Aloha from Hawaii,
Just got a pre-launch tasting and tour of a new vodka from Hawaii. This one is actually made (distilled, cut, bottled, labeled, packaged) in Hawaii on Oahu, near Sand Island. Many of the so called made in Hawaii brands are not made here so I just wanted to share one that is the real deal.
This vodka is called, quite appropriately Hawaiian Vodka. Made from sugarcane, which we have a lot of in Hawaii, it is a very limited product. The distillery or in Hawaii da distillree is located in a small 1200 square foot warehouse just down the road from Honolulu International Airport and on the way to Waikiki. The owner, Dave Flintstone, came to Hawaii as a scuba instructor (and not a brontosauraus bulldozer driver!) via the carribean where he learned the art of distillation of rum. Dave is such a nice guy that he will laugh at every cartoon joke you slap him with and probably tell you a few that you never heard of! He was quite shocked to learn that there was very little distillation going on in Hawaii (Old Lahaina Rums, Koloa Rum from Kauai and Maui Rum are the others) so he set out to make a more popular vodka on Maui. If you ever heard the term Soup Nazi, you can understand the meaning of Liquor Commission Nazis on Maui, so he moved to Oahu about a year and a half ago to start this company.
Water is the most important ingredient in vodka (well, if you want to get drunk the alcohol would be more important) as far as smoothness and taste. Hawaii has vast amounts of natural aquifers that are filtered by lava cinders from the ancient volcanos now extinct. If you ever had pure Hawaiian Water, it is smooth, soft and the only kind I drink at home. Hawaiian Vodka uses a combination of cane sugar, cane juice, and molasses to get the low wine or stuff you ferment. Daves Vodka is distilled at 190 proof, using a small copper pot still, with both a swan-neck top - like the ones you see in Scotland to make single malts and plate-top- kind of what you see in bourbon. It is then cut to 80proof and bottled (4 at a time) with a special jet system that shoots a stream of air into the bottle and vodka as it is filled. Dave feels it gives his vodka a little softer feel and I do agree. The cap goes on and Daves hand labels all the bottles using a kind of gig that he has to do twice, once for the front lower label and a second for the back and image label. Hand packed into 12pack cases of 750ml bottles and sent out to just a few retailers lucky enough to get their hands on it. It retails for about $25 a bottle.
My impressions were:
Sight: clear, but when swirled it has a slight viscosity to it that made it cling to the glass
Nose: clean, not much as far as citrus or flowery smells that many people find in their vodkas I like it that way as flavor can be added with lemon or lime and other liqueurs.
First impression: smooth, no burn or harsh taste. Clean no sweetness to it even though it is made from cane and sugar.
Finish: also clean and smooth.
Final thought: although it is a very neutral vodka, I dont believe it would do well in a mixed drink or to put it differently, it is better on its own, chilled or on the rocks which exemplifies the natural smoothness of this beautiful vodka. Leave the mixing to Skyy and Absolut as the alcohol feel of these vodkas translates better with mixing in cocktails.
Like the lifestyle of Hawaii, this is a liquor that captures that easy going, laid back, smooth. Locally made in Hawaii using Hawaiian Water by a cool guy, Dave Flintstone, in a small upstart distillery. If you would like to inquire about Hawaiian Vodka, give Dave a call (808) 626-5798 or email him at dave@islanddistillers.com and he is on Facebook at facebook.com/hawaiianvodka. If you can find a bottle, grab it - its well worth your search.
Everything starts with water. This is a Lava cinder filtration system with a reverse osmosis unit on the back. Hawaii has nice soft water.
These are the fermentation tanks that combine sugar, yeast and water and come up with a low alcohol solution that will be distilled.
The magic of distillation that brings forth the Water of Life
The entire bottling line (4 deep) that shoots a tiny amount of air into the bottle and vodka to add softness and smoothes it out.
Dave hand labels each and every bottle twice!
Locally we say Sooo Ono Delicious!
