Plantation Rum Origins
In 1900, Japanese plantation workers brought awamori and shochu rice spirits to Hawai’i. As supplies ran low, they blended in local moonshine spirits distilled from sugarcane, creating “Plantation Rum,” a drier, rice-kissed rum thatʻs less sweet and nuianced with tropical notes — perfect for refined tiki drinks and island cuisine.
Hawaii’s Shaka Gesture
Shaka Spirits is named after Hawai’iʻs Shaka gesture as the “Fear Not, Go for It” attitude of the gesture perfectly represents the island roots of plantation rum.
Historically, the “Shaka” gesture was born through a series of events starting in 538 AD, when Siddhartha Buddha reached Japan and was renamed “Shakyamuni” (aka “Shaka Buddha”). Like all buddhas, Shakyamuni features hand gestures called “mudra.” Shaka Buddha offers one raised hand, meaning “Fear Not,” and the other with tucked fingers symbolizing acceptance and salvation, or in modern terms, “go for it.”
Flash forward to sometime between 1912-1915 when Hamana Kalili, a resident of La’ie, Hawai’i lost three fingers in an accident. Upon recovering, Kalili was reassigned as a security guard on the Kahuku Sugar Mill train. Local kids of plantation workers, while trying to hop the train, took to flashing a three fingers tucked in gesture when Kalili wasn’t looking, mimicking the three fingers he’d lost in the accident. Kalili went on to become a roll model in his community, with his gesture becoming his known trademark which in turn brought greater meaning and power to the gesture.
In 1962, Buddha, the Japanese blockbuster film on the story of Shaka Buddha, premiered in Hawai’i. Billed as the Ben Hur of Japan, it was the first Japanese 70mm Technicolor film and likely brought the word “Shaka” to Hawai’i.
In the 1970’s, the meaning of Shaka gesture became synonymous with Hawai’i through Lippy Espinda, a used car salesman who combined the word “Shaka” with Kaliliʻs gesture. In 1973, Elvis Presley flashed the gesture from Honolulu to over a billion people via the first global satellite concert broadcast. Around the same time, surfing culture began using the gesture with other extreme sports following suit.
Learn the entire story through the award-winning 2025 feature documentary, SHAKA, A Story of Aloha, available on most streaming platforms.
Hawaii Regional Cuisine
Shaka Spirits honors the tradition of blended Plantation Rums as the result is an authentic flavor profile that’s ideal for pairing with Hawaii Regional Cuisine as it offers a hint of rice without being ethnically Asian dominant. At the same time, rice distillates reduce the overbearing sweetness of cane spirits which make for better balanced, more sophisticated and true island flavor Tiki Cocktails. If you want a real taste of Hawaii’s plantation past, Shaka is for you.
The Spirit of Shaka
From Japan’s Shaka Buddha, to awamori and shochu, to moonshining in Hawaiʻi, to a plantation worker’s lost fingers, to kids jumping on trains, and surfers jumping on waves, comes the “Fear Not” Spirit in Shaka Spirits.
Hashtag Factoid: Shaka is the First to Feature a Hastag on Bottle
Shaka Spirits® Plantation Rum was launched September 2, 2018 at the Okinawan Festival in Honolulu. We’ve searched the world for other alcoholic beverage containers (including spirits, wine and beer) with hashtags but are amazed that we can’t find any other bottle with a social media hashtag. There could of course be one hiding out there, so let us know if you find one!
Buddhism & Spirits Factoid: The Path to Clarity of Mind
Buddhism is a belief system based in finding one’s flow in life and the universe. It argues for purity of thought. Doing the right thing. Achieving philosophical clarity. Thus, many interpret the consumption of alcohol negatively as intoxicants can cloud one’s ability to think and imperil one’s ability to remain moral. A competing view is that reasonable amounts of intoxicants can serve to “get out of your head,” become more openminded and get in touch with your emotional side. Balance of intellect and emotion seems a key step toward the attainment of true enlightenment. Interestingly, The issue of alcohol is explored in Buddhist writings as one of “intent,” i.e., intent to achieve clarity of mind and seeking of the truth.
At Shaka Spirits, we recognize that there are many paths to enlightenment. And while we believe in the value of an occasional drink, we do however urge responsible use of our products.