I recently returned from a trip to Maui where I had a chance to visit the Hawaii Sea Spirits distillery. I thought some of you might be interested in seeing a few pictures.
This is the sugar cane press. They grow their own organic sugar cane (both the vodka and rum are made from it) and import cane juice from somewhere else (I think South America).
These are the fermentors. They ferment the cane juice to 10% ABV before distilling. That’s the bottom of the column still poking through the roof.
The pot still is on the left; that’s the blending tank on the right where they add water back to the distillate. All the water they use is desalinized deep ocean water which is pulled up off the coast of the Big Island. Apparently, this water is marketed in Japan as a health drink and sells for something like $20 a bottle (not by the distillery).
Column still
Sugar cane; they grow a couple of different varieties
Sugar cane field with still in the background; it’s a beautiful property
Bottling line
This picture is from somewhere else on the island, but I thought it was worth sharing. These are old mill rollers from the sugar cane processing plant. The grooved part of the roller is six or seven feet long. Apparently, 2016 is the last year of commercial sugar cane production on Maui.
Had a really good time in Maui in April this year. There was a lot of talk then that sugar cane is no longer financially viable in Hawaii and there’s a lot of uncertainty about employment and what agriculture might replace it. It could be bad for the other crops grown on the islands because many of the workers migrate from farm to farm working one crop to the next.
I did. The vodka is pretty good, and in my opinion better than the rum (which is strange considering that vodka usually isn’t made from sugar cane and rum is).
Vodka can be made from almost anything since it is distilled to the point of being “almost” flavorless. Historically, it’s been made from either cheap and/or regional ingredients (often grains), but you can make it from fruit or even pure sugar cane:
Did you come across the Sammy Hagar Red Head Macadamia Nut Rum on Maui? It comes from a different distillery. I’m not usually a fan of flavored liquors and definitely not usually a fan of celebrity-sponsored liquors but it was delicious. I didn’t find it in bottles, only served at the Sammy Hagar restaurant in the Maui Airport (aka the only part of the airport with AC).
I didn’t, but it sounds interesting. Maybe next time…
My understanding was that they ferment the unprocessed juice for both the rum and the vodka. I think they said the only difference was in the distillation.