Proprietor Dave Flintstone
Just got a pre-launch tasting and tour of a new vodka from Hawaii. This one is actually made (distilled, cut, bottled, labeled, packaged) in Hawaii on Oahu, near Sand Island. Many of the so called made in Hawaii brands are not made here so I just wanted to share one that is the real deal.
This vodka is called, quite appropriately Hawaiian Vodka. Made from sugarcane, which we have a lot of in Hawaii, it is a very limited product. The distillery or in Hawaii da distillree is located in a small 1200 square foot warehouse just down the road from Honolulu International Airport and on the way to Waikiki. The owner, Dave Flintstone, came to Hawaii as a scuba instructor (and not a brontosauraus bulldozer driver!) via the carribean where he learned the art of distillation of rum. Dave is such a nice guy that he will laugh at every cartoon joke you slap him with and probably tell you a few that you never heard of! He was quite shocked to learn that there was very little distillation going on in Hawaii (Old Lahaina Rums, Koloa Rum from Kauai and Maui Rum are the others) so he set out to make a more popular vodka on Maui. If you ever heard the term Soup Nazi, you can understand the meaning of Liquor Commission Nazis on Maui, so he moved to Oahu about a year and a half ago to start this company.
Water is the most important ingredient in vodka (well, if you want to get drunk the alcohol would be more important) as far as smoothness and taste. Hawaii has vast amounts of natural aquifers that are filtered by lava cinders from the ancient volcanos now extinct. If you ever had pure Hawaiian Water, it is smooth, soft and the only kind I drink at home. Hawaiian Vodka uses a combination of cane sugar, cane juice, and molasses to get the low wine or stuff you ferment. Daves Vodka is distilled at 190 proof, using a small copper pot still, with both a swan-neck top - like the ones you see in Scotland to make single malts and plate-top- kind of what you see in bourbon. It is then cut to 80proof and bottled (4 at a time) with a special jet system that shoots a stream of air into the bottle and vodka as it is filled. Dave feels it gives his vodka a little softer feel and I do agree. The cap goes on and Daves hand labels all the bottles using a kind of gig that he has to do twice, once for the front lower label and a second for the back and image label. Hand packed into 12pack cases of 750ml bottles and sent out to just a few retailers lucky enough to get their hands on it. It retails for about $25 a bottle.
My impressions were:
Sight: clear, but when swirled it has a slight viscosity to it that made it cling to the glass
Nose: clean, not much as far as citrus or flowery smells that many people find in their vodkas I like it that way as flavor can be added with lemon or lime and other liqueurs.
First impression: smooth, no burn or harsh taste. Clean no sweetness to it even though it is made from cane and sugar.
Finish: also clean and smooth.
Final thought: although it is a very neutral vodka, I dont believe it would do well in a mixed drink or to put it differently, it is better on its own, chilled or on the rocks which exemplifies the natural smoothness of this beautiful vodka. Leave the mixing to Skyy and Absolut as the alcohol feel of these vodkas translates better with mixing in cocktails.
Like the lifestyle of Hawaii, this is a liquor that captures that easy going, laid back, smooth. Locally made in Hawaii using Hawaiian Water by a cool guy, Dave Flintstone, in a small upstart distillery. If you would like to inquire about Hawaiian Vodka, give Dave a call (808) 626-5798 or email him at dave@islanddistillers.com and he is on Facebook at facebook.com/hawaiianvodka. If you can find a bottle, grab it - its well worth your search.
Everything starts with water. This is a Lava cinder filtration system with a reverse osmosis unit on the back. Hawaii has nice soft water.
These are the fermentation tanks that combine sugar, yeast and water and come up with a low alcohol solution that will be distilled.
The magic of distillation that brings forth the Water of Life
The entire bottling line (4 deep) that shoots a tiny amount of air into the bottle and vodka to add softness and smoothes it out.
Dave hand labels each and every bottle twice!
Locally we say Sooo Ono Delicious!
Proprietor Dave Flintstone
