Velier Arawaks Clairin Vieux Vaval (LMDW) 2015

Clairin is Haiti's village cane juice rum, made from fresh pressed sugarcane with wild, spontaneous fermentation and heirloom cane, agricole in spirit but unable to use the word. This Vaval comes from the Arawaks distillery, bottled by Velier, the most prestigious name in collectible rum, and selected for La Maison du Whisky, an aged clairin given six years in ex bourbon oak at full proof.

The nose carries the telltale clairin signature of varnish over sugarcane, with peaches and figs, while the palate turns sweet and fruity with candied fruits, orange peel, more sugarcane and a syrupy texture, the finish echoing sugarcane, peaches, figs and orange peel before toasty, herbal notes emerge. It drinks sweetly fruity at first then transforms in the glass, a vivid, characterful spirit that disappears quickly. Bottled at a cask strength 48.2% and unsweetened, it shows what ageing does to Haiti's turbo charged funk, a distinctive pour for adventurous drinkers.