Aluna Coconut Rum. A new addition to UK shelves in 2017 was Aluna Coconut Rum. For many Koko Kanu offers a more respectable alternative to the perennial pub and club favourite Malibu in the battle of the “coco-rum” wars.

Much like Malibu, Aluna Coconut Rum technically isn’t a rum under EU law. It is bottled at 35% ABV. Standard Malibu is 21% ABV in the UK. It is really a rum based spirit drink.

Now it is unlikely you will find many (if any) reviews of Aluna Coconut Rum on dedicated rum review websites. You are more likely to come across “micro reviews” and comments on Social Media such as Instagram and Pinterest.
You may come across the odd review on less specific “alcohol” blogs but you need to be wary of such sites. Often they only offer “reviews” based on the marketing material sent to them and are not in the business of offering a critical assessment.

It is unlikely that many other rum review sites will review this as it either won’t interest them or they look down on this kind of offering. I’ve always said I’ll review pretty much any “rum” I come across – good, bad and even ugly. At times very ugly. At times such as this it might not technically even be “rum”.

Aluna Coconut rum comes in a bar tender friendly tall bottle. The presentation is sleek and modern. Surprisingly not at all tacky. No palm trees, hula girls or other such nonsense. You even get a synthetic plastic topped cork. I did find the one on my bottle hard to dislodge though.

In the UK where it has been launched and is being distributed by Mangrove. It retails at around the £20-25 mark. Which is slightly more expensive than the completion of Malibu and Koko Kanu. I attended a Rum Festival last year where this was being exhibited by Mangrove. They were very keen to point out the lower calorie basis of this Coconut “Rum”. The rum is a base of Caribbean (I guess at Trini) and Guatemalan rums. It is noted on the bottle as being a “Toasted Coconut Flavoured Rum”. It is blended with “organic coconut water and natural toasted coconut flavours”.

At the aforementioned Rum Festival they seemed a little surprised that I wanted to try the Aluna. I was interested because they weren’t mixing it in a mini-cocktail, as is often the case with flavoured and spiced rums. I thought that was quite daring.

Now as with my review of Koko Kanu I am reviewing this as a £20 bottle of coconut flavoured rum. Koko Kanu I enjoyed, as it delivered the coconut flavour and just enough Jamaican funk to give it a little kick. It was very sweet though. I am not comparing it to a £200 – 20 Year Old Caroni rum or even 12 Year Old £35 Bajan rum. The star rating is based on how good I feel it works as a coconut rum. How authentic the coconut flavours are.

So without further ado lets get down to the (hopefully fun part).
The nose is surprisingly good. Really nice toasted coconut notes – like fresh Macaroons desiccated coconut and a slightly less sweet note of natural coconut water running over it all. It promises everything on the label. If you don’t like coconut – particularly in its natural fresh state then this isn’t for you. If you do then this does have a air of authenticity.

Running alongside the coconut notes is a nicely balanced vanilla and light toffee from the rum. With many “coco-rums” particularly those suspicious bottles you find in mainland Europe, the alcohol is overwhelming and rather unpleasant. No such problems here. This is really nice. It is sweet but compared to Koko Kanu and Malibu there is definitely a huge step down in the sugar levels. It measured on the Hydrometer at 25g/L whereas I couldn’t get a reading of Koko Kanu (suggesting over 100 g/L of additives).

I found with Koko Kanu that you got a real residue of granulated sugar around the screw cap. I have had this bottle of Aluna for some time now. I’ve not noticed any sugar granules forming either in the rum or around the closure.

Aluna Coconut Rum is surprisingly shippable and very enjoyable. The nose is transferred across into the sip. Toasted coconut, coconut water, vanilla, toffee and just enough alcohol to remind you this is 35% ABV. They suggest adding ice. Again its quite refreshing to see that they are confident to not just mix this drink.
It is a flavoured rum. It’s not an amazingly complex sipper but it does offer a sweet, tasty and refreshing “sorbet” like palate cleanser or occasional after dinner sip. Its certainly a lot better than some of the sugar laden “Premium” straight rums out there. There’s a lot less bullshit on the bottle as well.

Aluna mixes very nicely in a variety of cocktails. Makes a tasty Pina Colada, unsurprisingly and it mixes well with most fruit juices. I’ve also quite enjoyed a few rum and colas with Aluna.

Personally, I think this has a bit more to it than sugary coconut and I prefer it to Koko Kanu. Both offer a good taste of coconut but this offers a bit more complexity with a bit more variety in the coconut notes.

If (for whatever reason) you are looking for a Cocount rum or want to upgrade from Malibu then I would recommend trying this. It does what it is intended to do well. The coconut flavours are well-defined, without being sickly. The base rum whilst light adds just enough alcohol, vanilla and toffee notes to be more than just a neutral base.

Surprisingly good.