From the shelf
Everything we have from Clairin
Click on a bottle for the rest of the details.
The most original rum there is
Clairin is what rum was before factories arrived. In Haiti there are hundreds of small guildives: farm distilleries that grow their own cane, let the juice ferment spontaneously with whatever is in the air, and distil it once in a still that is often built from scrap material. They are fired with bagasse, the pressed cane itself.
The Italian bottler Velier brought those bottles to Europe from 2012, separately per village and per distiller. Each name on the label (Vaval, Sonson, Le Rocher) is a different man, a different village and a different type of cane.
The four bottles we have are located
Why does clairin taste so different?
Three things at once: fresh cane juice instead of molasses, fermentation on wild yeast instead of cultivated yeast, and a single distillation instead of two or three. Nothing is filtered and nothing is smoothed over. Anyone tasting clairin for the first time often gets a jolt, and then can't get away from it.
Every village its own still
- The range in brief
- 2012Velier starts exporting the clairins.
- Cane juiceFreshly pressed, from its own land.
- BagasseThe fuel under the kettle.
- 45-54%The bottling strength.
Clairin has been distilled in Haiti for centuries, mainly for local use. They are not companies but farms: the cane grows next to the distillery, is pressed by hand and the juice goes straight into the vat.
The differences between the distillers are large. One uses a cane variety that no longer grows anywhere else, another ferments for longer, yet another adds ginger or lemon peel during fermentation. You can taste that.
Luca Gargano of Velier, also the man behind Habitation Velier, began bottling these as a separate range in 2012, with the distiller’s name on the label.
Not a brand but a man, a village and a still.
Where best to start
The Communal is the mildest of the four: a blend of several distillers, and so the calmest introduction.
If you want the real thing, take the Vaval. It is pure jus de canne and the most pronounced.
Call 0570 541 278 or drop in at Brink 2 in Bathmen if you would like to talk it over.
Frequently asked questions about Clairin
How many bottles of Clairin does ’t Bockje have in stock?
4: the Communal, Vaval, Sonson and Le Rocher.
What is clairin?
Haitian rum made from freshly pressed sugar cane juice, spontaneously fermented and distilled once in small, often home-built stills.
Why is there a name on the label?
Because each bottle comes from a different distiller and a different village. Vaval, Sonson and Le Rocher are people and places, not flavour variants.
What does pur jus de canne mean?
Pure cane juice: the rum is made from the fresh juice and not from molasses or syrup.
Is clairin aged?
Usually not. The bottles are bottled unmatured and unfiltered, between 45 and 54 percent.
Which clairin should you try first?
The Communal. That is a blend and so the calmest of the four.
Order, collect or drop by
- In stock in our shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen
- Available to order online and have delivered, including abroad
- Order online or collect in Bathmen
- Personal advice via 0570 541 278 or info@bockje.nl
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 09.00–18.00, Saturday 09.00–17.00. Closed Monday and Sunday
Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan personen onder de 18 jaar. NIX18.
All 4 bottles at a glance
Each bottle shows the details from the label.
Keep browsing
Brink 2, Bathmen
All our stock is in the shop, not in a warehouse somewhere else. If you walk in with a name you couldn't find anywhere, it is often simply here on the shelf. You can also call: 0570 541 278.
Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan personen onder de 18 jaar. NIX18
- Tuesday to Friday 09.00 – 18.00
- Saturday 09.00 – 17.00
- Monday and Sunday closed