Kohala Bay Rum

On 2019-04-06 11:32, mikehooker wrote:

On 2019-04-05 20:48, CincyTikiCraig wrote:

On 2019-03-31 13:49, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Round one of blind tasting is complete ...

Hurricane, the suspense is getting to me, do tell!

Seriously.... you can't leave us hanging!!!!

Sorry guys, I don't have a definitive answer yet, but I can tell you that the best combination in the photo above was 50/50 Coruba/Xaymaca, as expected. Surprisingly, I thought the second best was Signature/Xaymaca, slightly ahead of Reserve/Xaymaca.

Mixing it in cocktails will be the true test, however. At that point, I'll need to compare it to a few of the existing recommended subs as well as Kohala Bay. More to come ...

Dagger and Kohala Bay will be featured in my class at The Hukilau 2019. Tickets on sale now at http://TheHukilau.com ...

Get the latest info at http://TheAtomicGrog.com

On 2019-04-07 14:11, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

Sorry guys, I don't have a definitive answer yet, but I can tell you that the best combination in the photo above was 50/50 Coruba/Xaymaca, as expected. Surprisingly, I thought the second best was Signature/Xaymaca, slightly ahead of Reserve/Xaymaca.

Mixing it in cocktails will be the true test, however. At that point, I'll need to compare it to a few of the existing recommended subs as well as Kohala Bay. More to come ...

Have you considered a Xaymaca/S&C combo?

On 2019-04-07 19:45, mikehooker wrote:

On 2019-04-07 14:11, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

Sorry guys, I don't have a definitive answer yet, but I can tell you that the best combination in the photo above was 50/50 Coruba/Xaymaca, as expected. Surprisingly, I thought the second best was Signature/Xaymaca, slightly ahead of Reserve/Xaymaca.

Mixing it in cocktails will be the true test, however. At that point, I'll need to compare it to a few of the existing recommended subs as well as Kohala Bay. More to come ...

Have you considered a Xaymaca/S&C combo?

Not really. That's just pot-still funk on top of pot-still funk, so I'm pretty sure it would not work. No doubt it would be plenty tasty, but not as a sub for Kohala Bay, which does not have that over-the-top pot funkiness. I suspect Kohala Bay was mainly one of Appleton's bulk column still rums (similar to Coruba) with just a bit of overproof pot blended in for flavor.

I do have one more to add to the mix, however. From Trader Tom and Hiphipahula, unveiled in their new book, "The Home Bar Guide to Tropical Cocktails: A Spirited Journey Through Suburbia’s Hidden Tiki Temples" ...
4 parts Smith & Cross, 4 parts El Dorado 12, and 1 part Lemon Hart 151. It's just a slight variation of our old standby. But Tom and Kelly have done some advanced research. They had a bottle of Dagger that they were able to use for comparison, so I'll have to give this some serious consideration.

The other thing that would be lacking in a S&C/Xaymaca blend is the considerable amount of molasses that is added to a dark rum like Kohala Bay after the aging process. It's what brings a lot of the flavor and color in Coruba and similar offerings (that color ain't all coming from the barrel). I'm sure the old Dagger rum had a ton of it as well. Smith & Cross and Xaymaca are very pure rums, I don't think either one is "dosed."

A tantalizing prospect is that the raw ingredients for the blend that was sold as "Kohala Bay" are probably commercially available in some form somewhere. The biggest advantage the bottlers have is more stock rums at their disposal, as well as different proofs to bring in the right amount of heat vs. sweet.

I will continue to beat the drum for the Coruba/Xaymaca blend for everyday use; I found it to be almost identical to KB other than lacking a few subtle "bright" notes that I was unable to bring back with the rums I had on hand.

On 2019-04-08 23:07, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

On 2019-04-07 19:45, mikehooker wrote:

On 2019-04-07 14:11, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

Sorry guys, I don't have a definitive answer yet, but I can tell you that the best combination in the photo above was 50/50 Coruba/Xaymaca, as expected. Surprisingly, I thought the second best was Signature/Xaymaca, slightly ahead of Reserve/Xaymaca.

Mixing it in cocktails will be the true test, however. At that point, I'll need to compare it to a few of the existing recommended subs as well as Kohala Bay. More to come ...

Have you considered a Xaymaca/S&C combo?

Not really. That's just pot-still funk on top of pot-still funk, so I'm pretty sure it would not work. No doubt it would be plenty tasty, but not as a sub for Kohala Bay, which does not have that over-the-top pot funkiness. I suspect Kohala Bay was mainly one of Appleton's bulk column still rums (similar to Coruba) with just a bit of overproof pot blended in for flavor.

