Velier Arawaks Clairin Vaval Caivaillon #6 2019

This Clairin Vaval Cavaillon comes from the Arawaks distillery via Velier, made the traditional Haitian way from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice with wild, spontaneous fermentation and heirloom cane. Taken off a pot still and bottled unaged, it shows clairin in its rawest, most untamed form.

Wild fermentation drives a deeply savoury profile: the nose is vegetal and herbal with green olive and a fruity lift, and the palate turns briny and mineral, olive and salt over fresh sugarcane. The finish runs spicy, earthy and mineral with a charred edge, the kind of dirty, saline character that defines the style. Unsweetened and bottled at full strength near 50%, this is an aggressive, polarising spirit, not a smooth sipper, but one that rewards patience and air, and a natural in a characterful daiquiri.