Clairin 2018 Casimir

If you've never tried a clairin, then there really is no way I can do it any justice by trying to describe it beyond saying they represent the most intense assault upon the senses that you are most likely either to love, or find positively repellant.

Poured into a glass, the smell immediately reaches out and rings my bell. This is 53.3%, and it reeks. There's a chemistry lab sweetness, melted rubber and something vegetal, all blended into something indescribable.
Tasted neat, it's pretty hot, the burning rubber most evident along with an incredible richness of cane juice, followed by something almost savoury, perhaps subtly olive and brine.
The finish is long. Incredibly so for a white rum. The concentration of sugar, sap and vegetable riding along within a coating of melted rubber.
It's delicious.

In a cocktail - a Hurricane in this case - it punches through with all of it's flavours, but the sweetness and dilution bringing them all out to play very enjoyably. The finish is still there, long and evolving.
It's here though that Casimir's relative lack of complexity shows compared to Le Rocher and Sonson. It's great, don't get me wrong, but lacks the otherworldly dimension of the others that always makes me smile.

Perhaps an entry level clairin if such a thing exists. If you have an adventurous spirit, and you love cocktails with lots of flavour, I urge you to try a clairin. There ain't nothing like it!

Tento clairin vyrábí Faubert Casimir ve své mikrodestilerii v Baradères, kde používá třtinu Hawaii Blanche a Hawaii Rouge. Fermentace probíhá divokými kvasinkami v kádích pod širým nebem a destiluje se v kotlíkových dest. přístrojích nad otevřeným ohněm.
Zajímavostí je, že Faubert během fermentace přidává do kádí citronovou trávu, skořici a někdy i zázvor.

Aroma: Pronikavé, kyselé, zasmrádlé, ovocné - třtinovost, travnatost, hnijící citrusy a banány, zemní plyn.
Chuť: Nakyslá travnatost, tinktura, zemitost. Lehce štiplavá.
Dozvuk: Zemitost (rašelina), citrony, travnatost. Delší, nakyslý a hořký.
Sladkost: 0/3
Ochutnán vzorek
Casimir byl kdysi můj první clairin a hodnostil jsem ho jako vyložený hnus. Po dalších vzorcích jsem si však v průběhu času clairiny oblíbil a Casimira hodnotím nyní pěkných 8/10. Zajímavá je stopa zemitosti (rašeliny), která se vyskytuje i u Le Rocher.

This rum is made from fresh pressed sugar cane juice which is fast fermented with wild yeasts and distilled on a small pot still. It is then bottled at still strength of 51.4% without aging.

On the nose I get an instantly recognizable scent right away: this is Homey Baked Ham. Behind that I get a heavy dose of Green Olives and the Juicy Fruit gum. Then the smell of Simple Syrup and Marshmallows. Finally I get a very difficult to describe scent the best I can approximate to is Morning Dew on a fresh cut lawn.

Taking a sip I get a wash of Honey Baked Ham. What a spectacular translation from the nose to the palate! After that comes Sugar Cane Stalk and a smokiness, along with Confectioners Sugar and Aspertame. Then it turns almost fermented, like Sake

The finish is short and simple. I am left for a few moments with something like diluted Aspertame. It’s not bitter or chemical but definitely has a light almost artificial sweetness.

This is enjoyable and fascinating enough on its own, but, much like Clairin Le Rocher, it really shines in a Daiquiri. Casimir, like Le Rocher, has this fascinating Smoked Ham note to it that just comes through incredibly in a Daiquiri.

In many respects this is quite similar to Clairin Le Rocher, though more balanced and not quite as intense or outright psychedelic. To my tastes it makes for a better sipper, but Le Rocher edges by just a tad as a mixer. This one plays a lot like a very complex tequila with sweet undertones.

Overall this is a really solid rum. Man, all of these Clairins just really are something else, in every sense of that expression. This iteration probably ranks 3rd among the Clairins to my tastes, after Le Rocher and Vaval, but slightly above Sonson and Sajous.

Short Description: Clairin Le Rocher’s slightly less charismatic but equally attractive twin.

ABV 51.4%

Country Origin: Haiti

Distillery: Faubert Casimir

Nose: Honey Baked Ham, Green Olives, Juicy Fruit Gum, Simple Syrup, Marshmallows, Dew on Fresh Cut Grass

Palate: Honey Baked Ham, Sugar Cane Stalk, Smoke, Confectioners Sugar, Aspertame, Sake

Finish: Aspertame

PALATE

It bites your tongue and burns your mouth, literally. Probably because of the high alcohol content, the tongue receptors can not detect the flavors hidden in it. It reminds me on navy strenght rums, but that’s far from the usual rum perception. It’s funky, but not like the Jamaican style. It has its own flow. You will probably never forget this flow.

If you want to read more about Clairin Casimir 2018, you can visit
https://sundayrumor.com/the-most-aromatic-volcano-in-haiti-2-4/

and find out how it tastes with ice, or even with espresso & chocolates.

Nos: třtinová štáva, citrusy, bylinky, tráva, lehká závan tequily
Chuť: cukrová třina, máta, ovoce, tráva.
Dochuť delší příjemná.

Nose - very agricole like, icy sea water, beach grass, fresh cut green grass, sweet green bell peppers, opens up into light smoke and funk spice after five minutes

Palate - peach then pear, dry fruit, medium citrus firecracker pops

Finish - pops crackles, medium jalapeño heat, red hots candies, burdock, bitter gentian, rhubarb root?

Thoughts - quite good! this really smells like an unaged Hampden LROK mixed with a nice agricole blanc. With the higher proof comes an expected extra amount of heat. Smells amazing but doesn’t totally translate to palate. Dry, spicy, slightly bitter finish. Yum!

Try with a few drops of water

Rating : 7.8 out of 10

In a side by side with Veritas/Probitas I would confuse both for one another.

Sharp but not too much. Had it by itself, no ice or drinks with it. Good for dealing with the cold weather

Overwhelming notes of fermented banana and pineapple on the nose. Smells wonderful actually. It reminds me of mowing the lawn after the apricots have fallen on the grass, so you have cut grass and fruit fermenting in the sun. Just a hint of old banana like those dried banana things you get in trail mix. Slightly harsh on the front of the mouth, but not too much burn. Much more subtle than the smell suggests. The aftertaste is that same banana/pineapple that the rum smells of and is very pleasant. It lingers in your mouth for a long time, a bit like tobacco does. I don't think I've ever had anything quite like it!
Update after finishing the bottle: the fresh banana has soured somewhat and after using it in cocktails, it overpowers most of them. While an unforgettable experience, I wasn't able to find a good way to enjoy this rum consistently and now I've tried it, I don't need another bottle.

Rhum agricole avec des arômes d'anis, de gingembre et de citronnelle.