Wild thing

The traditional spirit of Haiti has long been in the shadows outside of the Caribbean. But with more bottles reaching further afield, we explain why clairin should be on your radar

WORDS MILLIE MILLIKEN

“It’s another planet,” is how Daniele Biondi, rum manager for spirits distributor La Maison & Velier, describes Haiti. The third largest country in the Caribbean, Haiti gets its name from the indigenous Arawak word ayti meaning ‘mountainous land’ – indeed, its terrain includes mountain ranges as well as rocky shores, cliffs and coral reefs. Flamingos prosper in secluded areas and caimans can be found in the rivers of the southern peninsula. Its people are descendants of African slaves and Haitian Creole and French are their most-spoken languages. It’s notoriously difficult to travel to and around; dirt roads, multiple hours in four-wheel drives and lack of amenities are all part of the fun. Farmers are known to cultivate plantains, bananas and corn, and most people – when it comes to drinks –…

You're reading a preview of

Rum (Digital) - 1 Issue, Rum v3

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.