Clairin Sajous Rhum Blanc

Nose: Highly pungent, bright grassy herbaceous notes, spirity, new bicycle tyres, a background aroma reminiscent of mezcal. Damp rainforest ground-litter, over-ripe, almost rotting citrus fruit, gherkin juice, fresh cane juice, brine. As it rests in the glass it develops a sweeter and more waxy profile, particularly with the addition of a drop a water (although that can also bring out a papery note). A formidable nose. Palate: The arrival is initially sweet and more laid-back than the nose might make you think. It leads with herbal-sugars that again are suggestive of mezcal and it has that honeyed-asparagus note mezcal sometimes carries. However just as you think you have sussed it out this is all washed away by a wave of astringent, gripping alcohol and bittersweet herbs that comes crashing onto the palate. Terragon, sage, rosemary, rocket, pickles, ginger, white pepper, unripe banana, rotting mango, green papaya and green apple skins. After a while this onslaught subsides and another wave follows, bringing in the unmistakable white sugar and green grass flavours of cane-juice. Water significantly tames the palate by modulating the alcohol presence and increasing the foundation sugar sweetness. Finish: Long. Everything from the palate entwines and slowly diminishes until just light briny grassiness remains with an afterthought of star anise. This sits somewhere mid-way between rhum agricole blanc and white-dog, by way of mezcal. The progression on this spirit is astonishing and makes a mockery of all those other drinks where you have merely convinced yourself you tasted development. My liquor order arrived today just in time for the weekend (yay!) and it contains several bottles of interesting stuff based on sugar, this being one of the most compelling. It's essentially agricole blanc from Haiti, crafted from hand-harvested un-hybridised sugar cane grown on the 30 hectare Sajous plantation, crushed in a donkey-powered open-air pit, wild fermented and distilled on site in a tiny direct-fired pot still. It is an organic product with no additives of any kind and the production methodology and environment are very similar to that of mezcal. I wonder just how much of the mezcal note I detect comes from the wild fermentation? It would be interesting to run a chemical analysis on the congeners of both spirits as the only big difference between them (apart from the raw material, of course) is that the cane is not cooked prior to crushing, like agave hearts. This is about as close to rum moonshine as you can get. In fact most clairin is literally moonshine produced on small unregulated family stills. It is usually a single distillation run and you have to trust that the distiller was not greedy and took a wide cut, because if they did it could contain a lot of methanol. So don’t go rushing off to Haiti in search of the great micro-distillery clairin experience - many people have died or gone blind from drinking the true moonshine stuff. The only clairin I have seen available for sale here is a group of spirits marketed by Velier (including this one). The distillers they contract are well regarded and the spirit is no doubt carefully checked by Velier before sale. (I have read some vague and conflicting information that the Velier-contracted distillers do a second distillation run in a small column still to "purify" and improve the cut, but I can't verify that). Fascinating neat or over ice, but I’ve yet to try it in cocktails or mixed drinks. It could be quite versatile but I doubt you could just substitute it for white rum, the profiles are wildly different. However be warned that this is not a beginner’s spirit. If you are not partial to rhum agricole then don’t come anywhere near this. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars) BTW - the @Distiller classification calls this "silver rum". No, it absolutely is not and that misleading descriptor should be changed.

The nose starts with a mix of guava, sunscreen lotion, moderate hogo funk and rubber tire mulch then sweet florals, wet clay soil and freshly cut grass followed by overripe mango, banana purée and strawberry syrup that transitions to ginger root and fried yucca with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium and creamy mouthfeel starting with a mix of guava, sunscreen lotion, black pepper, moderate hogo funk and burnt rubber before a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to sweet florals, wet clay soil and freshly cut grass followed by passion fruit, green banana and strawberry yogurt that transitions to ginger root, anise and fried yucca with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with caramelized bananas, passion fruit, moderate hogo funk, burnt rubber, toasted coconut, anise and fried yucca. This is a wild ride of a spirit that is not for the faint of heart as the flavors are bold and intense that quickly varies between sweet, sour, salty, and bitter starting with a captivating nose where those flavors mingle together in a complex and perfect balance that carries over to the palate but the flavors are overwhelmed by a moderate spice bitter spice that throws off the balance before fading and finishing long with that strange mix of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter working harmoniously together. At a price of around $50, this is a spirit I’d recommend for anyone to try as it might not be enjoyed by everyone but is certainly a complex and interesting experience that no one will likely forget. Thanks @PBMichiganWolverine for the generous sample as I doubt I ever would have tried this otherwise.

It’s funny how we as Americans are so only knowledgeable about predominantly western spirits. We know about wine, whiskey, beer…but there’s a whole other unexplored spirit range ( at least for us western culture folks). Take for example baiju ( which is consumed more than any other spirit ), sake, or this…clairin. No, it’s not rum. It’s as far from rum as Scottish whisky is from bourbon. This was gifted by my niece, who just completed a semester of surgical training in Haiti. This is the expensive, meant for westerners, version of their local spirit that’s distilled by small back alley distillers. The local version is about $1.50/ bottle. But this is close to 50x of that…more meant for US. Apparently, in Haiti , the local version is considered as working class, and used traditionally for voodoo ceremonies. It’s distilled from sugar cane , but that’s where any similarity to rum ends. This is more grassy, herbal, and earthy. I don’t get any sweetness at all actually. Have this with a cube of ice on a hot day, and you’re treated with flavors of minerals, grassy earth, and refreshing lemons. Truly unique. I totally get it that I got the westernized white-washed version as the intro one, but it now makes me wonder what a local only would taste like. I can’t help but wonder the local only one would be like that local only mezcal I had in Oaxaca—- just flavors and complexity that’s not available from on-shelf-main stream mezcal. ( @Richard-ModernDrinking , @pkingmartin , @ctbeck11 ——I included this for the June tasting…courtesy from a 25 yr old surgical resident’s rotation in Haiti)

Crystal clear in color. Ebullient aromas of banana, banana blossom, poblano, tall grass, jicama, jalapeno, key lime, and green apple. Soft and viscous on the palate with an abundance of grass, green apple, durian, vanilla, cilantro, fresh sugar cane juice and cane syrup. The finish is loads of white sugar, apple, jalapeno, and licorice. I haven't had a spirit show this much terroir before. This is truly a wormhole to central Haiti. I wish there were more spirits with this much local flavor. A real gem.

Tried this at a friend’s house. Very good. While clairin gets the rave reviews in New York, in the Dominican Republic, where I have lots of family residing, it is considered as crap bootleg liquor. Nose: Grass, Sugar, Licorice, Banana, Pineapple, Citrus, Dark Chocolate, Palate: Banana, Coconut, Grass, Pepper, Vanilla Finish: Grass, Guava, Sugarcane, Licorice, Caramel Pure additive free high proof unaged rums can be like mezcal if they wanted to.

On the nose I get banana taffy, over-ripe mango and papaya, orange zest, burnt sage, black tea and a hint of clove. The mouthfeel is heavy and hot. On the palate, I get notes of mango, watermelon, pineapple nectar, sage, grated ginger, black tea, burnt cinnamon stick, and white pepper. The palate is long and warming, led by the tropical fruit that leads to the peppery conclusion.