Bourbon, gin and moonshine! That’s the lineup at Koʻolau Distillery off Kapaʻa Quarry Road on the windward side of Oʻahu. It started with whiskey five years ago and recently expanded its offerings and tasting room.
The Conversation paid a visit to talk to General Manager Justin Rivera, who was featured earlier this year on the Discovery+ show “Master Distiller” making a drink using pineapple mash — and it was a hit!
"My family came from Portugal to work in the pineapple fields and the sugarcane fields. So I just figured, always keep grounded in your roots and keep that story strong," he said on the streaming show. He lives in Waimānalo with his family.
The retired Navy man was hired by the founders, two retired Marines named Eric Dill and Ian Brooks. The idea was born out of a real-life story of Marines making moonshine in a war zone tent.
Koʻolau Distillery started as a labor of love for Dill and Brooks, who really just wanted to make whiskey and surf, Rivera said.
"Eric and Ian were still in the military when they were beginning this. So probably for the first year, there was no alcohol sold. They were just making whiskey, putting it in barrels and aging it," Rivera said. "As we grew into that role, the whiskey kept becoming more and more popular. We were able to get into Costco, which is where you're gonna find a lot of our spirits now. And they're even doing some of our gin in Costcos now."
Rivera said the company brought together folks with a love of home brewing and, thanks to a Department of Defense program called SkillBridge, it has helped military members transition into careers outside of the service.
"I honestly really didn't think I'd become a distiller. I thought I was just going to make beer and maybe someday open my own brewery. However, this amount of artistic expression that you could do in a spirit and the way it last is really nice. Beer is good, but oftentimes it has to be drank very fresh. And liquor really lasts the test of time," Rivera added.
This interview aired on The Conversation on April 5, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
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