Clairin Ansyen Casimir 'Distillery Faubert' B&B Cask #CA17CR-6 Haitian Rum
$69.50
Clairin Rums are from indigenous cane varieties, non-hybridized, with no chemistry in agriculture. Spontaneous fermentation with no yeast selected, archaic distillation, and no filtration. Haiti is perhaps the most unique and undiscovered frontiers of rum and Clairin are the true ancestral rums of Haiti. In all of the rest of the Caribbean there are around 50 operating distilleries - in Haiti alone there are well over 500 of these traditional village distilleries. Producers are everywhere, often in the middle of the sugar cane fields, mills in wood, stills and fermentation vats that are usually made of oak or mango. For many reasons, due to the lack of industrialization, processes are still ancestral and showcase their terroir just as they have since Clairin production began centuries ago.
Clairin Casimir is produced in Barradères. Here there is no restaurant, no bar, not even a pharmacy, but there are thirteen distilleries. Faubert Casimir is considered the best distiller in the area, and he cultivates fifty hectares of Hawaii Blanche and Hawaii Rouge cane; these are un-hybridised soft and tiny canes. Casimir adds leaves of citronella, cinnamon, and, in some batches, ginger to enhance the aromas.
This particular barrel, bottled excluseively for B&B, was filled in December of 2018, and previously held Caroni rum from Trinidad, one of the Rum world's great and rare characters. That character plays beautifully with the bright, fruity, and slightly savory Casimir. On the nose, you'll find sweet barbecue ribs, pineapple, mango, amontillado sherry, kerosene, and a hint of barrel char. The palate follows through on the sweet-savory promise, reminiscent somewhat of a musty old highland Scotch that just came back from a tropical vacation. The sweet barbecue of the nose becomes more savory, leaning more to the charred meat element of barbecue than the sweet sauce. Warm cinnamon rolls follow behind, with a hint of smoke, then a wave of lush fruit: more fresh pineapple, apricot marmalade, raspberry brandy - there's plenty of fruitiness to go around. The finish leaves you on some more herbal notes, with thyme in particular making a stand, and a hint of vanilla from the time in the barrel. Fans of the standard unaged Casimir won't be disappointed here, but this could also make some converts of those who may have not fallen in love with Clairin initially, being overall a more rounded and easygoing experience, without sacrificing the wild and wonderful character that defines the spirit. Bottled at a cask strength of 47.5% abv.
Clairin Casimir is produced in Barradères. Here there is no restaurant, no bar, not even a pharmacy, but there are thirteen distilleries. Faubert Casimir is considered the best distiller in the area, and he cultivates fifty hectares of Hawaii Blanche and Hawaii Rouge cane; these are un-hybridised soft and tiny canes. Casimir adds leaves of citronella, cinnamon, and, in some batches, ginger to enhance the aromas.
This particular barrel, bottled excluseively for B&B, was filled in December of 2018, and previously held Caroni rum from Trinidad, one of the Rum world's great and rare characters. That character plays beautifully with the bright, fruity, and slightly savory Casimir. On the nose, you'll find sweet barbecue ribs, pineapple, mango, amontillado sherry, kerosene, and a hint of barrel char. The palate follows through on the sweet-savory promise, reminiscent somewhat of a musty old highland Scotch that just came back from a tropical vacation. The sweet barbecue of the nose becomes more savory, leaning more to the charred meat element of barbecue than the sweet sauce. Warm cinnamon rolls follow behind, with a hint of smoke, then a wave of lush fruit: more fresh pineapple, apricot marmalade, raspberry brandy - there's plenty of fruitiness to go around. The finish leaves you on some more herbal notes, with thyme in particular making a stand, and a hint of vanilla from the time in the barrel. Fans of the standard unaged Casimir won't be disappointed here, but this could also make some converts of those who may have not fallen in love with Clairin initially, being overall a more rounded and easygoing experience, without sacrificing the wild and wonderful character that defines the spirit. Bottled at a cask strength of 47.5% abv.
