April 13, 2004

By YOVANNA BIEBERICH
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF

The hills and valleys of Sonoma County may be well-blanketed with vineyards, but wine isn't the only libation being poured.

While lovers of the grape sip away, many people are rediscovering the world of distilled spirits as liquor companies in the past few years have introduced specialty flavored rums and vodkas. Interest in liquors is on the rise, and two Petaluma companies have begun seeking their own spot on the distilled spirits shelf.

"The rum market is growing," said Dan DaDalt, Petaluma resident and owner of Three-D Spirits, Inc. located in the Golden Eagle Shopping Center. "Rum is having a resurgence. There's plenty of opportunity here."

Three-D Spirits was founded by DaDalt and Dave Laverne in 1996 with the goal of producing a high quality liquor to compete with the major labels. DaDalt, former vice president of marketing for SKYY Spirits, felt that rum, which is made from fermented, distilled molasses, was the prime product to focus on.

"Rum was getting popular," he said. "But I felt there needed to be more variety out there, so I thought I would look at doing a flavored rum. I also saw how brands such as Captain Morgan and Bacardi were everywhere and that there weren't many companies giving them competition. We're the little guy, but we wanted to offer a better product for the same price."

After coming up with the edgy name "RedRum," and deciding to package it in a coffin-shaped red bottle, DaDalt and Laverne headed into the kitchen to concoct a rum with a twist -- a mango, pineapple, coconut and cherry flavored twist. "It was nerve-wracking," recalls DaDalt, a natural when it comes to creating and marketing new products. "We already had designed the bottle and had a name, but we didn't have a product yet! The clock was ticking. Fortunately it all came together. It's been a long road, but we're growing."

Once the rum-making duo had a recipe, they took batches of it to local bartenders at McNear's, Graziano's and The Hideaway for taste testing. "We wanted the feedback," he said. "We wanted them to tell us it tastes good."

And it did. RedRum hit store shelves in 1997, and since then, the company has introduced a second product -- VooDoo Spiced Rum. The rum is barrel-aged for a more mellow character, and infused with cinnamon, cloves and Madagascar vanilla. "It's the best you can buy," said DaDalt. "It's expensive, but it's about quality. I want my label to say that is has all natural products."

VooDoo is packaged similarly to RedRum, but in a clear bottle with a tiki on the label. Both RedRum and VooDoo are made with 100 percent Virgin Islands rum that's taken to Three-D Spirits' facility in San Jose where it's blended and bottled. Today, RedRum is shipped to 28 states, while it's younger sister VooDoo has made it into seven states in two years. Locally it's sold at local liquor and grocery stores and served at McNear's, Graziano's and The Hideaway.

"The competition in this industry is incredible," said DaDalt. "It's a constant battle for shelf space. It's a tough, but fun business. I took a chance when I came up with it. I had no crystal ball. In my own mind I haven't reached my expectations for the company yet, but I'm glad that the business is growing and getting a nice following. My goal is for it to be a national brand someday."

DaDalt is also eagerly anticipating the release of the company's third product, Jolly Roger, which is scheduled to debut in May. The new light rum's packaging is a departure from the coffin design of RedRum and VooDoo to a round bottle that fits better in bar wells. In keeping with the company's edgy feel, the bottle and label are black with a big skull and cross bones on the front, and the legend of the Jolly Roger on the back.

While Three-D Spirits focuses on the rum market, Sweetwater Distillers in the Foundry Wharf is venturing into another sector of the liquor industry. Since September 2003, the distillery has been making brandy, apple eaux-de-vie, grappa and a unique vodka made from malted barley.

"We take 1,200 gallons of beer without the hops and ferment and distill it right here," said co-owner Don Payne. "It's fun crafting something that makes people happy."

Payne, a resident of Bodega, learned the art of spirit making as a home brewer -- distilling his own beers and whiskeys. He later attended classes on liquor making in Kentucky, then teamed up with Paddy Giffen and John Moylan to found Sweetwater.

The company's warehouse features a shiny, copper custom-made 530-gallon still from a manufacturer in Kentucky. "It's the only one of its kind in existence," said Payne. "We needed a still that could do a beer product as well as local fruit products."

Payne is excited about the opportunity to reintroduce people to the realm of liquors. "People are learning more about spirits," said Payne. "They want to know more about how it's made. Alcohol is a real mystery to many people. You find that a lot of people don't know anything about it."

The distilling process itself is simple. "Alcohol boils off at a lower temperature, so when it starts steaming there are a series of ladders it climbs. The higher it goes, the higher the proof," he said. "The condensation process is much like what water does when it boils. The first alcohol that comes off is your isopropyl and nail polish alcohol. That's the bad stuff we get rid of. We take that top part off to get to the heart -- the nice-tasting stuff. The tail end of the distillation is where we start getting into bad alcohol again."

Payne added that poor distillation and separation of the alcohols is often to blame for headaches people suffer from drinking those spirits. "Spirit making is definitely an art form."

While the company has brandy and other spirits aging before their release, Sweet-water is preparing to debut its first product, Brewers Vodka, with an open house and tasting on April 23. The vodka is made from mashed malted barley and distilled in a manner similar to that of whiskey. Instead of being sent to rest, the vodka is distilled again to a higher proof before being cut with spring water.

Sweetwater's Brewers Vodka can be found locally at Volpi's, Andresen's, and McNear's and at local liquor stores. Products in the works include a Mendocino Cabernet Grappa, an Alexander Valley Gewurztraminer Grappa and a special apple eaux-de-vie that will come complete with a Gravenstein apple inside the bottle. Sweetwater is also working on a contract project that involves making a chocolate liquor with Scharffen-berger chocolate.

"Our goal is to be a company that makes a specialized, handcrafted product, and stays that way," said Payne. "We can't compete with the big guys, but we don't want to anyway."

Sweetwater Distillers hosts an open house and tasting from 1 to 8 p.m. April 23. Sweetwater is located at 611 Second St. at Foundry Wharf. For details, call 778-6041.

For information on Three-D Spirits, call 766-7716 or visit their Web site at www.redrum.com

(Contact Yovanna Bieb-erich at ybieberich@argus courier.com).

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