Here’s a Sneak Peek at This New Collection of Premium Liquors
When creating a quality adult beverage that transports consumers to a tropical state of mind, the key is making the ingredients work together in harmony. The flavors need to combine in such a way that ultimately sets our watch to island time.
That’s the idea behind Club Kokomo Spirits: to commence the feeling of being in a sweet state of paradise as soon as the first sip hits your lips. Their bartender-quality canned cocktails are made to make you feel like you’re on vacation—and now, their brand new line of high-quality rum spirits are yours for the sipping. Assemble your own perfect harmony with their three new core rum offerings and experience the difference in your drinks!
Forever chasing the laid-back, Caribbean feel, Mike Love of The Beach Boys had his sights set on sharing that feeling, and creating a line of rum spirits felt like the right way to do it. He wanted his line of beverages to evoke the same vibe as his band’s hit songs. Club Kokomo Spirits is dedicated to revolutionizing your rum journey, and since the release of their canned cocktails, the company is expanding with three high-quality rums: an Artisanal White Rum, a Barrel Finished Rum and a Tahitian Vanilla Rum. Not surprised by his father’s latest endeavor, Love’s son, Brian Love—who is also a business partner and head of brand development—doesn’t remember his childhood much differently: “The inspiration for being a rum-focused company is simple. It’s been Dad’s favorite spirit for as long as I can remember. During family vacations or going out to dinner with him, if he would have a drink, it was always made with rum,” Brian says.
Busting into the beverage space with their flavorful 10% ABV canned rum cocktails in 2022, the shift to creating pure rum spirits has been long-awaited.
“When we launched the company, the canned cocktails were great to get out the door with Dad’s idea of the Kokomojito, but the plan was always to develop a line of rum that was premium yet accessible,” says Brian Love.
Of the three new releases, their opus is the Barrel Finished Rum: a proprietary mix of Dominican, Barbadian and Jamaican rums, aged anywhere from eight to 10 years in new oak, ex-whiskey and port barrels and then blended by master distiller Geoff Longenecker on-site in San Diego. The rum is then finished in hand-selected bourbon barrels, giving it a woodsy aroma with a hint of light vanilla and caramel notes similar to that of whiskey. If you’re a whiskey drinker, Love encourages you to add this one in with your favorites: “We love to use it in cocktails that might traditionally use whiskey—like a sazerac or an old-fashioned—it is an absolutely fantastic rum.”
Also in their new line is the Artisanal White Rum, a blend of demerara cane sugar rum and traditional Jamaican pot still rum, giving it a dynamic, funky and fruity depth of flavor—the Caribbean essence they’re after. “It’s only convenient that Jamaica makes some of the most flavorful rum out there,” says Love, hinting at the Beach Boys’ most famous single, “Kokomo.”
Last but not least, the Tahitian Vanilla Rum speaks to the remote coral islets of Tahiti, letting ripe, whole Tahitian vanilla beans steep with the Artisanal White Rum. “There’s a very dynamic flavor profile with the new offerings, and rum is such a versatile spirit that can easily be mixed with fruity cocktails or infused into the more classic whiskey-based cocktails,” says Love.
Behind all of their products is a commitment to quality. Club Kokomo Spirits uses only pure ingredients, and everything is additive-free. They use natural agave and natural cane sugar and no artificial coloring—all colors you see in the rums are from natural steeping processes or derived from vegetable juice. As said best by Love, “We are committed to offering additive-free spirits—no artificial colors, added sugars or flavors in our rums. We are purists in that sense.” Even the cloudy essence you might see in the Tahitian Vanilla Rum is the result of the oils from the Tahitian Vanilla bean.
Natural doesn’t mean lacking in flavor, however—quite the opposite. With great flavor comes great responsibility, and Club Kokomo’s master distiller, Geoff Longnecker, has it all down to a science. “Geoff is able to take all of these separate ingredients in each product and make it a harmonious whole.” Longnecker, who owns Seven Caves Distillery in San Diego, leads the distilling and tasting process and gives the team several options to choose from, with several rounds of revisions to follow. For their newest rum line, these revisions went on for months until it was unanimously decided they had their three core rum blends ready for release.
“Geoff is at the heart of leading the design and the product; he is really a master distiller and master blender,” says Love. “His approach to product development has been right in line with what we want in terms of quality and flavor. He avoids shortcuts that are popular in the industry, thus creating something we’re truly proud of.”
Unsurprisingly, in the place Club Kokomo Spirits found a team they trust and believe in, they’ve also found an unwavering community, as well as a source of that slice-of-paradise inspiration. “There are obvious ties from San Diego and Southern California to the Beach Boys—even the album cover for “Pet Sounds” was shot at the San Diego Zoo! It’s so friendly down there; we’ve seen nothing but welcoming arms with new products and events, and everyone we’ve been working with is just a pleasure to be around,” says Love.
In fact, their beloved San Diego residents might just have something to look forward to: the company has plans to open a distillery tasting room in the city, where rum lovers will be able to enjoy cocktails while the magic of development, manufacturing and bottling happens in the background.
Club Kokomo Spirits
@clubkokomospirits
Jaclyn is a sunshine chasing San Diego native with an extensive writing background. When she isn’t word-smithing, you can find her playing beach volleyball, skating the boardwalk, or on a rooftop enjoying a drink in the sunshine with her pals.
