Clairin Le Rocher

Ennesimo capolavoro importato da Velier. Realmente un ottimo prodotto.

This rum has so much depth of flavor. Deep smoke, vegetal flavors, artichoke, butterscotch. It tastes almost like blending an agricole and an amazing mezcal together.

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.

Smells/tastes like a blend of a grassy Rhum Agricole and a smokey Mezcal! Super fun to drink and share!

In a single sitting, I tried three Clairin brought to us by Velier. Like the others (Clairin Sajous and Clairin Vaval) it's a mix of Jamaican and Martinique/agricole styles. Clairin might not be to everyone's taste, but I'd urge every rum nerd to at least try a glass if they have the opportunity. (The reasonable price point should help.)

Of the three, I found this the most delightful. The cane sweetness was most intense, there was a hint of saline and mineral, but little of the grassiness that usually turns me off agricoles. It's estery, but bright, less banana/plantain than strawberry or maybe passionfruit.

Oh, and while you can call all these clairin "the mezcal of rhum" because of the little-regulated primitive rural production methods, this one also earns the title because of a smoky punch that hits you on the first whiff (and sip). Not sure what that's from, but it slowly fades into the background over time to let the more subtle flavors come through. Drinking this straight at full strength, I felt less burn than expected, so I didn't bother trying to add anything.

Truly funky in the best way. A killer daiquiri and stellar ti punch.

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.

A smoky almost chipotle flavor. For a white, the after burn is not what I would have expected. Much less. The mix is not quite as good straight. For what it's worth, I have it as a 5.5.

Amazing haitian rum, with complex and delicate flavours. The peculiar smoked aftertaste reminds me of the peat found in the Islay whiskeys, but more delicate and balanced.
Overall a great choice for jamaican and agricole lovers.

Best as a sipper, but works fine on a ti punch. I got a pleasant and ever present strawberry yoghurt character both on the nose and on the palate with some vegetable notes and a light mezcal-like smoke .