Saint Benevolence 5-Year

42% ABV. 5 years old. A blend of cane syrup-based rum from the Dominican Republic, and molasses-based rum from Barbados. One is pot, one is column (or perhaps one is blended).

Good nose. Sugar cane character, but not sweet. Hint of varnish. Cherry cola note. Scarlet Ibis meets Richland Rum. Palate is somewhat harsh, slightly bitter. Short finish. This is designed for mixed drinks, where it shines, but can also be sipped neat. Looking forward to trying again.

7+

I really like Saint Benevolence as an organization, and the people who run it are great. All profits go to benefit charitable efforts in Haiti (where the founders have been working for many years), and a clairin is forthcoming.

Part of sales goes to charitable cause, thus the name. The taste is a bit short on finesse for neat sipping but the cola cherry note is ok for mixing. The bottle and label look good on the bar.

I had the clarin Saint benovlance and my god it's so different .
Notes of fresh bannana, greens olive and live grass

The back story of this rum is somewhat compelling - the endeavor of charitable partners to provide badly needed assistance to Haiti. The rum itself comes from elsewhere, but according to the website, 100% of the proceeds goes to funding development efforts in Haiti, in a village known for producing Clairins. So, the taste, it comes across quite sweet and soft. It's a very pleasant sipper.