Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Sonson Pierre Gilles Clairin Sonson 2018
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One member's wife smelled it and asked him to get "a compost bin with rotten apples" away from her — and that funky nose is half the fun here. Give it a moment and the glass turns floral and green: fresh sugarcane, cut grass, olives, a mineral saltiness, a little raspberry. The palate is fresher and easier than the nose warns, with a savoury, salty, medium finish. Wild and rustic, exactly as an unaged Haitian clairin should be.
The community says- Fresh sugarcane
- Olive-salt savour
- Keep in mind: Confronting nose
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Yes, if you're after bold, fresh, grassy rums for sipping neat.
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Sonson Pierre Gilles Clairin Sonson 2018 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Wild, grassy Haitian white with a salty, savoury finish Most tasters land on it as a favourite among the Clairin lineup — fresh, wild and authentic. Just know the nose is challenging, and the finish runs medium rather than long.
Aroma profileclairin fans who love grassy, savoury whites
anyone put off by funky, vegetal noses
Style & occasion: Fresh & grassySipping neatCocktails & mixing
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
57 of 132 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
What does the community say?
132 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
43 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 132 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Mirko Frosini 🇮🇪
Most helpful positive review
Clairin nice and dirty like the Vaval and Le Rocher.These white rums I love them and I can taste real rum in them without too many refinements just like in the pirate days. Sure they are not refined nor easy, but they are authentic!
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Most helpful mixed review
says to me unfortunately not so really to.on the nose first cucumber and glue, plus some raspberries and licorice?! first good but then unfortunately not my taste so at all... rather an old cucumber, and bitter, old mint, light citrus notes, licorice, a lot of acid, a little salty and overall much too vinegar-heavy and me too sour and too fermented and musty. but still an exciting further, again completely different style than the other 5 clairins and therefore an exciting extension!In the daiquiri, the whole thing then goes tasteless in the direction of raspberry sorbet with pickled cucumber water, in ne perverse way horny but there you have to have real Bock on it 🤣
Review by Stefan Persson
Tasted this intense pot still Clairin produced from cane syrup, out at our summer resort in the Stockholm archipelago. The nose is intense, vegetal, funky and spicy with scents of acetone, glue, rubber, leather and pepper. At the palate it’s fruity, vegetal, funky, dry and spicy with flavors of citrus, raspberry, hay, grass, acetone, leather, rubber, pepper and salt. The finish is rather long.
Review by Boletus
I can't say that I like this Clairin. It's definitely interesting and exciting, but the smell has a slight yuck factor for me. Still, I find myself sniffing the glass repeatedly, kind of like a torn cuticle that you keep picking at despite the slight pain. Luckily, the taste and finish go in a completely different direction and bring the overall experience back on track for me.
Review by Oliver
Great Clairin with exciting mushroom-fruit combination.
Review by Galli33
Real nice one from clairin! I have to say the rum from renegade are very similar to those from clairin. This is very fruity, floral.. The alcohol is not so present as on other bottling, which makes this a really good sipper
Review by Michael Schillheim
Tasted the Clairin Sonson a second time today and I like it a little better than the first time. Raspberries, glue and olives on the nose. On the palate, there are still beautiful fruity notes, slightly salty, mineral and above all herbal, which introduce the medium-long finish. Rating adjustment from 7.7 to 7.9
Review by Thunderbird
A beautiful soft clairin with intense herbal aromas, successful bottling
Review by Fuwi
Phew. On the nose it's really "difficult." I found it smells spoiled, rotten eggs with glue and old vegetables. I really had to force myself to drink it... But I was surprised! Floral, earthy and mineral impressions with ester hints. But because of the smell, no purchase option for me, even though the taste made up for a lot.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
This is another good Clairin that I can recommend if you like Clairin. Price to quality is very good. The nose is fresh and sweet with strawberries, grass and a light mineral note. The palate is oily and fruity with salty licorice, sugarcane as well ans light notes of tobacco, mineral and smoke. The finish is long with smoky wood, salty licorice and a hint of tobacco.
Review by mto75
The Sanson has a pronounced root-mushroom-vinegar note on the nose. On the palate, earth and potatoes. I like the Communal and the Sajous better because they bring more freshness.
