Velier Sonson Pierre Gilles Clairin Sonson 2020

Clairin is Haiti's village cane-juice rum, agricole in spirit but barred from the name, made with spontaneous wild fermentation and heirloom cane that gives each distillery its own signature. This one comes from Sonson Pierre Gilles in Cabaret, bottled unaged by Velier, the Genoese house that did more than anyone to bring clairin to a wider audience, at a full-proof 51.1% from fresh sugar-cane syrup.

The nose is fresh and herbal, sugarcane lifted by lemon; the palate turns saline and savoury, green olive, hay and a briny, iodine-tinged edge alongside the cane; the finish brings apple, overripe fruit and a wisp of smoke. It is a touch smoother and less aggressively briny than some of its Velier stablemates, but it keeps the distinctive coastal, olive-driven character that defines Haitian clairin. It works neat for the curious and gives serious backbone to a characterful cocktail.