Oahu’s KO‘OLAU DISTILLERY may be known for their Hawaiian-made whiskey, Old Pali Road, but their easy-drinking spirit now comes in a completely different format: a chocolate bar. KO‘OLAU DISTILLERY has partnered with Kailua’s Manoa Chocolate to create the Old Pali Road Whiskey Bar.
To make this decadent treat, cacao nibs are soaked in Old Pali Road-filled barrels where the smooth, honey notes of the whiskey infuse with the chocolate flavors. The nibs are then dried, a process that cooks the alcohol out of the nibs, then converted to chocolate and poured into bars where they are stamped with Manoa’s logo and a beautiful Polynesian design. The bars are made with 70% chocolate, and they retail for $15 on the Manoa Chocolate website.
The two craft producers are neighbors in Kailua, the heart of Oahu’s windward coast, making the partnership a natural evolution of their two brands. Both KO‘OLAU DISTILLERY and Manoa Chocolate offer tastings and tours (with COVID-19 safety measures in place, which also includes the potential that tours may have to be temporarily shut down in the event that more activities are rolled back by the mayor or governor). Information about the tours, as well as booking, can be found on the KO‘OLAU DISTILLERY website (click Book a Tour) and the Manoa Chocolate website.
This marks the third time that KO‘OLAU DISTILLERY has collaborated with the community in recent months. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ko‘olau Distillery has produced and distributed free hand sanitizer to first responders, medical professionals, and other essential workers, thanks to community support. They’ve also been involved with a coalition of local beverage makers to lobby for modified restrictions that would allow beverage businesses to have more leeway in making retail sales (delivery with food, mail order sales) to help their industry. This collaboration with Manoa Chocolate is by far their most delicious recent community effort, however.
