Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/101724
Sammy's Beach Bar Rum O ne of the more interesting success stories in the past decade or so is Cabo Wabo Tequila. It was created in 1996 by ex-Van Halen rocker Sammy Hagar, a man with a passion for ine spirits and the resources to turn his vision into tequila reality. The brand shot up the charts and is still thriving under the Campari America umbrella. So it comes as little surprise that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer should turn his attention to his other spirited passion, rum. His ambition was to create a silver rum with loads of lavor and style. The result is super-premium Sammy's Beach Bar Rum. There are a number of singular things about how this rum is produced. Made on the Hawaiian island of Maui at the Haliimaile Distillery, Sammy's is produced from locally grown, virgin gold sugarcane. After harvesting, the cane is slowly fermented for ive days in custom-made vats. To retain as much of the cane's intrinsic characteristics, the fermented mash is distilled only once in a small handmade pot still. Another highly unusual aspect of how Sammy's Beach Bar Rum is produced is that the mash is brought to boiling using heating rods positioned in the interior of the still. This allows the sugar mash to revolve around the heating rods to more fully develop the distillate's aromatics. Conventional pot stills heat their contents using exterior coils around the base or an open ire underneath the still. The inished rum contains no additives of any kind, is gluten-free and bottled at 40% alcohol (80 proof). Sammy's Beach Bar Rum has a shimmery, crystal clear appearance, a satiny, lightweight body and a fruity, loral and herbaceous nose with prominent grassy notes. It's an authentic set of aromatics that pays tribute to the skill of the Master Distiller. The rum raises nary a trace of heat as it bathes the palate with the dry, cane-derived lavors of fresh melon, red plums, zesty citrus and tangerines. The rum has a thankfully long and dry inish. Sammy Hagar is a renaissance man who clearly knows a thing or two about producing great spirits. In the hands of a skilled mixologist, Sammy's Beach Bar Rum has unlimited creative potential. Okole maluna! Haliimaile Distilling Company january 2013 / the tasting panel / 79