When Ramon Escobar’s father emigrated from Bolivia to the United States in the '70s, he brought very few items with him. He did, however, manage to pack a couple of bottles of singani, considered the national liquor of Bolivia.

Escobar’s father later met and married his mother, from Lodi, in Columbia County, and they moved to Milwaukee, where there were a plethora of blue collar jobs at the time. Escobar grew up on 54th and Vliet Streets, and occasionally traveled to Bolivia with his parents to visit family.

Whenever they visited Bolivia, Escobar’s father picked up a couple bottles of singani to share with friends back home. During visits when he was older, Escobar went out drinking singani with his cousins in Bolivian bars.

"The funniest thing in the world to them was to get their gringo cousin lit up on the local hooch," says Escobar.

For Escobar, singani became a symbol of his Bolivian heritage and his love for the country, which is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.

Singani is a grape-based libation that is closer to brandy than to wine and can be consumed alone or mixed into a cocktail. It is unique in the spirits world because it is produced solely in the Bolivian Andes Mountains and in vineyards located at elevations of 5,250 feet or higher. According to Escobar, because the grapevines must thrive in a closer-to-the-sun environment where the atmosphere is thin, the green grapes grow a protective skin. All of this contributes to the intense flavor of the finished product.

"Singani was always a part of my family growing up," says Escobar. "It was always near and dear to my heart."

Escobar continued his father’s tradition of sharing singani with friends who would always inquire why such a delicious drink was not available in the United States. While receiving his master’s degree at Columbia University, Escobar – who had already earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – started to receive investment offers from friends.

"Two friends told me, in a very short period of time, that if I started a singani business they would invest," says Escobar "After the second person said this to me, I started to inquire with people in the industry. And then they started offering me money, too."

Escobar, who also works for the U.S. State Department and is currently on a one-year fellowship at Georgetown University, decided to form a company in 2013 that would represent – not own – one of the distilleries in Bolivia. Escobar chose the centuries-old Rujero distillery and signed a 10-year exclusivity agreement to introduce the product to the United States market.

Under the company name Chufly Imports, Escobar serves as a marketing, public relations specialist, interpreter (Escobar is fluent in English, Spanish and French) and cultural liaison for Rujero, as well as Aranjuez, a Bolivian wine distiller.

"Rujero truly appreciates the tradition of singani," says Escobar. "Everything they use is made in Bolivia, from the stills to the bottles. I wanted to introduce to the United States the very best Bolivia has to offer and I know with Rujero I am doing that."

Initially, Escobar – who lives in Washington, D.C. – brought singani into bars and liquor stores in eastern cities. Last year, because he often visits family in Wisconsin, he decided to try the Midwest market and, to his surprise, the product is doing extremely well here after a much shorter amount of time on the shelf.

Rujero singani is available in Milwaukee at Amilinda, Discount Liquor, Plum Lounge, Ray’s Wine & Spirits, Rumpus Room and The Outsider.

"Wisconsinites really appreciate a quality spirit," says Escobar. "It’s remarkable singani had not been discovered sooner."