I do have one more to add to the mix, however. From Trader Tom and Hiphipahula, unveiled in their new book, "The Home Bar Guide to Tropical Cocktails: A Spirited Journey Through Suburbia’s Hidden Tiki Temples" ...
4 parts Smith & Cross, 4 parts El Dorado 12, and 1 part Lemon Hart 151. It's just a slight variation of our old standby. But Tom and Kelly have done some advanced research. They had a bottle of Dagger that they were able to use for comparison, so I'll have to give this some serious consideration.

[ Edited by: Quince_at_Dannys 2019-04-09 12:36 ]

[ Edited by: Quince_at_Dannys 2019-04-09 12:38 ]

On 2019-04-09 12:34, Quince_at_Dannys wrote:
The other thing that would be lacking in a S&C/Xaymaca blend is the considerable amount of molasses that is added to a dark rum like Kohala Bay after the aging process. It's what brings a lot of the flavor and color in Coruba and similar offerings (that color ain't all coming from the barrel). I'm sure the old Dagger rum had a ton of it as well. Smith & Cross and Xaymaca are very pure rums, I don't think either one is "dosed."

A tantalizing prospect is that the raw ingredients for the blend that was sold as "Kohala Bay" are probably commercially available in some form somewhere. The biggest advantage the bottlers have is more stock rums at their disposal, as well as different proofs to bring in the right amount of heat vs. sweet.

I will continue to beat the drum for the Coruba/Xaymaca blend for everyday use; I found it to be almost identical to KB other than lacking a few subtle "bright" notes that I was unable to bring back with the rums I had on hand.

Quince_at_Dannys,

I believe you are correct on the "dosing" aspect of Kohala Bay and Dagger. Though if they're produced 100% in Jamaica, they're prohibited from dosing with sugar. Caramel color, however, is fair game and obviously used with a heavy hand.

I'm very close to putting Coruba/Xaymaca to the test vs. the other top suggested replacements. But first, I wanted to test the suggested Dagger replacement from Trader Tom and Hiphipahula ...

I like to do my tests totally blind so I'm not clouded by any expectations of what I'm tasting. In this test, I put three rums head to head vs. Kohala Bay. The closest to the flavor, compared to Kohala Bay, was once again the old standby of 1:1 Smith & Cross and El Dorado 12. The addition of Lemon Hart actually detracted, IMHO, and that blend finished third.

So what was No. 2? Out of left field, we have a new obscure rum that I'm revealing here for the first time. It's eerily reminiscent of Kohala Bay, believe it or not, and possibly includes some of the stock alluded to above. There are other rums in the blend, so it's not promoted as a Jamaican rum, but the nose is very funky and the taste very much in the Jamaican wheelhouse. If you ever see this on the shelf, be sure to check it out ...

More on this obscure new find coming soon

So for my ultimate blind tasting showdown, I will be comparing these rums and blends to see which comes closest to Kohala Bay, both neat and in cocktails ...

• Equal parts Smith & Cross and El Dorado 12 (the current #1 suggested replacement)
• 5 parts Appleton Reserve, 1 part Lemon Hart 151, 1 part Hamilton Black (current #2)
• 4 parts Coruba, 2 parts Hamilton Black, 1 part Plantation O.F.T.D. (current #3)
• Equal parts Plantation Xaymaca and Coruba (the new contender)
• Red Heart (the wildcard out of left field)

On 2019-04-10 13:47, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

On 2019-04-09 12:34, Quince_at_Dannys wrote:
The other thing that would be lacking in a S&C/Xaymaca blend is the considerable amount of molasses that is added to a dark rum like Kohala Bay after the aging process. It's what brings a lot of the flavor and color in Coruba and similar offerings (that color ain't all coming from the barrel). I'm sure the old Dagger rum had a ton of it as well. Smith & Cross and Xaymaca are very pure rums, I don't think either one is "dosed."

A tantalizing prospect is that the raw ingredients for the blend that was sold as "Kohala Bay" are probably commercially available in some form somewhere. The biggest advantage the bottlers have is more stock rums at their disposal, as well as different proofs to bring in the right amount of heat vs. sweet.

I will continue to beat the drum for the Coruba/Xaymaca blend for everyday use; I found it to be almost identical to KB other than lacking a few subtle "bright" notes that I was unable to bring back with the rums I had on hand.

Quince_at_Dannys,

I believe you are correct on the "dosing" aspect of Kohala Bay and Dagger. Though if they're produced 100% in Jamaica, they're prohibited from dosing with sugar. Caramel color, however, is fair game and obviously used with a heavy hand.

