Clairins Sajous Sugarcane Juice Rum 750ml

Clairin Sajous is produced by Michel Sajous, a third-generation distiller who runs the small Chelo distillery in the countryside of Saint-Michel-de-l'Attalaye, roughly a four-hour drive north of Port-au-Prince. Clairin itself is Haiti's traditional agricultural spirit, made for centuries at hundreds of small, isolated village distilleries using methods that have barely changed, and export efforts led by The Spirit of Haiti since 2012 have brought Sajous's expression to a wider international audience for the first time.

Sajous grows an heirloom sugarcane variety called Cristalline, an ancient strain that yields far less juice than commercial cane but carries notably more aromatic character. The cane is cut by hand and pressed on site, and the juice ferments for several days using only wild airborne yeast, with no added cultured strains or dilution. The fermented wine is then run through a simple pot still heated over an open fire and bottled unaged at natural, cask strength, without adjustment.

Clairin Sajous carries a distinctly funky, savory character, with notes of green olive, pickled herbs, and fresh apple on the nose alongside bee pollen and white pepper. The palate is raw and intense at first, revealing honeyed fruit and a grassy, herbaceous quality that lingers into a long, warming finish.