I have also played with the Hamilton Black variations but like the former better.

Never have put the Pusser's Blue label on rotation in my bar but after a tasting done at the Monthly Tiki Seminar at Trader Vic's here in ATL and a recent passion for the Painkiller, I bought some and I must say, it smells and tastes very similar to the Kohala Bay substitute blends.

Am I way off or has anybody tried this?

On 2017-04-06 17:21, mmaurice wrote:
I have never had Kohala so I lean on this group for opinions.

I have been using the 1/2 blend of S&C/EL12 in many of Hayward's drinks and some others I have on my bar's menu. Very tasty mix and adds a unique flavor when blended in just the right amount to any drink. I have also played with the Hamilton Black variations but like the former better.

Never have put the Pusser's Blue label on rotation in my bar but after a tasting done at the Monthly Tiki Seminar at Trader Vic's here in ATL and a recent passion for the Painkiller, I bought some and I must say, it smells and tastes very similar to the Kohala Bay substitute blends.

Am I way off or has anybody tried this?

It definitely carries the funk in the nose and shares a similar richness but I would only use it in a pinch. I do enjoy that rum, though! I may have to revisit it in a direct comparison with my current preferred KB blend.

mmaurice: Pusser's compares favorably to Smith & Cross (though I much prefer the latter). But the main problem with it as a Kohala Bay sub is that it's not purely Jamaican. In the Navy tradition, it's a multi-island blend that includes rums from Guyana, Trinidad and Barbados. That being said, it's a great blend, but not what we're looking for as a Kohala Bay sub.

I ran into this with Plantation Dark, and I can see the same issue popping up with O.F.T.D. I love what Plantation does with their blends, and I actually have the new, funkier Dark rated higher than Kohala Bay, Corbua, and Appleton Reserve in my personal rum ratings, but it's not the same as a pure Jamaican. It lacks the full-blown hogo and edge that those others do. Same with O.F.T.D., to a point. I think the extra 138-proof firepower takes this rum to another level, but again it's not a pure Jamaican rum like Dagger was.

So I didn't even bother blending Plantation Dark with O.F.T.D. As a Kohala Bay sub on its own, I rank it below Appleton Reserve in my updated list:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/08/rums-of-the-mai-kai-legendary-lemon-hart-returns-to-the-promised-land/#kohala-bay-substitutes

Next on my agenda was blending O.F.T.D. with just one other rum. Coruba was my choice, and a 6:1 blend seemed to work best. This would rank above Corbua on its own, but I'm not sure exactly where yet. I also tried Scaramouch's blend of 5 parts Coruba, 1 part Smith & Cross and 1 part LH 151 ... excellent! But I held off on further testing until this recent arrival ...

So now that I have Hamilton Jamaican Black in hand, I'm preparing to test all the other blends suggested by Quince_at_Dannys, lll888, jokeiii, CincyTikiCraig, and LeftArmOfBuddha. Let me know if I missed anybody. The plan is to compare Kohala Bay to a blind tasting of these new blends, along with the ones I've already ranked, and see if I can come up with a definitive list of Kohala Bay substitutes.

Stay tuned ...

Glad to see you finally snagged some Hamilton Pot Still Black, Hurricane! I haven't been able to get his Pimento Dram or Navy Strength, yet. I'm curious to see what you come up with, assuming you like the Hamilton PSB. I love it in my Kohala Bay subs but I may love the funk more than some of the others on here.

On 2017-04-11 22:09, LeftarmofBuddha wrote:
Glad to see you finally snagged some Hamilton Pot Still Black, Hurricane! I haven't been able to get his Pimento Dram or Navy Strength, yet. I'm curious to see what you come up with, assuming you like the Hamilton PSB. I love it in my Kohala Bay subs but I may love the funk more than some of the others on here.

Oh, I love me some funk! Enjoying an old-school Planters Punch with Hamilton PSB right now. Okole maluna!

I don't know what's wrong with my taste buds. I love nearly all of Hamilton's rums - the navy is superb, the 86 and 151 are excellent, the pimento dram is a really interesting switch up from St Elizabeths, and the St Lucia's are some of my favorite sippers.

But that Jamaican Pot Still Black? The one and only bottle of rum that offended me so much I poured it down the drain. I really like other Jamaican funky rums, but to me, this one was just so intense, it reminded me of something that died and had been marinated in durian fruit juice.

Like I say, I know it's not the rum and it must be my taste buds, as so many people here rave about it, but I just couldn't get into it.

FWIW Cilantro also tastes to me like soap. So your results may vary :)

Can't wait to see your review of the blends HH!

Scaramouch: Have you tasted the rum lately? I had a sip of one of the initial bottles a few years ago and I remember having a similar reaction. Perhaps the early batches were not quite right. I'm enjoying this new one. It's quite balanced and approachable.