I'm very close to putting Coruba/Xaymaca to the test vs. the other top suggested replacements. But first, I wanted to test the suggested Dagger replacement from Trader Tom and Hiphipahula ...

I like to do my tests totally blind so I'm not clouded by any expectations of what I'm tasting. In this test, I put three rums head to head vs. Kohala Bay. The closest to the flavor, compared to Kohala Bay, was once again the old standby of 1:1 Smith & Cross and El Dorado 12. The addition of Lemon Hart actually detracted, IMHO, and that blend finished third.

So what was No. 2? Out of left field, we have a new obscure rum that I'm revealing here for the first time. It's eerily reminiscent of Kohala Bay, believe it or not, and possibly includes some of the stock alluded to above. There are other rums in the blend, so it's not promoted as a Jamaican rum, but the nose is very funky and the taste very much in the Jamaican wheelhouse. If you ever see this on the shelf, be sure to check it out ...

More on this obscure new find coming soon

So for my ultimate blind tasting showdown, I will be comparing these rums and blends to see which comes closest to Kohala Bay, both neat and in cocktails ...

• Equal parts Smith & Cross and El Dorado 12 (the current #1 suggested replacement)
• 5 parts Appleton Reserve, 1 part Lemon Hart 151, 1 part Hamilton Black (current #2)
• 4 parts Coruba, 2 parts Hamilton Black, 1 part Plantation O.F.T.D. (current #3)
• Equal parts Plantation Xaymaca and Coruba (the new contender)
• Red Heart (the wildcard out of left field)

Red Heart? Shit, I thought they'd stopped making that.

Here's what I know about Red Heart:

Historically, it looks like it was a blend of pot-stilled Jamaican rums and was a peer of the old Jamaican Lemon Hart ...

It's unclear if or how the two brands were related. Red Heart is currently owned by Pernod Ricard (Lemon Hart's former owner). There was a Red Heart, a Black Heart and a White Heart. Since all the brands were part of United Rum Merchants and were often promoted together, they've got to have some connection ...

An expert believes that a pure Jamaican version of Red Heart is still bottled for Germany. I could not find that online, but it looks like Black Heart is still available from Lamb's in the UK and Europe as a Navy blend. (This is definitely not to be confused with Blackheart Spiced Rum from the Virgin Islands). A Google search will turn up lots of online links, such as this is from The Whiskey Exchange site ...

But I digress. Back to Red Heart. I can't reveal how I got my hands on the current version, only to say that apparently some cases got diverted to South Florida. It's made primarily for the South African market.

There are "Spiced" and "Original" blends. The front of the bottle of the Original touts it as "A bold and distinctive blend of premium aged rums imported from the Caribbean." On the back, it says "Produced in Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad. Bottled in South Africa." It also makes references to the brand's history: "From our very first bottle in 1852, to the one in your hand right now, Red Heart is still made the way it has always been -- using fine Caribbean pot still rums, aged in white oak casks and blended with care. Red Heart's award-winning flavor is bold and distinctive. A rum with Heart."

There's a "fan page" on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/RedHeartRum/about/

According to the Facebook page, it's "double distilled" and is "an aromatic blend of 18 different types of Caribbean Rum ranging from the light and clean continuous still rums, to the heavier, fruitier flavoured Pot still rums which typify the Jamaican Rums and set them apart from all others."

Though it's technically a Navy style rum, it's interesting that the promotional material makes sure to mention the Jamaican pot still flavor, which clearly dominates. FYI, I'm also told that it probably includes a small percentage of South African rums (for taxation purposes). This is most likely less than 2 percent and wouldn't have any influence on the flavor profile.

As mentioned above, the nose and flavor are heavy on the Jamaican pot-still component, but the overall blend evens it out nicely and puts it squarely in the Kohala Bay wheelhouse. If you're ever in South Africa, it's well worth tracking down.

Coincidentally I got to hold (not taste) this 1940s era bottle of red heart today.

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2019-04-13 21:55 ]

I'll have to start looking for ways to get my hands on some Red Heart/Jack Tarr. I'm down to my last bottle of Edwin Charley Black Label :(

NEW BLOG: Join us The Hukilau for an Okole Maluna Cocktail Academy class at Pier Sixty-Six on June 8 with rum expert Stephen Remsberg,and a symposium at The Mai-Kai on June 9 with Cocktail Wonk. Full preview of both events on the blog ...

