Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/580744
{ SOMMjournal.com } 77 The Sebastiani family has been in the wine business in California for more than a century, starting in 1895 when Samuele Sebastiani emigrated from Italy to the U.S., and firmly planted himself in Sonoma where his family would remain for generations to come and create a growing, thriving business that started in the wine world and expanded recently into spirits. As August grew up and into the business, he eventually found himself thoroughly intrigued by spirits and, with a nose for great wine, applied his skills to seek out great distillers with whom to partner. "It's an easy transition for a company baptized in wine to come out with a spirits portfolio and talk process, flavor profile and quality," says August. 35 Maple Street Spirits has allowed August to curate a small but sophisticated spirits portfolio. When he wanted to add a rum, he took his time and searched near and far to find a partner who not only had a superior product, but who also understood deep-rooted family culture like the Sebastianis. What he found was the Bermudez family in the Dominican Republic, a multi-generation, family-run rum pro - ducer making outstanding craft rum from pure sugarcane. "We get one another and it's been a great relationship," says August. "When we sat down with the Bermudez family, we found we were almost finishing each other's sentences." The excitement of bringing top-quality rum to a whole new audience is what floats August's boat. "It's been a revelation. It's not just rum and Coke anymore, or rums being relegated to the back of the dessert menu," he offers. "People are asking for it in a snifter or Burgundy glass even. They are swirling and appreciating and enjoying these rums!" And certainly, there's nothing prohibitive about that.