Clairin Vaval
Clairin · Distillerie Arawaks (Chelo)
Clairin Vaval is rum stripped to its most elemental — no aging, no blending, no polish. What remains is terroir in a glass: the wild, indigenous sugarcane of southern Haiti, fermented with native yeasts and distilled once. It's a spirit that demands curiosity and rewards it with a flavor profile unlike anything else in the rum world.
Nose
Intensely aromatic — overripe tropical fruits and banana are immediate, with a grassy agricole quality underneath. There's a funky, almost yeasty fermentation character, and hints of citrus peel and raw sugarcane round out a wild, vivid nose.
Palate
Full and surprisingly textured for an unaged spirit. Tropical fruit and sugarcane juice flavors dominate, but there's an earthy minerality and a peppery spice that gives the palate shape. The agricole grassiness carries through, and a faint coconut sweetness appears mid-palate.
Finish
Long and persistent, with lingering tropical fruit, a touch of banana, and a clean herbal fade.
- Base Ingredient
- Fresh sugarcane juice (indigenous varieties)
- Distillation
- Single distillation in copper pot still
- Country
- Cavaillon, Haiti
Cocktail Suggestion
Ti' Punch Vaval — 2 oz Clairin Vaval · 0.5 oz cane syrup · 1 lime disc (squeezed) · Build in a rocks glass, stir briefly, no ice or over a single cube as preferred.
Food Pairing
Grilled whole snapper with lime and Scotch bonnet
Produced by Michel Sajous's neighbor Chelo at the small Distillerie Arawaks near Cavaillon, Haiti, Clairin Vaval is made from indigenous sugarcane varieties, fermented with ambient yeasts, and distilled in a rudimentary copper still — a practice essentially unchanged for generations.
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