I was fortunate enough to be given a shot of this at a tiki bar in Chicago when I struck up a great conversation with the bartender. I told him I really liked the Clairin Le Rocher, so he had me try this one. It was fantastic. Loved the flavor profile (which, as with most Clairin's, is really hard to nail down and put to words). Its funky, but its flavorful and much smoother than I expected for a Haitian Agricole. I will be adding a bottle of this to my bar. Very good stuff!

Anyone who knows the Phillips brand knows it's all rot-gut stuff that you typically only get when you're underage, don't have much money, don't know how much it actually costs, and the runner hates you and your friends and keeps a bigger cut of the cash you give them. It's cheaper to go to your parents' car and just siphon off some gas and mix that.
***DISCLAIMER***
(Okay, my lawyer just advised me to add, I don't really want you or anyone to drink gas from your parents' car. Siphon it from a lawnmower instead. What? I can't say that either? WTH?!).

I've sipped this straight and had it in a few tiki cocktails. It's a solid rum which should be a staple for most rum enthusiasts who want a basic but quality aged rum mixer. I would recommend this to have in a bar collection, especially if you like tiki cocktails. But if you want a sipper or something with more character, move up to the 12 year.

This comes across differently from previous releases. 2018 was transcend ental, 2020 simply very good, this though is different again.
Smell, I get complex layers of sugar, white and brown, with something rich and slightly herbaceous underneath.
Taste is something nearer to agave than cane, it's got that mescal like weird rubber vibe, with lots of complex 'green' sugar notes and an evolving finish.
Overall, it's the most sippable clairin I've tried neat, but it's also the least like clairin I've tried. On one level I'm intrigued, on the other disappointed. Weirdly, I bought this for cocktails, but I actually think it'll be swamped in a Hurricane, and I'm inclined instead to drink this neat.
Strange drink, odd times.

A slight upgrade from the standard HC white, this has a little bit more character and works better in a mojito than the white. Good in mojitos and rum and cokes, but I don't see it being worth much more than that. I would add it to my bar collection, but just for when I have guests who don't appreciate good rums and are rum and coke types.

I typically only have this when I'm overseas and in bars and hotel bars that have limited good rum choices. It's fine in a mojito, but I wouldn't use it in much else. Not good, not bad, just right in the middle and inoffensive.

I've only drunk this in Tom & Jerry's in the wintertime. It's alright. Not offensive, and does the job. Not something I would stock other than to give it to guests I don't want to have the good stuff. But it's decent for the price.

Even as a mixer, there isn't much use for this product. I find it bitter, aggressively bitter, with no redeeming quality other than it has alcohol in it. Outside of that, best avoided if you can. If that is all a bar has, well, switch to beer.

Only got it for a 'Dark and Stormy' some people visiting me wanted to drink. It's alright. Better than the flagship bottle, but still not my thing. I find Kraken a little better, but both are not rums I would seek out to drink or add to my collection.

You all know it. Best thrown in with coke. Not much more use for it. It is what it is. This wont ever stock my shelf. But if you like it, you like it.

Have used this in Mai Tai's and Jet Pilots and it works really well. Not their best rum, but very versatile for tiki cocktails!

I've tried this straight and in a Hemingway Daiquiri. It's surprisingly good and makes for a very tasty Daiquiri. If you come across this, don't be afraid to try it! Very nice rum!

Purchased this and as usual, was not disappointed. Although it's very similar to the 2009, this is still a fantastic rum, always ready to please the pallet. Highly recommend!

I managed to track this down in a Tiki bar in Chicago, they didn't have much left in the bottle. Oh my goodness, so good. So tasty. So satisfying. Wish I could find a full bottle of this for sale, and for less than the cost of a night at a 4-star luxury hotel.

I just started drinking rum. Friend got me hooked after a Don Pappa Barokko.
This rum was one of the first intasted after that. Was nice but bit "sharp" for me.

