CLAIRIN 2021 SONSON, 51% ABV

Key Information: Age: NAS ABV: 47.5% Vol: 700ml

There are over 500 small distilleries in the countryside of Haiti and the diversity of production of local spirit, called Clairin – or Kleren – varies widely with an incredible variety of Clairin styles.

Clairin Sonson comes from the village of Cabaret, a commune located in the Arcahaie district, northwest of Port au Prince.

Clairin Sonson is from Cabaret, a village located in the district of Arcahaie in the north-west of Port-au Prince. The sugar cane, from the local variety Madame Meuze, is cultivated on 25 hectares mixing both banana and other fruit trees. Once harvested, the
sugar cane is pressed and slowly reduced to syrup. Then, it’s fermented spontaneously using natural yeasts. The distillation is carried out by Stephan Kalil Saoud using a pot still heated over an open fire. The clairin thus obtained is bottled without any reduction.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Fresh and herbaceous. Cut grass, hint of basil and lemongrass.

Palate: Straightforward and fruity. Fresh cane juice, liquorice.

Finish: Pleasant and slightly spiced. Sweet pepper, ginger.

Key Information

Serving Suggestions
First things first, be comfortable, relaxed and free from distractions. Pour a healthy amount (15-25ml) into a nosing glass (e.g., glencairn) and let it sit for a while. We recommend a minute of resting in the glass for every year in the cask. Otherwise, let it settle down for 5-10 minutes at least.

Help yourself to a 'warm up dram' in the meantime - something simple to open up the palate. When ready, start nosing the spirit, followed by sipping it (noting how it arrives on your palate and its development), and finally the finish. Take your time to get to know the spirit, noting its expression, character, depth, complexity and flavours. These can all change with adding drops of water so play around to find different sides of the spirit and identity a personal sweet spot for yourself!

We find this enjoyable on the rocks as well, and our personal sweet spot is a cube of ice with 25ml of the spirit in a glencairn!

But always remember, the best way to drink it is the way you like it!