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2019/05/13/the-rums-of-the-mai-kai-the-atomic-grog-presents-new-class-and-symposium-at-the-hukilau-2019/

Sorry to keep you guys in suspense, but I'll be revealing the results of my Xaymaca tastings and a revised list of Kohala Bay substitute blends during my class and symposium at The Hukilau. I'll be sharing a full, in-depth report here shortly after. Along with some other BIG NEWS.

We have lots of surprises, giveaways and cool stuff to share at The Hukilau and I'm really looking forward to it. Hope to see some of you there!

Okole maluna!

On 2019-06-05 11:37, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Sorry to keep you guys in suspense, but I'll be revealing the results of my Xaymaca tastings and a revised list of Kohala Bay substitute blends during my class and symposium at The Hukilau. I'll be sharing a full, in-depth report here shortly after. Along with some other BIG NEWS.

We have lots of surprises, giveaways and cool stuff to share at The Hukilau and I'm really looking forward to it. Hope to see some of you there!

Okole maluna!

SPILL IT JIM!!!!!!

Sorry, I have to keep teasing you until I have time to write my full article, but this is quite a tease ...

Needless to say, it blows away Kohala Bay and most every other dark Jamaican rum I've ever tasted.

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2019-06-21 20:18 ]

On 2019-06-16 09:55, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Sorry, I have to keep teasing you until I have time to write my full article, but this is quite a tease ...

Needless to say, it blows away Kohala Bay and every other dark Jamaican rum I've ever tasted.

They have the technology. Certainly the demand is there. A flurry of Jamaican rums have hit the market since KB disappeared. In general, the world has become more accepting and appreciative of full bodied rums. Makes no sense the Appleton/Wray camp wouldn't try to replicate this (and the 17 year). Eagerly awaiting your news.

On 2019-04-07 14:11, Hurricane Hayward wrote:

...I can tell you that the best combination in the photo above was 50/50 Coruba/Xaymaca, as expected.

Mixing it in cocktails will be the true test.

BTW - I did a side by side 151 Swizzle (V4) comparison using the standard S&C/ED12 blend and the newly recommended Coruba/Xaymaca combo a few weeks ago and the difference was very apparent. The Coruba mix was really lacking. The drink didn't have its usual magic. I also just used the "new" LH151 in place of Hamilton at a friends party the other night and it doesn't hold up. Everyone still liked/loved it, but they don't know what they're missing. Hard to beat the S&C/ED12/H151 power house.

Also, just for fun(k), do a Doctor Bird/Xaymaca split in a Mai Tai. Holy awesome! I was using my homemade toasted orgeat and Senor Curacao and it was divine.

[ Edited by: mikehooker 2019-06-16 12:39 ]

just for fun(k), do a Doctor Bird/Xaymaca split in a Mai Tai. Holy awesome! I was using my homemade toasted orgeat and Senor Curacao and it was divine.

That's pretty close to my current house Mai Tai mix:

Fremont Mai Tai
1/2 oz @appletonestateusa 12
1/2 oz Smith & Cross
1/2 oz @plantation.rum Xaymaca
1/2 oz @plantation.rum OFTD
1 oz Lime
1/2 oz @latitude29nola Orgeat
1/2 oz @pierreferrandpf Dry Curacao
1/4 oz @bgreynolds Demerara Syrup

Without further ado, here's the first of several big reveals from my class and symposium at The Hukilau. I still need to update The Mai-Kai rums page on The Atomic Grog, and I'll be adding much more detail below explaining how I came to these results.

As you can see, I did some extensive Rum Barrel testing to arrive at the new lineup of recommended Kohala Bay substitutes ...

On 2019-06-21 17:44, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Without further ado, here's the first of several big reveals from my class and symposium at The Hukilau. I still need to update The Mai-Kai rums page on The Atomic Grog, and I'll be adding much more detail below explaining how I came to these results.

As you can see, I did some extensive Rum Barrel testing to arrive at the new lineup of recommended Kohala Bay substitutes ...

WOW!!!

Thanks to manager Kern Mattei, I was able to piece together a more accurate history of the dark Jamaican rums employed in the back bars at The Mai-Kai. I'll get into this in much more detail soon, but I wanted to reveal it here now since all those attending my class and symposium already saw this ...

By several twists of fate, I was able to taste all of those over the course of The Hukilau, with the exception of the 1950s Dagger. However, there's a bottle in the back bar from that era that I still hope to get a sip from soon ...

I'm hoping this is the original Dagger Punch blend that dates back to Don the Beachcomber. It's at least from the 1960s or '70s. More investigation to follow.

As noted above, Dave Levy was generous enough to share an unopened bottle of Dagger Punch from the 1990s ...

