Clément L’Initial Brut de Colonne

L'Initial Brut de Colonne is Clement's full-strength white, bottled at the proof it leaves the creole column, a towering 71.4%. It carries the Martinique AOC, distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice with no added sugar, the column run low to keep the green congeners in the spirit.

What sets it apart is how composed it stays for the strength. The nose is intense but clean, with fresh sugarcane, fruit and a vegetal lift, while the palate turns green, mineral and earthy over a sugarcane base. Citrus, light grass and a stony minerality carry through a long finish. Far from a brutal hit of alcohol, it integrates the proof better than most, rewarding a careful drop of water or a powerful Ti' Punch. One for experienced palates who like high-proof blancs and want raw cane juice at its most concentrated, dry throughout.