Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/326040
56 / the tasting panel / june 2014 A Sweet Endeavor C orbin Estate Vodka didn't have to come up with a backstory: The one they had already was better than fiction. Picture a fourth-generation sweet-potato farmer, one who had worked the land all his life, aspiring for a life that he couldn't get on the farm. That's David Souza. So Souza tried his hand at several professions—away from the farm. First he promoted concerts near his hometown of Atwater, in California's Central Valley. But that was short lived and unprofitable. Then the bright lights of Las Vegas called to him. He had a few contacts there, so he went to start a motorcycle shop and get involved in real estate. One situation led to the next, and he eventually opened some sandwich shops and started doing nightclub promotions, but he never entirely left the farm. Erik Teague and David Souza have worked hard to bring Corbin Estates from dream to reality. CORBIN ESTATE VODKA'S DEEP AND WINDING ROOTS story and photos by John Curley TP0614_034-71.indd 56 5/23/14 9:23 PM