This is the later blend that other folks have found in the wild. But remember that it's not the original Dagger. It clocks in at 87.6 proof, the same as Kohala Bay. The original Dagger was 97 proof. This timetable and the fact that Kohala Bay came immediately after the final Dagger blend, packaged in a similar plastic bottle, has led many to believe it's the same rum. After tasting them side-by-side at The Mai-Kai, I can assure you they're not. The rum in that bottle of Dagger had wonderful, rich molasses notes that I've never tasted in Kohala Bay, or any other current Jamaican rum.

But that wasn't even the best dark Jamaican rum I tasted all weekend. Stephen Remsberg, my special guest at our Okole Maluna Cocktail Academy class on Saturday, brought a selection of rare rums that he generously encouraged us to use in abundant amounts ...

The mysterious rum in the green box will be discussed later elsewhere. It and Lightbourne's from Barbados were probably the best rums I tasted all weekend, despite being bottled 40+ years ago. But let's talk about Appleton Punch. All I can say is "wow." It's the missing link between the '50s-'60s era, 97-proof Dagger Punch and the 87.6-proof version from the 1990s. According to Kern, The Mai-Kai used it for quite a few years when he worked behind the bar in the early '80s. But they apparently didn't save a bottle. At 97-proof, it packs the same wallop as the early Dagger and a similar taste as the later version.

We put it to good in the class, mixing up two authentic Barrels 'O Rum with pre-batched ingredients provided by The Mai-Kai. All we had to do was add the rum. To complement the Appleton Punch, we used the white Ron Rico rum from the 1970s. The result was unequivocally the best Rum Barrel I've ever tasted. No contest. Now I know what Mariano Licudine intended it to taste like. The same molasses notes are prevalent, but not quite as intense (possibly due to the age of the bottle, or the higher proof). But the heat and complex flavors were still there. Luckily, a third of the bottle remains for me to experiment with ...

Perhaps we should be trying to duplicate the flavor of the 97-proof Dagger/Appleton Punch blend, not the 87.6-proof Kohala Bay. No guarantees, but I'll definitely be experimenting in the coming months.

I almost forgot to mention the biggest news in the grand scheme of things: The Mai-Kai's new replacement for Kohala Bay, which was rolled out in April. Everyone who took the back-bar tour got a taste of the multi-rum blend neat. I've tasted and re-evaluated all of the cocktails that use it. For the first time in years, you can taste the Jamaican funk in most of them (some more than others).

What's in it, you ask? I really can't reveal that, other than to say it's similar in style to one of my suggested substitutes. Same concept, but slightly different. If you're in striking distance from The Mai-Kai, you'll have to taste all the drinks and see what you think. Some of the suggested substitutes listed above are very close.

I'll be updating all my reviews and adding tasting notes in the coming weeks, hopefully between small sips of Appleton Punch.

Okole maluna!

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2019-06-21 19:59 ]

I am incredibly envious, but soooo glad you got to have (and continue) these experiments.

On 2019-06-22 12:52, mikehooker wrote:
I am incredibly envious, but soooo glad you got to have (and continue) these experiments.

Speaking of envious: During The Hukilau class, Stephen Remsberg told a story about his first experiences drinking at Don the Beachcomber some 40+ years ago. He talked about one of the things that stands out in his memory is how damn good the dark Jamaican rum tasted in the cocktails. I'll listen back to the recording and post the exact quote. That's just one more reason to continue exploring this unique vintage rum.

FYI, I'm posting my full experiences at The Hukilau in regards to The Mai-Kai over on the "Updates to The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide on The Atomic Grog" thread ...
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=47293&forum=10&start=last&411

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2019-06-22 19:20 ]

Can someone (everyone) post their current fav sub here? We need a summary page.

As I interviewed people for my Mai-Kai book, I heard over and over that the drinks were not as good as they used to be. Some said it happened after Mariano left, but I tend to believe it wasn't Mariano's retirement that changed the drinks, but the rums.

It is certainly remarkable how much better a drink is with a superior rum. As an example, I got a bottle of the LH yellow label 151 not too long ago and had a Zombie with it. Wow. You just forget how incredible that is, and how dull it is with anything available now. Last year at the Hukilau Dave Levy instructed the bar to make all my drinks with Kohala Bay for the night. It was just an astounding difference. Everything was very noticeable better, and not because I was toast or anything like that. It just shines through and can make a decent or good drink, fantastic.

This is one of the missing secrets of DtB recipes. We have a recipe on paper, but the exact rums being used is missing. Only the Mai-Kai has been making these recipes since 1956 using the original rums and working hard to maintain that flavor over the years with the rums available.

