Haiti is the final frontier of rum, and "Clairin" are Haitian rums. On my first official trip, in 2012, I discovered that there are 532 working stills on the island, while in the entire Caribbean there are only 42 still-smoldering distilleries.

This is where our quest begins, to first understand what Clairin really is. We will soon discover that very primitive distilleries, artisanal producers, exist throughout the island, spread throughout this Caribbean territory untouched by the "modernization" of the Western world and therefore still "pure" from our perspective. Biodiversity in Haiti is enormous. Each region has its own production tradition, specific sugar cane varieties, and each Clairin with its own distinctive aromas. The Clairins selected and bottled by Velier reflect this diversity, both in the sugar cane varieties used and the different fermentation and distillation techniques.

At Velier, we are proud to have transformed this Cinderella into a true princess!

History

Clairins are Haiti's rums, and Haiti is rum's last frontier. The last example of the most original Caribbean world.

Known as the poorest country in the Northern Hemisphere, politically unsafe, and dangerous, it is left on the margins of the region's economic and tourism development. Somehow, Haiti retains its "Africanness"; carrying household goods on heads, washing and bathing on the riverbanks, and street markets ensure that, if possible, Haiti is more Africa than Africa, preserving here, in the heart of the Caribbean, cultural traditions unique to the Black Continent.

But this means that Haiti is also more: more than a thousand kilometers of pristine coastline with breathtaking beaches, rivers, clean streams, and mountains rich in wildlife. From the perspective of sugarcane distillate production, therefore, the major difference between Haiti and other producing countries is Clairin, Kleren in Creole: the poor man's rum, the sole surviving link to Antillean production in the late 18th century. An unexplored, undervalued resource, it holds a potential yet to be fully developed.

Production Method

Haitian distilleries are almost always huts in the middle of the fields, where the cane is transported by mule or bull-drawn cart. Here, it is pressed with small mills. The juice is usually fermented in wooden vats. The boiler is fueled by dried cane fiber, and the still is a discontinuous pot still, fired by direct flame and often with a small rectification column, with up to six trays and a wooden vat: structures similar to those brought by the French in the second half of the 18th century. The result is a diverse and eclectic range of artisanal rums, ideal for both simple long drinks and sophisticated cocktails, with unique and original flavors that open unexplored horizons and offer the opportunity to experiment while maintaining quality.

Country: Haiti

Founded: 2013

Distributed by Velier since: 2013

Clairin

Focus

The Clairins selected and bottled by Velier reflect the extraordinary diversity of Haitian products, both through their different distillation and fermentation techniques—spontaneous, without selected yeasts and no filtration—and through their native, non-hybridized cane varieties, free from any use of agricultural chemicals.

To be included in the Velier range, Clairins must comply with a number of strict rules, a veritable protocol:

clairin - Sugar cane varieties must be native and not hybridized;

- Their cultivation must follow traditional production techniques, without the use of synthetic chemicals (weed killers, fertilizers, fungicides, etc.);

- Harvesting must be done by hand;

- Sugarcane must be transported using traditional methods (on muleback or in carts pulled by bulls);

- Fermentation of the sugarcane juice must occur exclusively through natural yeasts, without the addition of industrial yeasts or dilution with water, and must last at least 120 hours;

- Distillation must take place in stills with a maximum of five copper plates in direct contact with the flame;

- The distillate must be bottled at the strength it was released from the still;

- Bottling must take place in Haiti.