Over a decade ago, Paul Turner stumbled across blue agave starts and decided to take a chance growing the plants on his newly acquired agricultural land in Upcountry, Maui. Little did he know that the serendipitous purchase would evolve into Waikulu Distillery, a thriving company producing Hawai‘i’s only blue agave spirit. Turner’s initial crop of 200 keiki (children) plants thrived in the growing conditions of Makawao, blooming to a whopping 3,000 plants today.

Blue agave, or agave tequilana, is an agave plant native to the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, Michoacán and Aguascalientes. The hardy plant is known for its needle-sharp leaves and ability to endure extreme temperatures and prolonged drought. Despite its resilient nature, the plant can only grow in Mexico during periods of narrow temperature ranges and often goes into hibernation mode during certain parts of the year. However, with Turner’s first crop, he quickly discovered that the moderate climate, consistent rainfall and rich volcanic soil of Makawao, coupled with his field’s high elevation, allowed the plants to flourish, resulting in year-round growing, higher yields and plants that weigh as much as 400 pounds.

Since his first keiki plants were rooted, Turner has committed to sustainable farming to improve soil health and minimize chemical use. As a farm-to-bottle operation, they harvest the agave, extracting a small portion of the plant’s energy and nutrients, giving the rest back to the fields. They do so by saving the fiber left from sugar extraction to serve as mulch for new plantings and using the liquid leftover from distillation to be used in the fields as irrigation and fertilizer. Most of their weed control is done by mowing, trimming and hand cutting with the clippings left to compost between rows of agave.

Turner’s first blue agave crop took about six to eight years to mature, allowing him to research and design his distillery equipment. As a self-taught distiller and perpetual tinkerer, he crafted nearly every piece of equipment in his distillery to meet his specific needs. “It took a very long time to research what type of still I wanted to make and narrow in on the final design. There are a number of different stills that vary based on the type of spirit you want to make, balancing between high production versus flavor and quality. My focus was 100% on flavor and quality,” said Turner.

Turner’s resulting still is a cross between stills used to make traditional tequila and the stills that create Irish whiskey. He opted to use copper for his lid, column and lyne arm to remove sulfides from the vapors and constructed his kettle from stainless steel to reduce heat loss. Each decision in the still creation helped Waikulu Distillery achieve the unique flavor found in its products.

When Turner’s blue agave plants mature, each plant is hand-harvested with a coa de jima (hoe for harvesting) or coa for short. This specialized tool allows Turner and his team to cut back the leaves of the blue agave and separate the agave from its roots. The agave is then steamed in a large oven for 42 hours, breaking down the plant’s starches and releasing its sugar. The cooked pieces are then crushed to loosen the sugar from the plant fiber, which is sent back to the fields. The sweet juice extracted from the plant is combined with natural yeasts sourced by Turner. The byproduct of yeast consuming the sugary juice is alcohol, which is distilled to remove undesirable qualities. The product is then proofed down with filtered water to create their Silver product or poured into barrels to age. The company name pays homage to this distillation process with “Waikulu,” which is translated to “dripping water” in Hawaiian and a nod to the slow drip of the liquid as it leaves the still.

Waikulu Distillery currently features five spirits in its product line. Their Silver features bright citrus flavors, green grass and crisp floral notes. And, despite not seeing any barrel aging, it is surprisingly elegant and a perfect addition to citrus-based cocktails or sipped straight. Their ‘Ōpio translates to “young,” which describes the character resulting from the six months of barrel aging that this spirit sees. The slightly warmer profile of the ‘Ōpio features flavors of vanilla and cinnamon, and its overall smoothness makes it a fantastic addition to spirit-forward cocktails such as Manhattans. Like the Silver, their Ohana Reserve sees no time in barrels, but the unique distillation method Turner has created brings out the more complex flavors of caramelized agave in this spirit. Their Smoke Pepa is a spicy spirit that infuses high-proof Silver with three types of smoked chili peppers and blends with their barrel-aged Batch Two. The resulting smoky aromatics make it a great spirit to be sipped on a hot afternoon or mixed into cocktails where smokiness is desired. Rounding out their products is the Ohana Reserve, whose rich flavor profile is a complex symphony of maple, caramel and dark fruits with a smooth, sweet, long finish. The Ohana Reserve sees twelve months of barrel aging in two types of premium toasted barrels from Kentucky and Australia. It is best to enjoy sipped, with or without ice, or in spirit-forward cocktails.

In alignment with his dedication to sustainable farming practices, Turner also aims to minimize his distillation's impact on the environment. The electricity used to run the distillery and other buildings is 100% solar with no ties to the local power grid, while the steam boiler for the ovens and still are propane-powered. While propane is not the cheapest option, it produces the lowest carbon output. Their buildings were also designed to use natural light and optimize the trade winds to eliminate the need for heating or air conditioning. For many distilleries, the largest consumer of water is their still’s condenser, which uses water to cool the vapors back to liquid during a distillation run. This typically uses a lot of water, but Turner has fashioned a system that uses trade winds to naturally cool the vapors, saving 250,000 gallons of water per year from going to waste.

To experience a behind-the-scenes glimpse into this dynamic distillery, you can participate in their Deluxe Farm & Distillery Tours held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. Available by reservation only, this experience lasts 90 minutes, taking guests seven years and older through their agave fields and into the distillery. Throughout the tour, guests will learn about growing, harvesting, processing and distilling blue agave into spirits. The tour culminates in the Tasting Room, where guests 21 years and older can sample their award-winning products and purchase Waikulu spirits and merchandise.

Spirit Tastings are also offered Monday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at the start of the hour. The 30-minute tasting allows guests to sample 100% Maui-grown agave spirits while enjoying views of the distillery, barrel room and agave farm.

With over ten years of experience running Waikulu Distillery and producing award-winning products, Turner continues to focus on the quality of his products over expansion. “Waikulu’s business plan is to stay small and concentrated. We produce roughly 12,000 bottles per year and can do that comfortably with a crew of six people. I am fortunate to have a fantastic crew, and everyone enjoys their work and is proud of what we are doing here. My desire is to keep making the distillery run better and make what we produce more revered.”

Waikulu Distillery; 3275 Baldwin Avenue, Makawao; (808) 743-8478; waikulu.com; Deluxe Farm and Distillery Tours available Monday and Wednesday at 11 a.m.; tasting room open Monday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.