Clairin Vaval Cavaillon-Haiti Rum

Clairin Vaval is the most delightfully unhinged and fruit-forward expression in Velier's legendary Spirit of Haiti series — and the one that most consistently makes experienced rum drinkers stop mid-sip and laugh with disbelief at what they're tasting. Produced by Fritz Vaval at the Arawaks Distillery in Cavaillon near Les Cayes — a distillery in operation since 1947 that is described as just a couple of cinder-block rooms and a corrugated zinc roof surrounding a still, small fermentation tanks, and a crushing mill on the grounds of an old colonial house surrounded by twenty acres of Madame Meuze cane. What makes the Vaval unique even among Clairins is its still — a genuinely improvised column still with leather trays and a condenser fashioned from old petrol cans — and yet what comes out of it is wild, vibrant, and ferociously delicious. Freshly harvested blue cane juice is spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts before distillation at still strength with no reduction, filtration, or additions. The nose delivers grass, roasted greens, volatile acidity, thyme, and marjoram, while the palate is a journey through raspberries and sugarcane — fruity, citrusy, and surprisingly approachable with tropical fruits dominating before brine, cardamom, and pepper assert themselves on the finish. One reviewer called it "perfectly concocted Ti Punch garnished with unripe green apple — weird and juicy and unripe and enjoyable as hell." Buy Clairin Vaval online with fast shipping right to your door.