Thabks for the heads up. Maybe I'll take another chance at it some time.

A rare find: I recently discovered some dusty bottles of Sea Wynde in a back corner of a sketchy South Florida liquor store. A 92-proof blend from Jamaica and Guyana, this is a bad-ass, funky rum. It's been off the market for years, but if you ever see a bottle, by all means grab it. It can definitely stand in for Dagger ...

Let the madness begin ...

We are attempting to compare 14 different Kohala Bay substitutes to the real deal in a blind tasting, from single rums to four-rum blends. This includes most of those suggested here. And by "we," I mean me. So bear with me, but I hope to have some definitive results soon.

Okole maluna!

Events, music, art, cocktails, culture

The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide | The Tiki Times

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2017-05-08 00:45 ]

I hope you make it out alive!!!

On 2017-05-07 23:53, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
So bear with us, but we hope to have some definitive results soon.

Fixed the illusion. :wink: Good luck - honestly I'll probably just use Coruba instead. I've only ever owned one handle of Kohala - when it runs out I probably won't be able to tell the difference by the next time I make another tribute recipe.

On 2017-05-07 23:53, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Let the madness begin ...

We are attempting to compare 14 different Kohala Bay substitutes to the real deal in a blind tasting, from single rums to four-rum blends. This includes most of those suggested here. And by "we," I mean me. So bear with me, but I hope to have some definitive results soon.

Okole maluna!

---

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The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide | The Tiki Times

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2017-05-08 00:45 ]

I can hardly wait to read the results. Happy hunting!

UPDATE: I'm roughly halfway through the blind tastings and have eliminated half of the competition ...

Not surprisingly, the four stand-alone rums are at the bottom, along with three blends that do not include a 151 rum. I've decided to group them into four tiers, with the bottom two having been determined.

Now comes the hard part: Sorting out the top two tiers and picking an overall favorite.

To be continued ...

Our livers salute you.

On 2017-05-09 07:07, mikehooker wrote:
Our livers salute you.

Hear, hear!

On 2017-05-09 07:22, PalmtreePat wrote:

On 2017-05-09 07:07, mikehooker wrote:
Our livers salute you.

Hear, hear!

As always, you're doing the Lord's work HH. Thank you!

Now comes the hard part: Sorting out the top two tiers and picking an overall favorite.

To be continued ...

Can't wait to hear the results! Then I can be a little less precious about that last remaining jug of KB :wink:

And then there were three ...

After extensive blind tastings, I've narrowed the field down to the three closest Kohala Bay substitutes. I won't reveal them yet, but you can see the rums that are featured. I have a clear favorite, but I'd like to try all three in a Rum Barrel as the ultimate test. Final results are so close I can taste it.

One unexpected bonus: I poured all the other blends that didn't make the top 3 into one mega blend (pictured at right) that's one hell of a Navy rum.

On 2017-05-09 20:59, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
And then there were three ...

After extensive blind tastings, I've narrowed the field down to the three closest Kohala Bay substitutes. I won't reveal them yet, but you can see the rums that are featured. I have a clear favorite, but I'd like to try all three in a Rum Barrel as the ultimate test. Final results are so close I can taste it.

One unexpected bonus: I poured all the other blends that didn't make the top 3 into one mega blend (pictured at right) that's one hell of a Navy rum.

Based solely on the color of what's in the glasses, I'm going to guess that Hamilton Jamaican Dark and plantation OFTD are two of the finalists.

Might I suggest doing a Cobras Kiss and/or 151 Swizzle with your three finalists, in addition to the rum barrel. I think the kohala bay element is more prominent in those and less masked by the myriad of juices.

On 2017-05-09 21:34, mikehooker wrote:
Might I suggest doing a Cobras Kiss and/or 151 Swizzle with your three finalists, in addition to the rum barrel. I think the kohala bay element is more prominent in those and less masked by the myriad of juices.

The Rum Barrel test was inconclusive, so I may have to try at least one of the others. Or just declare a three-way tie. My liver is waving a white flag.

The Hanalei Bay also nicely highlights Kohala Bay with a smaller amount of juice and syrups. Can't wait to see what you come up with. I can already see that all the rums that will be in your top 3 are available to me locally. So I am excited about that! On a side note, it seems like someone could have a similar or nearly identical blend made from the same rums being made at the same distillery. Ed Hamilton? Plantation? I know this style of rum is niche and really only relevant in the Tiki world, but it seems like The Mai Kai and all the Tiki restaurants and bars could justify it's existence.

On 2017-05-13 00:28, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

On 2017-05-09 21:34, mikehooker wrote:
Might I suggest doing a Cobras Kiss and/or 151 Swizzle with your three finalists, in addition to the rum barrel. I think the kohala bay element is more prominent in those and less masked by the myriad of juices.

