Of the clairins from Spirit of Haiti, I have only had Sajous and Le Rocher before this. I know there’s more, but with how much rum I have in my closet, I am not exactly looking for more bottles. I also didn’t really know what the names mean; I only later realized that Sajous is the name of the distiller (Michel Sajous) and Le Rocher is named after the fact that the distillery is on a big rock. I figured Communal is just another name, but it turns out that it’s because it’s actually the first four clairins (Sajous, Vaval, Casimir, and Le Rocher) all blended together. It’s also lower in proof than the rest, at 43%.

Review

For this review, I compared it to the two other clairins I have, plus Pere Labat 59, since it’s a related agricole.

Smell

As I’ve reviewed before, Le Rocher smells a bit like a sharpie with smoky rib rub and a touch of Worthy Park industrial funk. Sajous is a lot closer to a classic agricole with grassy brine with just a touch of citrus. I don’t know what Casimir and Vaval smell like, but already Communal is between the two that I’ve had, where it has a bit of pickly brine scent, and a bit of the overripe banana of Jamaican funk. Pere Labat is kind of like a classic agricole, with grassy briny notes, but has the unmistakable smell of a Brett infection. I remember it from my days of homebrewing. It’s a very specific sour, funky stank that is almost impossible to describe. It’s like leather and barnyard.

Taste

Le rocher is very smoky, plasticky, and maybe slightly fruity, with a nice long finish, while Sajous just tastes like a typical agricole, with a dry, savory brine that reminds me a bit of HSE blanc. Communal is, again, an experience in between, with a bit of fruitiness, a bit of pickled olive flavor, and it comes off as a bit less dry. It actually reminds me of a sweet red bell pepper. Pere Labat is more similar to Sajous, with a dry, bitter, grassy pickle note, very complex in flavor, but I can’t help but pick up the funk of Brett.

In a daiquiri, Communal is light, balanced, and enjoyable. It’s not plasticky or off, but I just wish it packed more of a punch. It’s certainly the least controversial daiquiri of the bunch.

Verdict 7.5/10

I think of clairin Communal is a nice, inoffensive introduction to the Spirit of Haiti. Perhaps it’s the Planteray Xaymaca of clairins. It doesn’t have the bold, challenging flavor of any one of them that makes them stand out. It’s just an average of all 4, and on average, they’re all fantastic. I just wish it wasn’t watered down as much as it is, but as it stands, it’s like a more concentrated Copalli white. I like this as an approachable representation of what high quality clairins are as a category. 7.5/10