Absolutely agree with all that Swanky. I was lucky enough to grab a few bottles of Kohala Bay when they were around, and I have to say that Hurricane’s suggested sub of half S&C and half El Dorado 12 is damn close. And delicious.

On 2019-06-21 19:50, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Thanks to manager Kern Mattei, I was able to piece together a more accurate history of the dark Jamaican rums employed in the back bars at The Mai-Kai. I'll get into this in much more detail soon, but I wanted to reveal it here now since all those attending my class and symposium already saw this ...

By several twists of fate, I was able to taste all of those over the course of The Hukilau, with the exception of the 1950s Dagger. However, there's a bottle in the back bar from that era that I still hope to get a sip from soon ...

I'm hoping this is the original Dagger Punch blend that dates back to Don the Beachcomber. It's at least from the 1960s or '70s. More investigation to follow.

As noted above, Dave Levy was generous enough to share an unopened bottle of Dagger Punch from the 1990s ...

This is the later blend that other folks have found in the wild. But remember that it's not the original Dagger. It clocks in at 87.6 proof, the same as Kohala Bay. The original Dagger was 97 proof. This timetable and the fact that Kohala Bay came immediately after the final Dagger blend, packaged in a similar plastic bottle, has led many to believe it's the same rum. After tasting them side-by-side at The Mai-Kai, I can assure you they're not. The rum in that bottle of Dagger had wonderful, rich molasses notes that I've never tasted in Kohala Bay, or any other current Jamaican rum.

But that wasn't even the best dark Jamaican rum I tasted all weekend. Stephen Remsberg, my special guest at our Okole Maluna Cocktail Academy class on Saturday, brought a selection of rare rums that he generously encouraged us to use in abundant amounts ...

The mysterious rum in the green box will be discussed later elsewhere. It and Lightbourne's from Barbados were probably the best rums I tasted all weekend, despite being bottled 40+ years ago. But let's talk about Appleton Punch. All I can say is "wow." It's the missing link between the '50s-'60s era, 97-proof Dagger Punch and the 87.6-proof version from the 1990s. According to Kern, The Mai-Kai used it for quite a few years when he worked behind the bar in the early '80s. But they apparently didn't save a bottle. At 97-proof, it packs the same wallop as the early Dagger and a similar taste as the later version.

We put it to good in the class, mixing up two authentic Barrels 'O Rum with pre-batched ingredients provided by The Mai-Kai. All we had to do was add the rum. To complement the Appleton Punch, we used the white Ron Rico rum from the 1970s. The result was unequivocally the best Rum Barrel I've ever tasted. No contest. Now I know what Mariano Licudine intended it to taste like. The same molasses notes are prevalent, but not quite as intense (possibly due to the age of the bottle, or the higher proof). But the heat and complex flavors were still there. Luckily, a third of the bottle remains for me to experiment with ...

Perhaps we should be trying to duplicate the flavor of the 97-proof Dagger/Appleton Punch blend, not the 87.6-proof Kohala Bay. No guarantees, but I'll definitely be experimenting in the coming months.

I almost forgot to mention the biggest news in the grand scheme of things: The Mai-Kai's new replacement for Kohala Bay, which was rolled out in April. Everyone who took the back-bar tour got a taste of the multi-rum blend neat. I've tasted and re-evaluated all of the cocktails that use it. For the first time in years, you can taste the Jamaican funk in most of them (some more than others).

What's in it, you ask? I really can't reveal that, other than to say it's similar in style to one of my suggested substitutes. Same concept, but slightly different. If you're in striking distance from The Mai-Kai, you'll have to taste all the drinks and see what you think. Some of the suggested substitutes listed above are very close.

I'll be updating all my reviews and adding tasting notes in the coming weeks, hopefully between small sips of Appleton Punch.

Okole maluna!

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2019-06-21 19:59 ]

I am in awe Jim, and living vicariously through your posts!

On 2019-06-21 19:50, Hurricane Hayward wrote:
Thanks to manager Kern Mattei, I was able to piece together a more accurate history of the dark Jamaican rums employed in the back bars at The Mai-Kai. I'll get into this in much more detail soon, but I wanted to reveal it here now since all those attending my class and symposium already saw this ...

By several twists of fate, I was able to taste all of those over the course of The Hukilau, with the exception of the 1950s Dagger. However, there's a bottle in the back bar from that era that I still hope to get a sip from soon ...

I'm hoping this is the original Dagger Punch blend that dates back to Don the Beachcomber. It's at least from the 1960s or '70s. More investigation to follow.

