The Spirit of Haiti Clairin Communal Rum

While these bottlings are sourced from different distilleries, they all have one aspect in common: pure, well-balanced rums that evolve in the glass. Although production may be labour intensive, it’s a labour of love.

These rums are produced using native varieties of sugarcane grown without the use of herbicides or pesticides, which are cut by hand and transported by ox carts or donkeys to the distilleries. The majority of the producers use wild fermentations and operate a batch pot still with 5-6 plate column set up, with the Clairin reaching the receiver between 45-56% abv. Whilst extremely basic, the distilleries are beautifully simple, and produce some stunning liquid.

Nose: Fresh sugar cane juice blended with fruit salad. Pungent cane notes mix with apples, oranges, and unripe bananas. Leafy herbal hints hide underneath, along with gentle new-car leather and a touch of icing sugar sweetness.

Palate: Boiled sweets and candied fruit lead on the palate, followed by treacle tart, tarte tatin and creamy caramel sauce. Crunchier caramel and cinder toffee notes build, leading to a background of dark chocolate, liquorice and warm engines.

Finish: Creamy to start, with leafy tarragon, aniseed and black liquorice following.