Review #: 345
Description: Clairin Vaval “Ansyen” Cask VA17OL-4
Spirit: Rum
Background: This is a single barrel of Clairin selected by Kate Perry with La Maison & Velier. Distilled at Arawaks Distillery in Cavallion, Haiti, the spirit was filled on January 12th, 2017 into an ex-Oloroso casks and aged for 39 months before bottling at 50%.
Distillery – Arawaks
Bottler – La Maison & Velier
Brand – Clairin
Selection – N/A
ABV – 50%
Age – 3 Years
Nose – Industrial plastics, nutmeg, peppermint, rosemary, wet soil. This is one of the weirdest noses on anything I’ve smelled.
Taste – Funky cinnamon, spoiled brown sugar, there’s a weird fruitiness I can’t place. Maybe like a red apple that just doesn’t have that much sweetness. More air does let a bit more sweetness come out. There is an immediate tingle that hits the tongue on sipping but can’t pinpoint a flavor with it.
Finish – Burnt plastic, cinnamon stick, just overdone caramel. It is a weird tangle of wood and cane juice.
Score: 4
Would I buy a bottle? No
Thoughts: This was just super weird. Nothing tasted “bad” but it didn’t really jive with me. It feels like the oloroso is a bit heavy and really clashes. The spirit isn’t a bad quality, but it’s not fitting to my taste.