Manulele Distillers

Amazingly fun place to drop by and learn about part of the local economy, history, and rum production.

Visited the distillery recently for a tasting only and we were very impressed with the rum. As you walk in you are given some fresh pressed cane juice which is so pure and delicious, I could feel my ailments melting away. We were then taken to the rich wood bar where we were given samples of 3 rums. All the rums have very unique flavors and the treat they provided, made by a local chef, rum cake; pound cake on steroids! I highly recommend this place.
We bought 2 bottles and I have already made my first cocktail KEA, varietal: Hapa blended with fresh Dole Pineapple over ice with a splash of soda water. :)

Never knew that there was a distillery in Kunia. Now I’m glad I know. Got to take a tour and learn about how these fine folks make rum out of sugarcane. I’ll never buy regular rum from the store again.

My wife and I come to Hawaii annually. Oahu is an island that we feel that we know quite well. We are thrilled at the «ordinary» when it comes to our visits to this vibrant if sometimes hectic island. After watching a recent episode of ‘The Booze Traveller’ I was exposed, within a mere mention, to the possibility of a new adventure. A rum I’d never heard of. A distillery, on Oahu, producing small batch agricole rum. How exciting!
On this episode, it was truly a mere moment of mention. I did a bit of research and marked it as a must buy upon landing for our latest visit. I searched everywhere, assuming it would be available retail. After initial recon at ABC and Foodland, I realized it may be a bit of a challenge. I did not despair. I pushed forward in my quest to find the elusive rum. Eventually, I just called the distillery. They mentioned it was only available at the source. Surely, some might say I should’ve just done this earlier but I do enjoy the thrill of the hunt.
I asked if I needed to make reservations and was told that, since they were not quite hopping with business yet, there would be no need. We pulled up to a nondescript green building surrounded by fields of cane and the mist shrouded mountains. Upon entering, we were offered cane juice freshly pressed from a mini-​cane-​press poured into Glencairn classes.
The owners and other employees were fantastic. Welcoming, approachable, easy going. We were shown around the grounds and introduced to not only the distillery but also to Kunia. The spirit of the business, the land and the people were undeniably infectious. Hearing the story about each cane varietal, sourced from ancient Hawaiian lore, was truly something that fleshed out this operation.
The tasting ended the the tour, with squares of rum cake (made by Roy’s executive pastry chef, only available at the distillery) also available. Each of the rums was made with a different cane varietal and each one shone with the character of that cane. As opposed to rums made with molasses, pure cane rum is truly remarkable. The cane really does come through.
As mentioned before, they are a a very small operation. So, they do not pump out 750 ml bottles. However, the beautiful (if somewhat achingly small) bottles are great! Something to savor, to cherish until the very last tipple. The cane from which these rums are derived are only grown by them. Each was painstakingly sourced and verified as pure (1,000 year old) Hawaiian cane as opposed to cane species from South America. Nearly extinct! Thanks to these awesome people, another reason to come back to this beautiful aina, year after year.

Love this little hidden gem! I love checking of local distilleries and breweries, and I’m so glad I found this one.
We were first greeted with fresh sugar cane juice and then Eric gave us our own private tour. There weren’t a lot of people on a Saturday at 1pm. Eric was super knowledgable and gave us the history and background of the rum.
We then tried 4 different rum for the tasting, and they were all enjoyable! We left with a few bottles!

We missed the tour by 20 mins but were greeted immediately. They were a little slow so they started the next tour a little early to accommodate us. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. The facility itself is very clean including the bathroom

Came by as the result of a Google search and had an amazing afternoon. The tour is worth every penny and the tasting was great. An awesome spot with passionate people and a one-​of-​a-​kind view.

Went there when they just opened, what a beautiful place and great little tour. We had a sip of cane juice fresh pressed when we got there. They are very knowledgable and easy going. We had several tastings and I came home with a bottle or two. Our guy, Mike (?) talked us through the different rums and doing tastings in the morning is not for the faint of heart, lol. I will be taking people back there when they visit.

Stopped by on a drive to the north shore. Was greeted by a fresh glass of cane juice that was the start of a great tour. Located in the old
Dole plantation general store Manulele Distillers spent seven years gathering local varieties of sugar cane to make their rum. This is not the rum one would expect. This is an agricole rum, distilled in the French style using a cognac still. Manulele uses a single variety of sugar cane to make each rum. Reminds me of single malt scotches. The un-​barreled rums were great to sip on and the aged rums were similar to fine whiskeys.
All the people we talked to were very friendly and extremely knowledgable and made for a great tour experience. Hard to walk out of there with only three bottles.

Manulele Distillery is an amazing experience. Located in the old general store of the Del Monte plantation, you are greeted with a friendly smile, a collection of local photography, and a dose of aloha spirit.
The friendly staff will walk you around the grounds allowing you to experience the process Agricole rum. The distillery is so much more than the rum — ask about the varieties of sugar cane alone.
Once you come to the tasting, you will be pleasantly surprised. Everything you think you know about rum is about to be transformed. The thing you pour in copious amounts in your fruity drinks will not be found on these grounds. You will find a much higher quality, small batch product, fit for sipping. Sipping rum? Trust me… You want to sip some rum!
Come for the experience, come for the education, come while it is still a small place, they are going to be huge. I would happily dump money into their vision, their process, their product and their people. Great place!

After trying Kohana agricole rum at a Honolulu restaurant back in October I knew I wanted some. I left a message at the distillery to pick some up and Robert Dawson (founder) actually called me back personally and told me what they were trying to accomplish, with the Rum and different sugar canes, and that I’d have to wait. After he described their process I wanted to have the rum even more.
After almost a year of waiting they finally had my rum ready. It was worth the wait. I had a bottle of the Kea and Koho shipped directly to my door (along with a t-​shirt via FedEx).
While the Kea is the least expensive, it is quite excellent. It seemed a little more aromatic, smooth, and had a sweeter finish than their white rum I sampled previously.
Besides the taste, the rum is well represented with a fashionable high quality bottle with a glass stopper on top. On the back of the bottle is the batch information. My Koho rum is from barrel 1, bottle #011, and from a Manulele cane according to the label.
I can’t wait to open the Koho, but am quite content to thoroughly enjoy my Kea.

Scheduled a private tour of the distillery and had a BLAST! If you know nothing (Jon Snow) about agricole rum, this tour is for you. If you know everything about auricle rum, this tour is for you. We were able to see so many different local varietals of sugarcane, learned about the history of sugarcane and of the local area in general, and, of course, tasted some stellar rum! Our tour guide, Kyle, was so incredibly warm and knowledgable, we didn’t want the tour to end. Definitely one of the BEST things I have every experienced in my seven years on the island and will definitely return!

One of the best distilleries I have ever been to. Kyle was an incredible host and we had such a blast! It does seem a bit small from the front but it had so much going on and the rum they make is so incredible. I only wish I could live down the street so I can go there all the time.

Awesome guys making agricole rum from local sugar cane juice. They hope to open soon to the public and offering tours and tasting at their distillery. Good luck guys!!!