Koʻolau Distillery Whiskey Tour In Kailua, Hawai'i

Great time, great whiskey!! The your was an hour and they are able to ship the bottles home for us!!

Ko'olau Distillery is a unique distillery somewhat off the beaten path on O'ahu. It's founded, owned, and run by military veterans who prioritize hiring other veterans transitioning out of service, which is really cool. Though the distillery is small, their tour is quite interesting and informative. It also makes the tour easy, since there is barely any walking. They may even let you bottle some of the whiskey, which you can purchase for a discount! They also make other alcohol, such as gin, vodka, bourbon, and "moonshine." At their bar, they have cocktails and sell other things besides their alcohol. You'll probably need a car to visit, as I don't think it's very near any bus stops, but it's well worth a visit and tour if you are interested and in the area!

Very friendly bartender. Lots of good local product to try out. Distillery quite similar to others so not really special.

Easy access. Quite typical distillery. Nothing really special. Decent bar area to try the products. Pretty much the same as other distilleries.

Very informational and fun to meet the vets!

A little hard to find but well worth the effort. Started with cocktails, while we were waiting for the tour of the back room with a very knowledgeable, young lady that certainly knew her whiskeys. I couldn’t resist and ended up bringing a fifth home so that we could always enjoy a little of the Aloha spirits when we get a little homesick for the island. Don’t know when our travels will bring us back to the island, but this would certainly be on the itinerary when we do.

Ian, who is one of the owners, and a retired Marine entertained us with his knowledge and humor on our tour. He explained the process in detail and we found him to be very relatable. We got to bottle our own whiskey which was very cool and we tried a number of products. Very comprehensive and enjoyable time. They also had live music outside and a busy bar.

Incredibly overpriced tour from a head distiller who was high and had a bad attitude. She was incredibly harsh and the distillery missed an opportunity to win over customers who, as locals could have sent a lot of guests there.

This was a fun experience to be able to bottle your own alcohol. Our group appreciated that they taught us how to taste the different flavor profiles in the drinks we tried. The following day we went to a coffee tasting and they didn’t teach us how to taste, smell with your mouth open, leave it in your mouth for a moment and breath through your nose. We were able to utilize that in our coffee tasting and it made such a difference. Not only loved learning how it is processed but we learned a new skill that can be used in many other applications.

This tour was much more insightful than we expected. The owner is very knowledgeable, we learned a lot. Chill folks, good whiskey. Highly recommend.

We have done a lot of distillery tours in Tennessee and this one stands up with them. Tasty Whiskey and the tacos on Taco Tuesday were delicious!!

The Ko’olau Distillery Whiskey tasting was amazing! Loved learning the process of distilling, the background on the creators, love how they give back in so many ways to the public and military communities. Bottling our own whiskey and the tasting, as well as catching the last of Sunday’s football game in their lounge was amazing! Only 30ish min drive from Waikiki. Absolutely recommend this adventure supporting a local small business!!

Highly recommend this tour if you are on Oahu. Ian was informing and entertaining. One of the best whiskey tours I’ve been on to include tours in Scotland. Great whiskey and the gin was fantastic even for a non gin drinker. Veteran owned business as well. Hope you guys have the rye the next time we’re here because we will definitely be back!

The tour was great. Olivia is the head distiller that was leading the tour, telling us how the whiskey is made and how the building has expanded since they first open.

This was a such a fun experience. Chico was so knowledgeable and entertaining. I would highly recommend this tour

Do this tour. Our guide was Olivia who is Lead Distiller. She was the perfect blend of knowledge, sarcasm, and authenticity. She was AMAZING! We learned, we tasted, we bottled, and we had FUN! Tucked away. A hidden gem. Perfect when you are sick of the touristy things!

This was a GREAT find. Their staff at the flee market educated us about the tours, so we're glad we found them. This Veteran-owned company is doing great work both with their internship program and how they are distilling their products. I highly recommend taking the tour and hitting their bar for something extra. We had an awesome afternoon with the staff and appreciated their hospitality. They are on the road to future success and I suspect soon their products will be on store shelves in the mainland. Oh, they are in the very BACK of an industrial complex keep looking it will be worth the hunt!

