CRAFT by Under My Host® Issue No. 16 Made in America: Part I | Page 53
technology industry, but he was looking into agricultural opportuni-
ties for his next adventure. Dawson was enthralled with the thousand-
year-old history of Kō, Hawaiian sugarcane, which predated Columbus,
arriving with the first Polynesian habitants.
He imagined making rum with heirloom varietals brought with these
first people of Hawaii, which is referred to as “native cane.” He learned
that it was hardly grown on the islands anymore, as the sugar indus-
try replaced this historic, juice-rich “chewing cane” with commercial
hybrids that were less juicy and more suitable for crystalizing refined
sugar.
Dawson was not to be deterred, and soon met Noa Lincoln, an ethno-
botanist, who had written his doctoral thesis, Kō: An Ethnobotani-
cal Guide to Hawaiian Sugarcane Varietals , at University of Hawaii’s
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. In 2010, after a
year of research, they planted a quarter acre of Kō, including eighteen
heirloom varietals. The farm is now recognized as the largest collec-
tion of native Hawaiian Kō in the world; all of which was genetically
tested, analyzed, and compared to historic tasting notes archived by
Hawaii’s rich and storied community of botanists. One big advantage of
the Hawaiian climate is that with staggered plantings, they can harvest
throughout the year as the cane matures, with no need to compress into
a single harvest to avoid cane-killing freezes.
Dawson brought on business partner Jason Bland, and together they
founded Manulele Distillers. They drew from the French traditions,
looking at sugarcane as similar to fruit used to make wine to be distilled
into cognac. Although they ferment a little slower and barrel age a little
differently, Dawson set out to prove his belief that Hawaiian agricole
could express its grassy, vegetal notes in a world class spirit on par with
any Caribbean agricole, French cognac, Mexican tequila or American
whiskey.
Manulele Distillers made their first spirit in 2012 and by 2013 they were
serving their KōHana Hawaiian Agricole one day a week in their tast-
ing room. In some ways, it was a meager beginning, limited to unaged
white agricole with scarce availability. Within a year’s time however,
they were open for tasting and sales three days a week, and self-dis-
tributing KōHana to local restaurants. Now they are open seven days a
week, and sold just under 24,000 (375 ml) bottles of Hawaiian agricole
in 2017. They have 15 active acres with another 11 planted, and expect to
have 60 acres of sugarcane active by 2019.
Manulele’s Kō Hana series of Hawaiian agricole includes KEA - White
Agricole Rum, KOHO - Barrel Aged Agricole Rum and KOA - Cask
Strength Agricole Rum. Each label identifies the specific varietal of Kō
used for the distillation. They expanded their agricultural expression
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