Clairin Sajous is produced at Distillerie Chelo, owned by Michel Sajous in the countryside of Saint-Michel-de-l’Attalaye, about four hours north of Port au Prince. Profile: Rich and genuine.Abv: 56.4%Nose: Fresh and straightforward. Coconut husk,chlorophyll, unripe pear, freshly cut grass, green.Palate: Dry and raw. Fresh sugar cane, white pepper,cream, lime oil, unripe melon.Finish: Long and generous. Herbal notes. Cane variety: CristallineRaw material: Sugar cane juiceLocation: Northern Haiti, Saint-Michel-de-l’AttalayeTerroir: Mountain plateau Michel Sajous is third generation producer, having built his own distillery in 2004 on the site of his family’s distillery before him. Distillerie Chelo is a small, well-organised distillery which produces Clairin from Canne Cristalline, an old heritage variety of burgundy cane with incredible aromatic complexity. Michel’s harvest season typically runs between December and August, where they cut the cane fields by hand, using machete and ferments the juice spontaneously with the ambient yeast of his land. Clairin Sajous is a fine example of Clairin from Northern Haiti – Saint-Michel-de-l’Attalaye is often considered to be the grand cru of Clairin. Clairin Sajous shows fine aromatics with compelling notes of bright citrus and grassy botanicals. Clairin Sajous is represented by the painting of the famous Port-au-Prince based artist, Simeon Michel. Third generation distiller Michel Sajous produces his Clairin near the village of Saint-Michel de l'Attalaye, abeautiful plateau in the north of Haiti. He built Distillerie Chelo in 2004, in the very place where his former family-run distillery once stood. Surrounding the distillery, many different varieties of sugarcane grow organically without fertilizer, pesticides or chemicals. Among these varietals is the incredible long lost Cane Cristalline. The harvest takes place between December andAugust. The cane is hand cut by machete andtransported to the distillery with help of mules andpressed. The fresh juice is fermented with natural, wild yeast for 5 to 7 days. The distillate is produced with a small traditional pot still powered by burning bagasse attached to a small column still with six copper plates. After a 6 hour single distillation the spirit comes off the still between50% and 60% ABV and is bottled without any reduction.
