Kléren Nasyonal Petit bois d’homme

A clairin from the Kléren Nasyonal label, the village cane-juice rum of Haiti. Clairin is agricole in spirit but cannot use the word: it is made from fresh-pressed cane juice with wild, spontaneous fermentation and heirloom cane, which gives it a raw, terroir-driven funk quite unlike a polished French-island blanc. This one is pot distilled and unaged, bottled at 43%.

The profile is savoury rather than fruity, the hallmark of the style. The nose is vegetal, earthy and meaty, and the palate carries that through with green olive, a saline edge and floral lift over a fresh core. The finish stays meaty and umami-laden. There are gummy-bear esters and a cheese-rind funk that make it genuinely distinctive, a rum for drinkers who chase character over comfort. Unsweetened by nature and full of personality, it rewards slow, neat sipping or a robust Ti' Punch.