Velier Papalin 2023

Papalin is Velier's blend of Haitian rum, drawn from several small distilleries and made the clairin way, from fresh sugar cane juice with wild fermentation and pot still distillation, the rawest cane juice tradition there is. This release takes that Haitian base and ages it for six years in sherry casks, a twist that frames the funk rather than stripping it.

Bottled at 54.1% with no added sugar in the Velier style, it drinks fruity and sherry led. The nose offers cherry, sherry and sweet wood, the palate red fruits, cherry candies, anise and caramel, and the finish brings toasted oak and sour cherry with a glue like ester hint of its Haitian roots. The sherry maturation softens and rounds the clairin character into something accessible, a sweet spot of funk, strength and value. A good route into Haitian cane juice rum for drinkers who enjoy a fruity sherry influence and are not quite ready for a full unaged clairin.