Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/326040
june 2014 / the tasting panel / 77 Rocking Rum: Sammy's Beach Bar Rum Grammy award winner. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Former lead singer of Van Halen. Yeah, you know Sammy Hagar and his successful ventures into the entertainment industry, and who could forget his contributions in the spirits world? It started in 1996 with Cabo Wabo Tequila and a chain of cantinas under the same moniker. Hagar felt the need to move on and sold his wildly popular tequila brand in 2007. However, in 2011, he started to get that thirst again. "After I sold my tequila, I felt like there was something missing in my life. We have a home in Maui, and we spend a lot of time there. I heard about this guy Mark Nigbur, who was making vodka out of pineapples. I went to meet him and said, 'You're in the middle of these sugarcane fields. Why aren't you making rum?' A week later, he comes over with a little barrel. I tasted it and was like, 'This is the best damn rum ever.'" Soon after, he started making Sammy's Beach Bar Rum and, once again, hit it out of the park. So what does Hagar think makes his rum so special? The island life! "Everything is sourced from the island. We're distilling the best sugar cane in the world to make this rum— and you can taste it!" www.sammysbeachbarrum.com IMPERIAL BRANDS Sammy Hagar. A Family Business Is Born: Kirk and Sweeney Rum August Sebastiani wasn't always planning on going into the family busi- ness. "I actually graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in political science and had aspirations of law school and/or public office," he says. He even pursued these aspirations with an office on the Sonoma City Council. "But I found myself pulled back," he explains. "I joined the family business at a fascinating time. Dad [Don Sebastiani] had just sold our volume brands to Constellation and left Sebastiani Vineyards to start Don Sebastiani & Sons. It was a cool time to get in early and really have my fingerprints on a start- up." Eventually, perhaps inspired by his father, August ventured out on his own, creating wine negociant company The Other Guys, Inc. and then 35 Maple Street Spirits. One of the first offerings from the spirits side was Kirk and Sweeney Rum. So what does rum mean to August? "I find this category to be a fairly gradual step from wine. Ours is not primarily intended as a blending rum. Sure, you can do all sorts of fun stuff with it in a blender, but first and foremost, we want people to see us like a brandy—something to be swirled and savored." And don't expect August to slow down either. "Before the end of the year, we will be launching an 18-year and a 23-year. Both complement our 12-year, but will certainly enhance the premium perception of our portfolio." www.35maplestreet.com 35 MAPLE STREET SPIRITS PHOTO: CHRIS BERGGREN August Sebastiani. TP0614_072-101.indd 77 5/23/14 9:37 PM