Clairin Le Rocher

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

What a nose. Vegetable stock, sugar cane juice, dried leaves, smoke, melon, pandan leaves, wood. The palate is even more novel: beef jerky, lime and pepper roast chicken, mushrooms, even a bit of herbal minerality. Wet stone. The finish is long and delicious. I am absolutely blown away.

Nose - buttered movie popcorn, campfire smoke, tropical pandan leaf, flaky pastry’s, salted ice, Valentine’s Day heart candies, black pepper, salt water, taffy, buttered toast and jam, Maple syrup.

Palate - Smoke! Islay smoke, peat, rocks and minerals, fruit, papaya, a little cherry cola, sweet cane.

Finish - long finish, more smoke, hickory and peat, black pepper extract, light vegetal stuff, pop rocks, laphroaig 10.

Thoughts: This stuff rules! They use 30% dunder in each batch so this is like sweet and Smokey Jamaican influenced spirt with some Haitian veggie funk. Definitely one of my favorites.

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.

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)

I don't even know where to begin in describing this agricole rum.

As soon as I popped the cork my nose was overwhelmed with wonderful scents and aromas: sweet fruits, spices, grassy notes, agave and anise among other weird and wonderful smells. Sipping it is a flavor explosion but smooth on the tongue and not as harsh as the alcohol nose indicates it could be. And there is a taste that brings images of mowing the lawn while fixing the motor and drinking mescal. This is weird and wonderful and so much fun drinking.

If you want something interesting and different, look no further! Highly recommended unless you aren't adventurous and open-minded.

All I have to say is yummmm. I love every single Clairin so much.

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.

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