Boukman Botanical Rhum

Boukman Botanical takes a Haitian cane juice clairin and infuses it with bark, spices and botanicals, a deliberate crossover that sits well outside the usual rum lane. Haiti's clairin tradition is agricole in spirit, made from fresh sugarcane juice with wild fermentation, though the word agricole itself is reserved for the French islands. At 45 percent, this is unaged and aromatic.

The botanicals dominate: clove, cinnamon, floral and herbal notes with a clear medicinal lift, then orange peel and cream toffee on the palate, finishing vegetal and spiced. This is not a sweet sipper and does not pretend to be, reading more like gin or an herbal liqueur with a cane backbone. Drinkers who enjoy amaro and botanical spirits will find it intriguing, and it earns its keep in cocktails far more than neat.