Kléren Nasyonal Clairin Vieux

Clairin is Haiti's village cane-juice rum, traditionally distilled from heirloom cane on wild, spontaneous fermentation, agricole in spirit even though the word cannot legally apply. This Kleren Nasyonal vieux is a more accessible, lightly aged take, made from fresh sugar-cane juice and bottled at 50%.

Softer and less ferocious than the cask strength clairins that define the category, it opens buttery and sweet on the nose with sugarcane, brown sugar and vanilla, then turns to young wood, banana and almond on the palate before a vegetal, banana-and-vanilla finish. Some yeasty, phenolic character runs underneath, a reminder of the rustic Haitian origin. This is an approachable introduction to clairin that tames the style's wilder edges, and it shows best in mixed drinks such as a Mai Tai rather than as a serious neat sipper.