Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/148134
In the mash tank goes a specialty yeast which Nigbur developed especially for this rum. Maui temperatures stay the same but barometric pressures change, a factor that influences the timing of the mash. Nigbur is like the anti-mad scientist: a tranquil, laidback version who knew he wanted to do an island taste that is very flavorful, with a lot of soul and character. The distillery reflects the Master Distiller's unique creativity. "Most of the stills are big copper vessels heated at the bottom," Nigbur explains. "I wanted a small batch still where the heating element is in direct contact with the mash so that when we're distilling out the mash, there's a very strong crème brûlée smell." The final rum is reduced to 80 proof with water from a pristine spring on O'ahu. Every bottle coming out of this 5,000-square-foot facility is hand-bottled, hand-corked and hand-numbered. An Aloha from Hawaii "Divine intervention": Sammy Hagar and Master Distiller Mark Nigbur make a perfect team. CREDIT: PHOTO: SUE HUDELSON grow this brand? "We'll get as big as we can get using Maui sugar, because that's what makes this rum so good—the sugar in Maui, the best cane in the world," he says. "It's about the water that falls out of the sky, the beautiful palms, flowers that blow with the trade winds. All of that influences the rum, and makes it smell and taste even better." A Pure Product of Maui Hagar calls meeting Nigbur "total divine intervention" and that's not far from the truth. Sammy's Beach Bar Rum is culled from nature and has the marks of a very special environment, of which Nigbur is the guardian. "The sugarcane is grown 100 percent on the island of Maui. It grows for two years, after which the cane fields are burned according to tradition, picked and pressed to release the cane juice," says Nigbur. "It's a beautiful shade of tannishbrown, so it's unbelievable sugar." "It makes an unbelievable cocktail, from a Mai Tai to a Hemingway, and it's just a total blast," says Nigbur, who says he is humbled and grateful. "It's a lifestyle and not only is it an unbelievable spirit, it's a little of aloha from Maui and brings a piece of Hawaii to everyone who tries it." Steve Kauffman, President of Sammy's Beach Bar Rum, says people that love rum will love this product: "It's one you can sip—it's that good." He looks forward to the tasting room opening this fall. "It's in an old pineapple plantation, but inside it's been sterilized and everything is immaculate," Kauffman says. "People can come up to taste the rum and tour the distillery." Kauffman is working on distribution now for the brand that, mind you, is produced in Hawaii, which means it's made entirely in the good old USA. "We want to be in those places that specialize in serving rum," he says, "from tiki bars to places like San Francisco's Smuggler's Cove." "It is a Hawaiian product that's new, different, has great quality and a reasonable price, so for places that are tired of pushing the same brands, this is worth trying," he says. "The thing we want to emphasize is that this is not a mass-production produced product. Everything is handcrafted, with attention to detail and a lot of love." august 2013 / the tasting panel / 55 TP0813_034-65.indd 55 7/24/13 9:48 PM