I’ve been collecting little bottles of orange liqueurs for a while. Saw a 50mL of Cointreau and Grand Marnier, and of course I bought a whole bottle of Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao for Mai Tais. But then, when I got a sample of Clément Créole Shrubb, I knew that I had to do an experiment.

Review

Smell: Definitely smells of orange, something spicy like cinnamon and vanilla, sweetness, and the grassy smell of agricole. It’s like an orange spiced tequila.

Taste: The taste is pretty wild and unique. The underlying agricole rum is very interesting and suits this flavor profile. Spicy, sweet, fruity, and it’s honestly not too grassy/briny, but there’s some good depth and complexity here. It’s hard to pick out any individual spice from the mix because it’s all so subtle, but I really like the mix. It has this really nice finish that is floral and fruity.

I also tried it in a Mai Tai. I actually took the opportunity to compare several different orange liqueurs, and Créole Shrubb won the contest for my favorite, barely edging out PF Dry Curacao and Grand Marnier. I hope to do this again when… I know a bit more about what I’m talking about.

Verdict 7/10

It’s hard to compare this rum to other rums, since it’s more like a spiced rum or spirit drink. And in that regard, it might well be the best one that I have ever tried, just because it does it well for the task, which is to be a complex and flavorful mixer for when the recipe calls for an orange liqueur, such as a Mai Tai. I would not drink it neat, and its use is situational, but I can see it easily elevating cocktail recipes that call for basic orange-flavored liqueurs.