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Clairin Le Rocher rum

Clairin Le Rocher

IA
had this rum recently

Haiti | Light

8.4/10
38 ratings
That's some good stuff
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38 Clairin Le Rocher Ratings

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Mujuru 🇺🇸 | 152 ratings
Posted 3 years ago

Nose: Bubblegum, Pineapple, Woodsmoke, Industrial Glue, Honeybaked Ham, Worchestershire Steak Sauce, Pinewood,
Palate: Woah! Intense! Mezcal, Powdered Sugar, Beet Juice, Wood Smoke, Peat, Pinewood, Lime Juice,
Aftertaste: Short, Lemon, Pinewood, Baked Ham, Woodsmoke lingers long after, burns the nostrils

This is a definite acquired taste. This is only for the most advanced rum drinkers who have gone through the full range of styles. So unless you have tried a broad range of rums including Agricoles and ultra funky Jamaicans, you aren't going to be prepared for this. Maybe I should put it this way: if you blindfolded someone and asked them to drink it and tell you what they were drinking they would likely tell you it was Mezcal. But this is pure, unadulterated, pot stilled sugar cane juice from the heart of rum history: Haiti

The nose is incredibly pungent and unbelievably complex. Its as powerful on the nose as Smith & Cross - which is saying something if you have ever had that rum. But the palate is absolutely wild. Its like nothing I have ever had. Its like if Argicole Blanc, Mezcal, and Jamaican Pot Still rum had a sultry threesome and the sweat was combined and distilled.

The aroma of this rum jumps out of the bottle at you, overwhelming your olfactory senses with a bizarre range of smells like some circus of olfactory memories from random parts of life - no, really. In a glencairn taking waft I get Bubblegum, Pineapple, Woodsmoke, Modelers Glue, Honeybaked Ham, Worcestershire Steak Sauce, and fresh white pinewood. I can confidently say I have never smelled that on any distillate before.

Just as I was thinking that was the wildest combination of smells I ever took in from a consumable source, I took a sip...and my tastebuds went on what can only be described as a hallucinatory trip. Immediately my mouth exploded with a bizarre menagerie of unrelated flavors like some montage of savory flavors. My immediate reaction was confusion and bewilderment as I was punched in the face by blast of flavors starting with a burst of Mezcal followed by a bang and immediate fade of powdered sugar, immediately followed by beet juice. My mouth then became permeated with woodsmoke, peat, and lime juice followed by a lingering distinct pinewood and woodsmoke flavor. Those flavors faded into and aftertaste of Lemon juice, pinewood, woodsmoke and baked ham. At first I noted that the finish was short, but then I realized after drinking it a bit that the aftertaste slowly built up into strong notes of lemonade, mezcal, ham, and woodsmoke.

I can definitively say I have never EVER had anything like this. Not even remotely. So why do I give it an 7 and not a 10? Because despite the insane and intense complexity of the most interesting assortment of flavors ever collected in a distilled spirit, I cannot say that I definitively loved it. It was wild and crazy and not what I would choose to sip comfortably. I didn't dislike it either and I can tell that this is truly a unique rum and experience. Given the whole experience I cannot in good conscience rate it below an 7 on this scale even if the particular menagerie of flavors isn't really something I would sit around and sip. I can definitely appreciate the craft and artistry of this rum even if the profile is too wild for what i might consider relaxation. The best way I can explain it is that it is a wild crazy ride that I might enjoy when I want a thrill. This is more something I will keep for people who think they have had everything rum has had to offer, because if you haven't had this, then I assure you that you haven't.

This rum makes the best Daiquiri you will ever have.

Country of Origin: Haiti
48.2% ABV
Distillery: Le Roche (small independent distiller)

Wolfe Tone 🇳🇱 | 124 ratings
Posted almost 2 years ago

Lovely but heavy, industrial and funky: with motor oil, glue, banana, green fruits and spices.

Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings
Posted over 4 years ago

A few weeks ago, I saw three clairin rhums in gift boxes on the shelf of a favorite liquor store. After researching them, this was the only one with reviews on here, so I bought it for only $39 US.

As others have said, the aroma is of floral briny olives, but very pleasant. The taste is so complex that it is difficult to nail it down to just a few notes. The finish is quite pleasant with very little burn. It cannot quite compete with my only two rums rated as a 10, so it gets a high 9. However, good luck finding this one. This is both a great sipper and a mixer. No easy feat, especially for a white rum.

I would like to add that this one qualifies as being Delightfully Weird and Totally Unique. This one is NOT for beginners!!!! If the Captain Morgan crowd tried this one as their first foray into fine rums, they would go back to mass produced column distilled rums and never try fine rums again. One needs to try other fine rums for at least one year before trying this one. It is THAT different!

And for those that love Laphroaig single malt Islay scotch, you will probably also love this rum. Both are heavily peated.