Review by Timo Groeger
Here we have a solid, unaged Clairin. You get exactly what you expect, a seriously vegetal and floral rum. Tastes very green, very fresh and earthy, with grass and sugarcane also noticeable.
Review by Serge
Bang rum and one of my favorites. Nose strongly of olive and black truffle (yes, really). Also slightly burnt on the palate. Yummy.
Review by MarcT
Good, but best for Cocktails, too raw when pure. Update: really enjoyable neat after having a Hampden C<>H and a bit of Oxidation.
Review by Jussi Piirainen
I bought this bottle at Vilnius few years ago, but for some reason i am opening it just now. The cork was damaged, so it was a struggle to get this bottle actually opened. Doing a side-by-side test with Clairin Sonson 2022 and comparing notes at the end. On the nose: Grassy, mineral, light olive notes, light citrus notes, light floral notes. Taste: Mineral, sugarcane notes, light citrus notes and light fruity notes. Light and slightly dry mouthfeel. Cucumber notes. Finish: Light grassy notes, light salty notes, mineral, musty notes? Cucumber notes come in at the end. Lighter, thinner on body and touch of sweeter than the Sonson 2022. I could see myself drinking this at a hot summer day
Review by Johannes
Not quite my cup of tea. Too much salty-grassy notes, olives, not fruity enough for me.
Review by Felix Reiber
What a floral sweetness is offered here! The nose is initially vegetal and floral with distinct aromas of sugarcane. Then fruity notes of citrus fruits, pineapple, and raspberries come in, which then lead to fresh notes of cucumber and earthy hints. On the palate, the mentioned floral sweetness sneaks in, now framed by vegetal notes like grass, sugarcane, salt, and citrus fruits. Licorice, earth, cucumber, and tea expand the interesting spectrum. The medium-length finish offers, besides grass, earthy sugarcane, salt, and licorice, also a nice smoky note that fades out with cucumber and tobacco. Again, a very interesting white Clairin and an expansion of my taste horizon. Thanks @Skyfly for the great sample 😀
Review by Nils123
I like it very much. I like the long sugarcane note on the finish. The aromas complement each other very well and create a nice overall picture.
Review by Skyfly
On the nose an interesting combo of olive and raspberry; also very fruity, floral and sugarcane. On the palate sugarcane is in the foreground, along with other vegetal/earthy notes and a bit smoky. The finish is again very smoky/salty.
Review by Jack M
Wife - “What is that smell?” Me - It’s a rum. Im trying a Clairin from Haiti”. Wife - “Get that away from me. It smells like a compost bin with rotten apples”😂 To the tasting: On the nose: Immediately grassy smell. Overripe bananas, melon, apples. On the palate: Musty, grassy and hot. Perhaps a little underwhelming given the complexity of the nose. Finish: Medium, solvents, musty. Overall: Great nose, and enjoyable on the palate with some very different flavours. This was my second Clairin (first being Casamir). I significantly prefer it given I felt the Casamir had quite a gone-off meaty flavour. I’m not sure I would sip my way through a bottle but I’m sure it would make great daiquiris and it is good to try.
Review by Mentalo
On the one hand, the Clairin Sonson is more complex and fundamentally more interesting than my favorite Sajous, but on the other hand, it doesn't suit my taste. A lot of acidity (almost vinegary), very herbal, salty, licorice, a little fruity in the direction of raspberry. The alcohol is well integrated.
Review by John Coffey
A sure value. This iodized and wild side is really well done
Review by Krogulczyk
Very good and complex Haitian rum. Probably my favourite. Not so many esters unfortunately but still a marvellous choice, bang for a buck and great sipper as well
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Nose: sour pickled vegetables Palate: relatively fruity and pleasing, but also somehow light and uniform, not as surprising as the nose; The Clairin Casimir from the same year (RX11461) clearly says more to me.
Review by Christoph
Since it is not my first Clairin I can say fits the Clairin profile. Where earth and mineral notes dominate here. In the finish somewhat fleshy.
Review by Djehey
I prefer the nose to the mouth. Let it rest a little before tasting.