Better than it's 1999 brother, a bit sweet, a bit of funk, not as much aok/"cigar" on the palate. Pleasant while not yet excellent.

Agricol rum, very oaky/cigar tasting, with a strong funk. Not really to my state. I prefered the Selecao 2005, more round, less cigar-y.

Notes légères de vanille, notes de caramel, de bois, finale un peu mince et chaleur d'alcool bien présente. Généralement agréable, bon sans atteindre l'excellence.

Un excellent rhum, goût de vanille, orange et amande. On ne peut pas se tromper avec cette bouteille, je vais goûter au 12 ans prochainement.

Powerful nose with notes of dark fruit and a strong alcohol note. The taste resembles the nose with a strong burn at the end. Overall, a mixer. I’m currently testing with an old grog recipe.

Sweet licorice and caramel on the nose leads to a spicy cinnamon palate. More heat on the finish than other mid ABV rums I’ve had.

An easypeasy rum to have a little sip. Good to drink a little with friends to introduce them to your collection, but nothing special really.

Classical Riise aroma with rich roasted tones. Very nice.

Strenght - 5/10
Sweetness - 8/10

7:On the nose, the first attack is really a pleasant funk, with a lot of esters of overripe tropical fruits with as banana, mango, pineapple. Actually, it is enticing. We could notice burnt rubber and metallic notes. It feels pretty thick, there are molasses, caramel and some spices
4,8:On the palate it is syrupy, but quickly loses appeal from the nose, as sweetness, caramel and metallic notes, prehaps iodine, are very strong with molasses.
Overripe tropical fruits and funkiness are secondary and weak. There is some wood and spice.... A bit disappointing.
6:The finish is quite short, but at least funkiness re-emerges and improves the picture of this teste...

Not the best in this range, but which one would be anyways? Taste is a very subjective matter nontheless. I like it and dont regret the purchase. What makes it unique in my collection is the smokey thing it has to it. Recommendation.

I was fortunate enough to be given a shot of this at a tiki bar in Chicago when I struck up a great conversation with the bartender. I told him I really liked the Clairin Le Rocher, so he had me try this one. It was fantastic. Loved the flavor profile (which, as with most Clairin's, is really hard to nail down and put to words). Its funky, but its flavorful and much smoother than I expected for a Haitian Agricole. I will be adding a bottle of this to my bar. Very good stuff!

Anyone who knows the Phillips brand knows it's all rot-gut stuff that you typically only get when you're underage, don't have much money, don't know how much it actually costs, and the runner hates you and your friends and keeps a bigger cut of the cash you give them. It's cheaper to go to your parents' car and just siphon off some gas and mix that.
***DISCLAIMER***
(Okay, my lawyer just advised me to add, I don't really want you or anyone to drink gas from your parents' car. Siphon it from a lawnmower instead. What? I can't say that either? WTH?!).

I've sipped this straight and had it in a few tiki cocktails. It's a solid rum which should be a staple for most rum enthusiasts who want a basic but quality aged rum mixer. I would recommend this to have in a bar collection, especially if you like tiki cocktails. But if you want a sipper or something with more character, move up to the 12 year.

This comes across differently from previous releases. 2018 was transcend ental, 2020 simply very good, this though is different again.
Smell, I get complex layers of sugar, white and brown, with something rich and slightly herbaceous underneath.
Taste is something nearer to agave than cane, it's got that mescal like weird rubber vibe, with lots of complex 'green' sugar notes and an evolving finish.
Overall, it's the most sippable clairin I've tried neat, but it's also the least like clairin I've tried. On one level I'm intrigued, on the other disappointed. Weirdly, I bought this for cocktails, but I actually think it'll be swamped in a Hurricane, and I'm inclined instead to drink this neat.
Strange drink, odd times.