What a wonderful informative tour. Olivia is awesome! She took the time to thoroughly explain the distilling process and answer our questions, and she’s very funny. You can tell she loves what she does. It’s a great little place with a delicious variety of spirits. The aged gin is fabulous!!

For premium drinks, huge laughs from incredible comedians, and a super chill atmosphere, Koʻolau Distillery's comedy nights are an absolute must on Oahu. This hidden gem offers a top-notch experience at a can't-beat price.

This was a fun distillery tour. The distilling area is not big, but the tour guide was very knowledgeable about the distilling process and explaining the different steps throughout the distilling process. At the end we got to sample 5 different products of theirs and the tour guide explained the difference between the different alcohols. Only heads up would be to give yourself a little extra time getting there our Uber driver got lost. If you follow the direction they give you in the email, you’ll have no problem finding them.

Craft distillery owned and operated by vets. Great tour with a hilarious deadpan sense of humor, in depth explanation of the distillation process, and hands on bottling of your own bottle of whiskey. Followed by tastings of whiskey, moonshine, and gin.

Great experience. Learned a lot about distillery processing. My first tastes of Whiskey and Gin. Learned how to appreciate savoring my pallet. Final touch creating your own bottle.

Chico was fantastic, great humor. Interesting to learn their process. The product speaks for itself. Incredible flavors, within each product. Fun atmosphere…excellent tour grouo too!

Such an informative experience! We learned all about the science behind the spirit-making process and got to taste some samples. The gin was by far my favorite.

IN from Denver and loved this place. Had a tour with one of the founders, Ian. He thoroughly explained the process and the history of the distillery. Very good whiskey and some unique and flavorful gins as well. I can wait for their Bourbon to come out later in the year. The whole team is friendly and informative. It is a veteran owned business and they did some great work during the pandemic to supply hand sanitizer to the state. If you cant make it to the distillery, give the juice a try at a local bar. Old Pali Road Whiskey!

This was our first distillery tour , it was very informative and interesting learning about the process. We got to bottle our own whiskey and also got to sample all the other spirits that they make. We would highly recommend taking the tour

What a great experience! Justin told us about the science they currently use to make their whiskey. We were able to bottle whiskey and buy the bottle. We also met the owners. The company is mainly operated by veterans. One of a kind experience! Great to get away from the main hub bub of the city.

Very informative. Learned a lot about the making of spirits. Entertaining. One con, two words...AIR CONDITIONING NEEDED. Would have stayed to complete the tour. My wife could not tolerate the heat.

What a great bunch of people. Ginger, Justin and Eric all greeted us with genuine hospitality when we got to the facility. Justin was our guide and was very knowledgeable and passionate about the products. We even labeled, bottled, and sealed some bottles of moonshine. Good story, great product and cool merchandise. I would go here again. Good quick day trip with friends or family. Thank you distillery team!

Host was great and tour was informative. There is also a wine bar in the same location. You able to bottle your own spirit.

Interesting inside top the process of making whiskey. The tour guide was knowledgeable, and it was interesting to see the different steps involved. The testing part was interesting in that they discussed how to properly taste and what to look for in the whiskey. Nice stop.

Very fun and educational distillery tour complete with the chance to bottle and sample whiskey and taste whiskey infused chocolate! Can't beat that!!!!

I am from Maine. I didn’t not go to the distillery but my friend/coworker got me this whiskey for Christmas! I love all bourbon, whiskey, and scotches and this old pali road whiskey is AMAZING!!! It 100% competes for the title in America for flavoring profile! Reminds me of higher end scotch and a hint of tropical nuttiness! From one vet to another, get some, if you’re able to purchase this definitely do! You won’t be disappointed at all. I wish I was able to buy some more but I’m half a world away.

Proper COVID precautions, friendly and knowledgeable guides, great product, we had an amazing time! 💯

We have a great time with Ian Brooks learning all about the distillery and the whiskey produced at this hyper-local spot

Eric and team are awesome! Passionate distillers who are creating amazing whiskey on the windward side. Family run veteran owned