Description

To bring clairin to the U.S. market, Velier partnered with the French retailer La Maison du Whisky to form La Maison & Velier. The company imported 2,000 bottles each of three expressions of clairin into the American market for distribution, starting in New York and then branching into other markets. Currently, the clairins are available for a suggested retail price of $40 at select retail shops in New York, such as Astor Wine & Spirits in New York City, while other retailers and restaurants can order directly from Velier. The three clairins are named after their respective distillers: Clairin Casimir is made by Faubert Casimir in the town of Barradères, and it’s strikingly different from Clairin Vaval, made by Fritz Vaval in Cavaillon, 15 miles away. The Casimir is dense, vegetal, and full of fruit flavors, while the Vaval is brinier and leaner. Both are quite distinct from Clairin Sajous, which hails from the mountains in the north of Haiti and is defined by clean, grassy notes. While buying Velier’s clairin products does help support the Haitian distillers the company partners with, Biondi point out that this project isn’t a charitable initiative—it’s about the discovery of something both new and old. Clairin is a spirit that’s never been sold in the U.S. before. It’s also a celebration of the way rhum has been made in Haiti for centuries.