Update March 1, 2021: I finally found another bottle of this clairin today along with three others from Velier. The cork disintegrated so bad that a corkscrew could not even get the rest of it out. I had to dig the rest out with a knife and then pour the remainder into a beaker to try and get most of the remains out. Then I used a heavy duty paper towel doubled over to removed any super fine particles before pouring this liquid back into the original bottle. Good thing that I save old corks and one of them made a really good replacement. I almost was going to dock my rating from a 9 to an 8 or less. However, it is still the best clairin of all four and tastes just fantastic. The other three all got my rating of 5-7. The cork on the Vaval also broke, but a corkscrew was able to remove the rest.

Update August 20, 2021: With the recent earthquake having hit Haiti, I figured that I may not be able to get any more of their rums for a while. So I grabbed one bottle of this, knowing very well that the cork may be bad. After removing the tin from around the top, I saw no white plastic or wax around the cork. This was a good sign. I then easily removed the cork in one piece. Their cork problem has been solved, thank goodness.

Update October 14, 2022: I back off in buying fine rums like this one out of fear of getting bored with them if they were always in my collection. So I recently drove the distance and bought another bottle of this clairin. No change to my rating. And no more disintegrating cork.

All I can say is that this must be the only liquid muffaletta in the entire world!!!! Those of you who are from New Orleans or have visited there will know exactly what I am talking about. The muffaletta is an Italian New Orleans sandwich on a very large round Italiian bun. (The Italians did not settle there until around 1900). This sandwich consists of premium fine Italian cold cuts, provolone cheese, and the essential olive salad.. Preferably, the whole sandwich is toasted to a crisp.

Key to this clairin's flavor on the rocks is the olive salad, which this rum mimics that taste. Liquid muffaletta, I love it!!!!

Update September 7, 2023: Finally got another bottle. This time around, I really don't care for all those weird flavors that first impressed me. I tried another reviewer's advice of using this clairin to make a Cuban Daiquiri, but the clairin still dominated the drink. The only way to hide most of the weird flavors is to mix one part of this clairin to two parts of ruby red grapefruit juice. This leaves me no choice except to lower my rating to a more sensible and realistic 7.

Arunshiv 🇧🇷 | 2 ratings
Posted over 2 years ago

My second favorite clairin after Sajous . Very grassy and terroir is amazing.

Tony Sanders (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 77 ratings
Posted almost 3 years ago

They are. Had this at the Mosquito Supper Club in New Orleans. The fist sip my tastebuds jumped out of my mouth. By the end of the glass they were grooving to a wave of tastes from glue to bubble gum. Am getting a bottle to try to sort this one out.

JellyJortikka 🇫🇮 | 74 ratings
Posted almost 4 years ago

Comes from Pignon village in Haiti, distilled in a small farm distillery.
46,5%abv pot still proof
Pot still
Distilled from cane juice suryp with "dunder" pits being used
Wild fermented
Nosing:
Strong rubber, smoke, brine, balsamic vinegar, green apples and also some mineral quality, hint of corn
Palate: Lot going on here, brine and smoke, less vinegar but good amounts, some grass, apples and minerals, bit heat but not as much as i expected,
lots of nice citric flavour and acidity, surprisingly crisp.
Finish is quite long, citrus brine and smoke and in the end you get nice pepperiness like white pepper.
Well crafted rum, is a bit like a hybrid between jamaican white overproofs like rum fire and a fruity agricoles.

SunDogPrivateer 🇺🇸 | 10 ratings
Posted 4 months ago

Brought it to a friend’s and opened it and they could smell it across the room. Exclaiming what the hell is that. I get green olives and brine. Reminds me of a super charged Mexcal. It’s a change of pace when you want something different not subtle.

Cool Breeze (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 555 ratings
Posted 10 months ago

Tasted at Tiny Tiki on 5/20/23. Pours clear. Aroma of Parmesan cheese. A bit of band aid rubber bands. Crazy smoke flavor- mezcal like. Apricots. This is very good.

Neman3 (PREMIUM) 🇨🇦 | 283 ratings
Posted over 1 year ago

This is very short review - proportional to the volume of the glass and number of shots )

1. Rum JM XO 45°
Apples on nose, smooth, oaky. Very pleasant aftertaste.

2. Clairin 46.x°
Almonds, burnt sugar, rich and oily. Might be the most smooth out of Clairin range.

3. Damoiseau 66.9°
Rich, exotic taste, little ethanol kick. Somehow comparable to JM due to pronounced oak.

4. On desert: Abuelo XV
Just pure pleasure!

Scoring 9.5 for all of them. To be more precise and objective need 4 x 0.75L

Rubberducky 🇮🇪 | 3 ratings
Posted over 1 year ago

Oh yes. Ploughed through a bottle of this nectar of the gods over 4 nights.
Neat, over ice, ti punch and daiquiri.
Each had something different to offer.
Neat it's green olives, bacon, rotten bananas, diesel and licorice
Ice seemed to bring out a floral perfumey quality (not at all unpleasant) that wasnt nearly as noticable neat on top of everything else.
The lime and sugar just boosted everything to another level and made me a little weak at the knees with every sip.
It's been three days since I polished this off and I haven't been able to think about anything else since. I need help.




Brand Details

Name: Le Rocher
Type: Clairin
Raw Material: Unknown
Process: Unknown
Distillation: Unknown
Women leading Rum: No