The craft of alcohol production on the idiosyncratic islands of Okinawa, Japan has a centuries-old heritage dating back to Awamori production under the reign of the Ryukyu Kingdom in the 15^th century – long before the Okinawa region was even consolidated under the Empire of Japan. Here people often think of Awamori or Orion beer when it comes to the landscape of Okinawan alcohol.

Yet given the varying subtropical humidity to tropical rainforest climate across the Okinawan islands, a rich variety of agricultural produce flourishes in this region. Sugar, harvested from sugarcane, is one of Okinawa’s most well-known exports and is the core of the islands' rum-making. And so it makes sense that eventually you’d see local Okinawan rums emerging from the plentiful sugarcane-flanked islands. As we turn our sights to Okinawa’s most sugarcane-dense island of Minamidaito, Grace Rum Distillery emerges to produce rum made from both molasses and sugar cane juice.

Grace Rum Distillery – Born in the Sugarcane-rich Minamidaito Island

Grace Rum was founded in 2004 by Yuko Kinjo. Yuko was was out visiting a friend's bar in the early 2000's, when it dawned on her that one of Okinawa’s key domestic products – sugarcane – was the primary ingredient for producing rum, and that she could produce a spirit that was made completely of local ingredients. With the help of the Minamidaito Island Chamber of Commerce, the distillery was established in a once airport terminal that's since been refashioned.

Yuko Kinjo, Founder of Grace Rum

Grace Rum Distillery opts not to age their rums (as is often the perception of Japanese rum makers who believe that a white rum best showcases the terroir), only producing white rums under the name Cor Cor. The name itself comes from the word "Coral" which is a reference to the coral reefs of Okinawa. Its main product lineup consists of the Cor Cor Red Label, which is made from molasses and the Cor Cor Agricole Green Label, which is made from sugarcane juice. Both labels are bottled at 40% ABV and are free of additives or colourants, and are produced using a steel pot still. After distillation, the rums are rested in inert tanks for some time before they're bottled.

 Much of the Japanese market is still mostly more familiar with lower ABV drinks such as sake and beer, and Grace Rum Distillery also offers the Cor Cor 25, at a lower alcohol content of 25%, offering a lighter rum to drinkers that are new to the category. This low an alcohol content is certainly something quite unique in the rum world, and we have high hopes for this to introduce new drinkers to the wild, funky and creative world of rum! There's also a Coro Cor Premium which interestingly comes in a clay vessel! Cor Cor does state that their rums are rather limited in the most earnest of sense - as sugarcane harvesting is only done once a year, the distillery will only produce rums is they have a surplus of sugarcane.

Today we have the Cor Cor Red Label Okinawan White Rum, which is an unaged white rum made from molasses from Minamidaito Island in Okinawa. This rum is bottled at 40% alcohol content, with no additives or colourants.  

With that said, let’s give this a go!

Rum Review: Cor Cor Red Label Okinawan White Rum

Tasting Notes

Colour: Clear / Water

Aroma: It opens with a fair bit of funky musk, with heady notes of banana blossoms and green bananas. More on unripe mangosteens, and also a sort of herbal ointment, herbal medicinal cough syrup, and also some herbal roots. There’s an incredibly deep and rich sweetness at the base that’s giving unripe yuzu marmalade or Korean clementine jam - it’s citrusy, rich and somewhat green. A few drops of diesel and green olives in brine too. With time it mellows out to a rich and umami bit of bouillon cubes and consommé.

Taste: Lighter-bodied here, yet with a good richness. It is rounded and cohesive with a combination of florals, saltiness and umaminess. It starts our rather clean, but gradually notes of banana blossoms, spring water and salt flakes begin to appear. It’s joined by a touch of antiseptic iodine solution as well as sharpie marker pens. There’s a very enjoyable textural progression into the finish where it turns richer and brings on more depth as it evolves.

Finish: It turns richer, more perfumed and floral, as well as more umami. It’s giving salted capers and banana blossoms. Lingering potpourri, rose water and banana blossoms.

My Thoughts

A lighter styled yet no less rich white rum here - it’s defined by lots of green floral notes, herbal qualities, and also unripened citruses, with a deep sweetness and umaminess. Perhaps what was most striking to me here was the textural contrast on the palate where it started off rather light and even alittle thin, but as it went into the finish, it almost sort of became richer. The aromas were incredibly heady and evocative, with again a good richness, whilst on the palate I found it to be rounded and cohesive, all of the flavours coming together in rather good harmony, with the finish incredibly perfumed.

An altogether pretty solid showing from Cor Cor! I think it makes for a lighter-styled rum-based cocktail if you want to add that rather southeast-asian tropical quality to it, although bear in mind it’s rather light and so you might have to be alittle more generous with it. A very interesting sipper no less, although I would have liked if it had more body and was richer to begin with!

Till next time, happy sipping!

@ChopstickPride