As noted above, Dave Levy was generous enough to share an unopened bottle of Dagger Punch from the 1990s ...

This is the later blend that other folks have found in the wild. But remember that it's not the original Dagger. It clocks in at 87.6 proof, the same as Kohala Bay. The original Dagger was 97 proof. This timetable and the fact that Kohala Bay came immediately after the final Dagger blend, packaged in a similar plastic bottle, has led many to believe it's the same rum. After tasting them side-by-side at The Mai-Kai, I can assure you they're not. The rum in that bottle of Dagger had wonderful, rich molasses notes that I've never tasted in Kohala Bay, or any other current Jamaican rum.

But that wasn't even the best dark Jamaican rum I tasted all weekend. Stephen Remsberg, my special guest at our Okole Maluna Cocktail Academy class on Saturday, brought a selection of rare rums that he generously encouraged us to use in abundant amounts ...

The mysterious rum in the green box will be discussed later elsewhere. It and Lightbourne's from Barbados were probably the best rums I tasted all weekend, despite being bottled 40+ years ago. But let's talk about Appleton Punch. All I can say is "wow." It's the missing link between the '50s-'60s era, 97-proof Dagger Punch and the 87.6-proof version from the 1990s. According to Kern, The Mai-Kai used it for quite a few years when he worked behind the bar in the early '80s. But they apparently didn't save a bottle. At 97-proof, it packs the same wallop as the early Dagger and a similar taste as the later version.

We put it to good in the class, mixing up two authentic Barrels 'O Rum with pre-batched ingredients provided by The Mai-Kai. All we had to do was add the rum. To complement the Appleton Punch, we used the white Ron Rico rum from the 1970s. The result was unequivocally the best Rum Barrel I've ever tasted. No contest. Now I know what Mariano Licudine intended it to taste like. The same molasses notes are prevalent, but not quite as intense (possibly due to the age of the bottle, or the higher proof). But the heat and complex flavors were still there. Luckily, a third of the bottle remains for me to experiment with ...

Perhaps we should be trying to duplicate the flavor of the 97-proof Dagger/Appleton Punch blend, not the 87.6-proof Kohala Bay. No guarantees, but I'll definitely be experimenting in the coming months.

I almost forgot to mention the biggest news in the grand scheme of things: The Mai-Kai's new replacement for Kohala Bay, which was rolled out in April. Everyone who took the back-bar tour got a taste of the multi-rum blend neat. I've tasted and re-evaluated all of the cocktails that use it. For the first time in years, you can taste the Jamaican funk in most of them (some more than others).

What's in it, you ask? I really can't reveal that, other than to say it's similar in style to one of my suggested substitutes. Same concept, but slightly different. If you're in striking distance from The Mai-Kai, you'll have to taste all the drinks and see what you think. Some of the suggested substitutes listed above are very close.

I'll be updating all my reviews and adding tasting notes in the coming weeks, hopefully between small sips of Appleton Punch.

Okole maluna!

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2019-06-21 19:59 ]

I am in awe Jim, and living vicariously through your posts!

[ Edited by: CincyTikiCraig 2019-07-05 20:55 ]

On 2019-07-01 05:49, Swanky wrote:
Can someone (everyone) post their current fav sub here? We need a summary page.

2 parts Courba, 2 parts Xaymaca, 1 part Hamilton Black. I need to try adding some ElDo 12 to the mix.

CincyTikiCraig, do you really need to quote the comment you are responding to? All you're doing is doubling up on and taking up a ton of space with photos and text that we've all just read. All you need to do is mention the persons name and we can work out who and what you're responding to.

Xaymaca and Coruba are great, but too lite to be a suitable sub for Kohala Bay imho

On 2019-07-06 04:07, swizzle wrote:
CincyTikiCraig, do you really need to quote the comment you are responding to? All you're doing is doubling up on and taking up a ton of space with photos and text that we've all just read. All you need to do is mention the persons name and we can work out who and what you're responding to.

Sorry

On 2019-07-06 19:59, CincyTikiCraig wrote:

On 2019-07-06 04:07, swizzle wrote:
CincyTikiCraig, do you really need to quote the comment you are responding to? All you're doing is doubling up on and taking up a ton of space with photos and text that we've all just read. All you need to do is mention the persons name and we can work out who and what you're responding to.

Sorry

It won't happen again. I assure you.

On 2019-07-06 19:59, CincyTikiCraig wrote:

On 2019-07-06 19:59, CincyTikiCraig wrote:

On 2019-07-06 04:07, swizzle wrote:
CincyTikiCraig, do you really need to quote the comment you are responding to? All you're doing is doubling up on and taking up a ton of space with photos and text that we've all just read. All you need to do is mention the persons name and we can work out who and what you're responding to.

