Koloa Dark

Nice dark rum from the islands.

The aroma makes you want to sip it but the body is not a full as I like. Mixes well and adds to drinks that normally have an edge. It has a place in my bar...

It’s says dark rum, but kind of tastes like a sweet spiced rum. Good for mixing. Not a sipper for my palate but if your into darker / sweeter rums this might be for you.

Been meaning to try this company for a bit. Unique terroir but tastes like added flavours. Sweet, a bit peppery with some cherry and chocolate flavours. Glad I tried and will likely try the other varieties, however for the same price I would get another rum if it wasn't for the novelty of Hawaiian rum.
... after another glasses, all I taste is vanilla and sweet burnt sugar.... dropped from a 7 to a 6. I mean if you like the taste of s'mores, this rum is for you.

On its own it was good. It was a bit sweet and less complex than your better aged rums but for the 45 buck I paid it was one I would by again for mixing drinks. Not a sipping Rum but mixed it was really solid. I was not expecting much from this Rum but it was a nice surprise.

This is a fine rum, with a nice nose and good flavor but I'm afraid priced out of its league. It lacks the complexities of a sipping rum, but will provide the right flavors to make your mixed drinks stand out...if that's what you're looking to achieve.

This is ok. Smooth but too sweet. Short finish. Overpriced. Tastes like there are additives.

Aroma - warm chocolate followed by sweet bread and a hint of barrel wood.

Taste - fresh chocolate chip cookies

Okay, so I have a bit of explaining to do. I tried as best as I could to get another flavor out of this rum besides the cookies but I simply could not. This is by far the strangest phenomena I have ever come across in a rum. I even cross referenced it with my dad who doesn't drink hard liquor at all and he came up with the exact same taste. This is a weird rum for sure but I think I found a use for it. I don't think it would mix very well, especially not in a classic Tiki drink, but I think it would be a great tool to use when introducing people to rum for the first time. It is obviously sweet, but not artificially like Bumbu, has no alcohol burn, fairly easy to find, can be bought in 50ml samples, and at $26 to $34 isn't going to bankrupt anyone. I recommend people try it if they can find a 50ml sample, but this one isn't for me.

Was looking to try a new dark/black rum and gave Koloa a try. This is my first Hawaiian rum, so bear with me if my observations are amateur.

I get a good taste of coffee on the start, following by rich caramel flavors, which faded quickly and seemed fairly monotone. Much sweeter than I expected, almost artificially so. However, it sips reasonably smooth, which is a plus, since this expression is priced higher than other dark rums I generally look for. Not exceptionally interesting on its own and I was hoping for more complexity, generally whelmed with my purchase.

I'd throw this in cocktails in a pinch. I'm Kama'aina so I'm all for supporting local industry. But, this was pretty unremarkable, low-budget rum in my book. Especially given my forays into caribbean rums from Guyana in particular.

That said, they make a mean-ass rum cake that you absolutely must NOT miss. They even do mail order!