Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/148134
M aui. Just the sound of it conjures the smell of sugarcane fields, the ocean air, an ultimate relaxing day with a cocktail in hand. Perhaps that's why Sammy Hagar, who became a beverage impresario first with tequila and now his Sammy's Beach Bar Rum, chose Maui as his base of operations. "The elements of Maui hit your senses. When I open one of those bottles of rum it smells just like the island to me," says Hagar of his distillery locale. "This rum is the concentrated version of what I smell when I get off that plane in Maui." Hagar isn't a stranger to beginning something and staying with it to fruition. "Any time I have an idea that's a seed, I want to see it grow. Like Cabo Wabo: It started with one thing, a little tequila bar, grew into a huge brand," says the rocker, referring to his previous spirit brand. "But what surprised me was when I sold the company, it left a big void in my life and I really missed it." Hagar met Master Distiller Mark Nigbur and since then, they've been making rum together. They even look alike. Hagar laughs when people ask why, when he has so many successful projects, he would get back into the highly political spirits industry. "I really do love it and it is really fun watching something happen," he says. "You get a sprout and protect that sprout, and you both grow into this big beautiful tree—it's very rewarding and it kind of gets to you." When Hagar and Nigbur began working together, they recognized a common thread in their love of Maui. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship when Hagar asked Nigbur to make him some rum. "Mark said, 'Absolutely, I'll make you a batch from sugarcane and bring it up to the house,'" Hagar says, laughing. "The whole idea of this rum is that it is truly handmade—you smell the surrounding sugarcane fields and smell the sugar being cooked . . . it's such a romantic process." Hagar and Nigbur call it "the best white rum in the world," and they're committed to sharing it with fans of the brand and the spirit. The team is building a tasting room next to the distillery. "In the tasting room people will be able to sip the different rums, hear music playing and shop for memorabilia. This is one of the ways we can get people to appreciate and see the beauty of the process," Hagar says. So how big does Hagar want to "This rum is the concentrated version of what I smell when I get off that plane in Maui." says Hagar. 54 / the tasting panel / august 2013 TP0813_034-65.indd 54 7/24/13 9:48 PM