Sorry

It won't happen again. I assure you.

Oh darn. I seem to have done it again.

Hahaha. So witty.

Given that Smith & Cross, half the dynamic duo for the top-rated mix, is a blend of relatively young Hampden Estate distillates, and the rum we're trying to recreate had a good amount of age on it, how about experimenting with their new 7 year overproof release as a basis for blends? I don't think I've seen it mentioned in this thread yet. It's pure pot still, so it might be overly intense even compared to the old products, but cutting it with another rum (maybe good ol' Coruba?) might do the trick to make it more like the well-aged black blended rums of yesteryear.

That Hampden overproof is really something special. I just wish it was at a lower price point cuz it's prohibitively expensive to use as an everyday mixer. I have put it to use in a Mai Tai and Jaspers Jamaican which both really highlight the deliciousness of the rum. If employing it in a KB sub I'd use only trace amounts.

On 2019-08-17 10:57, mikehooker wrote:
That Hampden overproof is really something special. I just wish it was at a lower price point cuz it's prohibitively expensive to use as an everyday mixer. I have put it to use in a Mai Tai and Jaspers Jamaican which both really highlight the deliciousness of the rum. If employing it in a KB sub I'd use only trace amounts.

Yeah its tragically expensive for something that I just want to drink constantly.

My current finalists for a KB-equivalent blend are:

a) Appleton Res. + Hamilton 151 + Jamaican Black

and

b) Appleton Res. + OFTD + Hamilton Jamaican Black

I have to play with the proportion of Appleton in each, and then decide how crucial it is to get close to KB's 87.6 proof.

I'd love to play with Coruba in a KB-equivalent blend but it seems impossible to find it down here in the Miami area, and damned if I use up my last bottle for trial-and-error purposes.

[ Edited by jokeiii on 2022-04-19 19:10:33 ]

I know Hurricane Hayward did some more KB sub exploration over Covid and those results have not hit the blog so far as I know. Perhaps he'll chime in with the latest and greatest soon!

So you know, Palm Beach Liquor in Delray Beach carries that Red Heart. (I ran across it in yet another fruitless search for Coruba.) Pretty reasonable price, if memory serves.

[ Edited by jokeiii on 2022-04-23 22:24:44 ]

BTW, the one place in S. Florida I know carries Red Heart a) still does, and b) has raised the price from +/-$24 to +/-$38! But if you are adamant… https://palmbeachliquor.com/shop?product-id=5abd4ad0db416b7fa20879ee&option-id=6184dfa48c3a2972d3647b5fe0884aafedc561ec48171990c8cfcafb45189cbd

Also, I’ve been tinkering with with a Coruba/Appleton Signature/Wray overproof (DISCLAIMER: I'm not even remotely the first/only person doing so) blend* as a Kohala Bay substitute…but I’m going to throw Blackwell in there as well, since it’s also a Wray & Nephew (and therefore Jamaican) product.

It’s also way (and I mean WAAAAAAAAAAY) easier for me to find than Coruba, and only weighs in at a street price of +/-$18 locally.

Since I have just under two handles of KB, so I can set some aside as a control in the name of science.

*I’ve settled on 3:2:1 for now, but willing to listen and revise my opinion.

[ Edited by jokeiii on 2023-05-14 06:17:35 ]

Not to rain on this parade - especially since I was one of the leaders of the parade :>) - but this discussion will all become moot very soon when The Mai-Kai reopens and starts using their new 100-proof rum ...

I've tried it, both neat and in cocktails. I think it will easily make us forget Kohala Bay.

But until then, I'm still still sharing my definitive Koahla Bay sub suggestions ... https://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2011/06/27/the-rum-barrel-the-rodney-dangerfield-of-tropical-drinks/#rum

Not sure it's worth it to add more to the list, but if anyone has any they feel strongly about, let me know and I'll give it a try.

Okole maluna!

That's a hell of a bottle label, just beautiful.

We were schooled by Matt Pietrek (aka Rum Wonk) on "From Don to Denizen – The Evolution of Tiki Rums" at The Hukilau last month. He covered all the major players, then Matt and Robert Burr of Miami Rum Festival treated us to an exclusive tasting of the newest contender, Mai-Kai Rum No. 1.

More photos and our recap of the presentation at AtomicGrog.com or https://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2024/07/05/the-hukilau-highlights-photos-and-memories-from-2023-tiki-weekender-in-south-florida-2/#tiki-rum