Velier Le Rocher Clairin Ansyen (Blanton Cask) 2017

Velier, the Genoa house behind much of the modern interest in Haitian clairin, bottles this Le Rocher from the 2017 vintage as an aged, single cask expression. Distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice with the wild, spontaneous fermentation that defines clairin, it is agricole in spirit but carries Haiti's own intense, terroir-driven funk.

Pot distilled and rested in a Blanton bourbon cask, it keeps the unmistakable Le Rocher signature: overripe fruit, olive and esters on the nose, a palate of green olive, brown sugar, umami and fruit, and a woody, vegetal, olive and salty finish. The ester-laden, briny profile is so pronounced that it can read almost Jamaican on first sniff before the smoky, savoury clairin character asserts itself. The cask adds a little roundness without sweetening the core. A distinctive aged clairin for drinkers who relish salt, fermented fruit and olive brine over easy fruit and sugar.