Review by ordogh
Nice clairin with dominant fruits and earty-smokey tones.
Review by Fabien Huguenot
3/5 wild superb nose fresh herbaceous minty.
Review by Arnaud Faverjon
Really excellent!
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
The nose is fresh and very vegetal. No smokiness here, but citrus fruits. Freshly mown grass, hay, olives and some iodized notes. We are on a more conventional Clairin and less heavy than Le Rocher. The attack in mouth is spicy-peppery. It is floral and on the fresh cane. It is round and pleasant to taste with fruity notes (citrus-tropical fruits), complexed by iodine-mineral notes. The finish is on the other hand moderately long on earthy notes. Personally, I find this Sonson very nice. It is more accessible than its cousin Le Rocher.
Review by Henry Davies
The nose is a cracker, all strawberries, and overripe mango. The mouth is olive brine and salty with earthy and vegetal elements and less of the fruit than the nose would suggest. Medium long finish which is again salty and savoury. It’s better for me than sajous but a different barrel of fish and still hard to place in terms of quality. Based on the nose I was excited but doesn’t quite deliver, the savoury salty mouth and finish is certainly unusual
Review by Ian Gilman
Wow. Again, each Clairin is so unique and this one is fantastic. So much fruitier on the nose and palate than others I’ve had, but finishes with the characteristic long umami profile.
Review by Martin Spooner
Tasted third in the Clairin session: the measures very grassy, almost hay. Crazy :-) the olive also comes through. Very accessible on the palate. Iodine and mineral. No big sharpness. With a nice finish at the end.
Review by Sylvain44
I love sonson, the very fresh and sweet cane, a wild side, like a smell of maple, of hay
Review by Greg G
Very floral, mushroomy,grassy, and wild. What I love in clairin and one of the best of the lineup
Review by Christian Rudt
The proof that also white rum pure can be really fun
Review by ruliano
Discovering Haiti with this white rum which stands out by its softness as soon as you put it in your mouth. The floral is dominant at the start, then after a few seconds in the mouth which is then coated by a sensation of thickness, you feel roasted, licorice, even cold tobacco. Very pleasant sensation. Too bad the finish lacks a bit of length.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Smoked white. It does not work together in my mouth...
Review by Quentin Rum
minerality, salinity, fruit salad and green tea with jasmine
Review by Nathaniel Bloch
Tasted among 5: Rocher, casimir, sajous, vaval & sonson, and i think my favorite among them. Not too much for the nose which is ok but mainly glue/ester and a bit on the olive side, but an excellent mouth, a bit peppery on a full taste of warm sugarcane and some pear, turning into a finish more and more on black olives, which stays and doesn't go, even after cleaning the mouth with a glass of water
Review by Richard Krupa
Prijemne prekvapeni. Myslel jsem ze mi vubec nepojede. Vune nadherna, chut prijemna
Review by Anonymous
Very fine nose on flowers, very caramel. Fresh, woody palate, nice aromatic complexity on olive and coffee.
Review by Kieron Wood
Rumfest 2023 tasting so notes were brief
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
5 critics scored it, averaging 8.3/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review ›In terms of flavour this is my favourite Clairin thus far and aside from the finish it's really quite excellent when you consider the rustic nature of how it is produced. Well worth seeking out.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by Les amis des amis du Rhum
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Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
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Expert review by The Secret Rum Bar
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Expert review by Rhummer
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Velier Sonson Pierre Gilles Clairin Sonson 2018 at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
154 bottles logged by 141 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
31% opened, 13 emptied.
What did the community pay for Velier Sonson Pierre Gilles Clairin Sonson 2018?
Community paid 33–58 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 48 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ ›
154 purchased · 134 tasted · 52 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Sonson Pierre Gilles Clairin Sonson 2018
A Clairin from Haiti, bottled by Velier, at 53,2%.
About the Sonson Pierre Gilles distillery
The Sonson Pierre Gilles distillery is located in Haiti. Rums from Sonson Pierre Gilles have been reviewed 189 times with an average of 8.0/10.
To Sonson Pierre Gilles ›Read on in the RumX Guide
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