The Rum Barrel test was inconclusive, so I may have to try at least one of the others. Or just declare a three-way tie. My liver is waving a white flag.

How about a Black Magic and/or Yeoman's Grog?

mikehooker and CincyTikiCraig: Those are all good suggestions, but I think the problem I'm running into is there is just too much going on in all of these drinks to make a fair judgement. I'm good at separating components in my mind as I drink, but the additional rums muddy the waters a bit. It's also possible one blend may work better in one drink than another.

So in order to simply test these top three blends to see how they interact with sweet and sour components, I went way back to Don the Beachcomber and settled on Don's Daiquiri from Grog Log (rum, lime, honey). I used my special Mai-Kai lime blend plus rich honey (1 oz rum, 1/2 oz lime, 1 tsp honey), and this seemed to give all the ingredients room to breathe and allowed me to compare the rums on an even playing field, yet with a familiar flavor.

And it worked! I found a small yet distinct difference in the top three. And while they're all perfectly fine, I was able to come up with a 1-2-3 ranking, which I'll be posting shortly.

LeftarmofBuddha: Your point about Jamaican rum has been discussed. I know The Mai-Kai has been looking into having a blend made just for them, but it's not as simple as it seems. Also, there are some obscure rums available only in Jamaica that could also do the trick. I've tasted one, and it's amazing. I'm sworn to secrecy, but I may reveal it later.

The anticipation is killing me!!!!!!

Spill it!!!!

LeftarmofBuddha: Your point about Jamaican rum has been discussed. I know The Mai-Kai has been looking into having a blend made just for them, but it's not as simple as it seems. Also, there are some obscure rums available only in Jamaica that could also do the trick. I've tasted one, and it's amazing. I'm sworn to secrecy, but I may reveal it later.

I figured as much. And as much as I'd like to know what you know, I will wait patiently like the rest of us. :) In the meantime, you're doing the lord's work, so to speak, in finding viable substitutes for all us rum nuts! Thanks, again!

I went through this process myself a while ago and I concur, it's very hard to get an accurate read as different blends seem to work better in different cocktails, but man, you get to drink a lot of fine mixes along the way :) Can't wait to see your conclusions.

Without further ado ...

First off, congratulations to Quince_at_Dannys and LeftArmOfBuddha ... your blends made the top three. The results break down into four tiers: There are three in the top tier, four in the upper middle tier, five in the lower middle tier, and two in the bottom tier.

The top three are:

No. 1 — Equal parts Smith & Cross and El Dorado 12. Facing tough competition, this simple yet effective blend remains the preferred substitute.

No. 2 — 5 parts Appleton Reserve, 1 part Lemon Hart 151, 1 part Hamilton Black. Very close in flavor to Kohala Bay, just not as balanced as No. 1. This blend created by Quince_at_Dannys wisely combines the richness of Appleton Reserve with the funkiness of Hamilton Black, plus just the right amount of Lemon Hart to raise the proof and add heat.

No. 3 — 4 parts Coruba, 2 parts Hamilton Black, 1 part Plantation O.F.T.D. The difference between No. 2 and No. 3 is ever so slight. This is slightly funkier, but it doesn’t have the breadth of flavors of No. 2 or the sophistication of No. 1. This blend was the handiwork of LeftArmOfBuddha.

I swear, I did all the tastings completely blind. Even the final cocktail tastings. And the old standby continued to rise to the top. Maybe it was because it seemed so familiar, or maybe because it really is the next best thing to Kohala Bay. But kudos to everyone who took the time to make up their own blends. All of the rums in the middle tiers are great, they just fall short of the top 3.

Click here to see the full results and analysis:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/08/rums-of-the-mai-kai-legendary-lemon-hart-returns-to-the-promised-land/#kohala-bay-substitutes

I'll leave you with a big tease. I was recently thrilled to discover a rum from Jamaica (not available in the U.S.) that may not look exactly like Kohala Bay. But the taste is so close, you'd swear it was an aged version of the same rum ...

More to come ...

Wow! I didnt even realize you were considering my blend in the shootout! That's awesome! My blend came about from trying to recreate the flavor of your #1 pick (smith and cross and el dorado 12) using slightly cheaper bottles that are readily available to me. Also, I did a bit of research into which rum you were saying would be a possible replacement for KB the other day and believe I know which one you tried. I will let you reveal that when you see fit. Thanks for considering my blend at all!

On 2017-05-15 22:32, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

I'll leave you with a big tease. I was recently thrilled to discover a rum from Jamaica (not available in the U.S.) that may not look exactly like Kohala Bay. But the taste is so close, you'd swear it was an aged version of the same rum ...

More to come ...

OOH!! I begged my in-laws to bring me back a bottle of that last time they went to Jamaica but they couldn't find a bottle of it anywhere. This makes me want it even more.