Velier Casimir Clairin 2021

Clairin is Haiti's village cane-juice rum, agricole in spirit but barred from the word, made with wild spontaneous fermentation from heirloom cane on a single-village basis. Casimir is one of the names Velier has carried to a wider audience, and this bottling, the most prestigious house in collectible rum, keeps the rum unaged and at full strength so the raw terroir comes through undimmed.

Distilled from fresh-pressed sugar-cane juice and bottled at 51.5%, it opens fresh and grassy with citrus and a soft sweetness. Then it takes a turn that sets clairin apart: the palate goes salty and herbal with an unmistakable savoury, almost bacon-like note, and the finish runs briny with olive and a minty, soapy edge. Honestly, it is more characterful than easy, an oily, herbal-savoury white that rewards attention and shines in a Ti' Punch.