CLAIRIN 2022 Le Rocher, 50% ABV

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 Le Rocher is produced by Bethel Romelus in Pignon from sirop de canne.

Distillery Le Rocher is located in the village of Pignon. Owner Romelus Bethel is the brother of a priest and named his distillery after the biblical parable of the wise and the foolish builders: will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fall for it was founded on the rock. Clairin Le Rocher is produced using syrup made from the cane varietal Cristalline in Saint Michel de. Syrup is brought to the distillery and diluted until the brix level is advantageous for natural fermentation with the natural yeast of the area.
During the very long fermentation, dunder from the previous distillation is added to boost the level of flavor intensity.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Vegetal and smoky. Pine, liquorice, straw, cut grass.

Palate: Voluptuous and spicy. Chili pepper, dusty red clay earth, ripe fruit, butterscotch.

Finish: Herbaceous and smoky. Citrus, earthy notes.

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!