RHUM & CLAIRIN from Haiti
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In Haiti, people recognise four types of sugar cane spirit
• There is no legal definition of rhum or clairin in Haitian law. Only a handful of Haiti’s 300-500 distilleries are licensed.
• All locally distilled rhums and white clairins qualify as rum under US and EU law. Clairin trempé is classed as a rum specialty in US and boisson spiritueuse à base de rhum in EU .
• Few distilleries bottle their clairin, most sell bulk to middlemen, who dilute it for resale by street vendors in recycled containers.
Flavor
Rhum Barbancourt
• Fresh cane juice only
• Mill powered by biomass furnace recycling bagasse
• Distilled in column stills
• Aged in used American oak barrels
• Spirit color: amber/gold
Clairin vapeur
a.k.a. clairin type Nazon
• Fresh cane juice only
• Mill & still powered by steam engine recycling bagasse
• Column still with retort
• Similar to agricole AOC
• Consumed white / unaged
• Spirit color: clear
Clairin de guildive a.k.a petit clairin
• Fresh juice and/or cane syrup
• Stills fuelled by firewood
• Combined pot and short column stills
• Consumed white / unaged
• Spirit color: clear, yellow hue
Clairin trempé
• Infusion of clairin with botanicals e.g.
Cinnamon
Asowosi
Lian bandé
Zo’devant
Sellé bridé (lemon)
Échadeque
Cérise pays ...20+ other botanicals
• Alternative to barrel ageing
• Color: amber / dark