Clairin 2020 Sonson

Tasted this Clairin at the Sweden Rumfest 2023.
It’s like all Clairins from Haiti and in this case from Sonson Pierre Gilles distillery in Cabaret.
It’s produced from the local sugar cane variety, Madame Meuze, that after the cane is pressed is reduced to syrup that after fermentation is distilled in their pot still by Stephan Kalil Saoud.
The nose is fresh and herbal with notes of grass, basil and lemon.
At the palate it’s fruity with hints of the cane and licorice.
The medium long finish is rather pleasant with hints of pepper, ginger and other spices.
Overall a pleasant Clairin that works very well neat.
And btw Clairin ain’t Agricole!
Picture: Our poured glasses and the bottle at the Sweden Rumfest 2023.

Peppery aroma, fruity taste with big peppery note, smoky elements and a slightly acrid undertone. Vegetal and peppery finish

A rather different affair to the 2018 vintage, this is like it's little brother.
Smell is pretty mild for a clairin. Something briny, a touch of bleach, a bit of slightly decomposing sweetness.
Taste is all that, along with a touch of melted rubber growing in the development.
It's interesting, and much more easily drinkable neat than the other clairins I have tried.
It's definitely Sonson, but lacks the other worldliness of 2018, which is a shame, as for me, that was a blockbuster.
I guess, like fine wines, it's all about the vintage and all the subtlety of weather, climate, and the idiosyncrasies of distillation. It just means in future, if it's a great vintage, buy a few!