Clairin Vaval (70cl, 53.5%)

An unaged agricole rum from Haiti, made from fresh juice of the Madame Meuze sugar cane variety. The 2020 harvest fermented spontaneously with wild yeasts and was distilled at Distillerie Arawaks, then bottled undiluted at 53.5% in a 0.7-litre bottle. The nose is fresh and expressive, with herbal, olive and spice notes and an unusual tomato accent. The palate is smooth, with sugar cane, olives, herbs, citrus and tomato notes, an oily texture, natural sweetness and mint, while the finish leaves herbs and a light smoke note.