A slight upgrade from the standard HC white, this has a little bit more character and works better in a mojito than the white. Good in mojitos and rum and cokes, but I don't see it being worth much more than that. I would add it to my bar collection, but just for when I have guests who don't appreciate good rums and are rum and coke types.

I typically only have this when I'm overseas and in bars and hotel bars that have limited good rum choices. It's fine in a mojito, but I wouldn't use it in much else. Not good, not bad, just right in the middle and inoffensive.

I've only drunk this in Tom & Jerry's in the wintertime. It's alright. Not offensive, and does the job. Not something I would stock other than to give it to guests I don't want to have the good stuff. But it's decent for the price.

Even as a mixer, there isn't much use for this product. I find it bitter, aggressively bitter, with no redeeming quality other than it has alcohol in it. Outside of that, best avoided if you can. If that is all a bar has, well, switch to beer.

Only got it for a 'Dark and Stormy' some people visiting me wanted to drink. It's alright. Better than the flagship bottle, but still not my thing. I find Kraken a little better, but both are not rums I would seek out to drink or add to my collection.

You all know it. Best thrown in with coke. Not much more use for it. It is what it is. This wont ever stock my shelf. But if you like it, you like it.

Have used this in Mai Tai's and Jet Pilots and it works really well. Not their best rum, but very versatile for tiki cocktails!

I've tried this straight and in a Hemingway Daiquiri. It's surprisingly good and makes for a very tasty Daiquiri. If you come across this, don't be afraid to try it! Very nice rum!

Purchased this and as usual, was not disappointed. Although it's very similar to the 2009, this is still a fantastic rum, always ready to please the pallet. Highly recommend!

I managed to track this down in a Tiki bar in Chicago, they didn't have much left in the bottle. Oh my goodness, so good. So tasty. So satisfying. Wish I could find a full bottle of this for sale, and for less than the cost of a night at a 4-star luxury hotel.

I just started drinking rum. Friend got me hooked after a Don Pappa Barokko.
This rum was one of the first intasted after that. Was nice but bit "sharp" for me.

Better than it's 1999 brother, a bit sweet, a bit of funk, not as much aok/"cigar" on the palate. Pleasant while not yet excellent.

Agricol rum, very oaky/cigar tasting, with a strong funk. Not really to my state. I prefered the Selecao 2005, more round, less cigar-y.

Notes légères de vanille, notes de caramel, de bois, finale un peu mince et chaleur d'alcool bien présente. Généralement agréable, bon sans atteindre l'excellence.

Un excellent rhum, goût de vanille, orange et amande. On ne peut pas se tromper avec cette bouteille, je vais goûter au 12 ans prochainement.

Powerful nose with notes of dark fruit and a strong alcohol note. The taste resembles the nose with a strong burn at the end. Overall, a mixer. I’m currently testing with an old grog recipe.

Sweet licorice and caramel on the nose leads to a spicy cinnamon palate. More heat on the finish than other mid ABV rums I’ve had.

An easypeasy rum to have a little sip. Good to drink a little with friends to introduce them to your collection, but nothing special really.

Classical Riise aroma with rich roasted tones. Very nice.

Strenght - 5/10
Sweetness - 8/10

7:On the nose, the first attack is really a pleasant funk, with a lot of esters of overripe tropical fruits with as banana, mango, pineapple. Actually, it is enticing. We could notice burnt rubber and metallic notes. It feels pretty thick, there are molasses, caramel and some spices
4,8:On the palate it is syrupy, but quickly loses appeal from the nose, as sweetness, caramel and metallic notes, prehaps iodine, are very strong with molasses.
Overripe tropical fruits and funkiness are secondary and weak. There is some wood and spice.... A bit disappointing.
6:The finish is quite short, but at least funkiness re-emerges and improves the picture of this teste...

Not the best in this range, but which one would be anyways? Taste is a very subjective matter nontheless. I like it and dont regret the purchase. What makes it unique in my collection is the smokey thing it has to it. Recommendation.