Haitian Spirits: Saint Benevolence Caribbean Rum

Saint Benevolence was founded in 2017 by father and son Calvin and Chase Babcock as a way to combine their passion for charity with their love for Caribbean rum.

For four years, the brand has been inspired by the sugar cane farms and Reverend Dorcinvil’s distillery in the town Saint Michel de l’Attalaye, well regarded for the production of Clairin – a terroir-driven style rum very popular on the island.

This rum owes its name to the spirit of benevolence: “the desire to do good and the inclination to be kind.” Accurately, what makes Saint Benevolence unique is not only its notes and character but also its charitable contributions.

Saint Benevolence Caribbean Rum sends 100% of its profits to charitable works through its longstanding nonprofit partners: Living Hope Haiti, Ti Kay, and Innovating Health International. By working hand in hand, they provide Haitians with life-saving medical services, educational programs, economic developments, infrastructure (schools, orphanages, hospitals, bridges, water wells, etc.), and over three million meals a year to those in need.

A worker feeding sugar cane into grinder. Photo by Saint Benevolence

Its spirit of charity extends to every aspect of its business model, benefitting the people and local communities of Haiti. The farmers, production teams, as well as their families receive free healthcare, including access to the best treatment facilities. The children of the entire Saint Benevolence workforce also receive subsidized education. In this sense, by purchasing a bottle of Saint Benevolence rum, consumers are funding a variety of social programs on the island.

Saint Benevolence Caribbean Rum is crafted by family-owned distillers. All of them use natural agricultural practices. For instance, the sugar cane is organically grown in the fertile alluvial soils and tropical climate of the town. In homage to Saint Michel, a separate batch of the freshly pressed sugar cane juice is reduced to a syrup. The distillation process has not changed at all from the traditional French techniques employed in the island during the 18th century, which means that this process remains free from chemicals or acidic components.

Currently, the brand is distributed in the United States, mainly in California and Florida. Below you can look at Saint Benevolence expressions.

Saint Benevolence Rum Clairin

Rum Clairin is a premium spirit made from an entirely organic process. The sugar cane is harvested by hand in the fields surrounding the Dorcinvil’s Distillery. The resulting sugar cane juice and syrup are naturally fermented with wild yeasts for 5 to 7 days using the local style “Methode Saint Michel”.

Photo by Saint Benevolence

Then, they separately small-batch distill the two resulting fermentation in a single run through a hand-built Creole copper pot still. Finally, the translucent crystal rum is bottled at 50% ABV (100 proof).

Tasting notes

• Nose: Green banana and wasabi with earthy notes of smoke and wet gravel.
• Palate: A rich texture with toasted white peppercorn, clove, and green olive mignonette.
• Finish: An underlying sweetness.

On Rum Ratings, the largest online rum community in the world, Saint Benevolence Clairin obtained 6.8 out of 10 points and 4 ratings, so far.

Here are some of the consumers’ comments:

Kieron wood from the United Kingdom titled it as “Clairin superstar”. After tasting it, he highlighted, “I had the Saint Benevolence Clairin and my god it’s so different. Notes of fresh banana, green olive and live grass. The story behind it is beautiful and intriguing.”

Furthermore, Piratejabez from the United States stated, “very interesting! Round tones, subtle brine, hint of plastic. Extremely savory. Rather agreeable, but may be challenging to most. 50% ABV is fantastic. Deploy as a great cocktail accent, or check it out as a solid introduction to the wonderfully diverse clairins of Haiti.”

Nomad also from the United States described it as “Intriguing! Seawater, green olives, old bananas, white pepper, new grass. A touch hot, but still smooth and rounded.”

Saint Benevolence 5-year Rum

Their flagship rum is a blend of hand-selected Caribbean rums made from sugar cane juice brought from the Dominican Republic, and molasses from Barbados.

Photo by Saint Benevolence

The spirit is distilled using both pot and column. Then, they age both cane juice and molasses-based rums separately in American oak barrels for 5 years. In addition, it is blended in small batches and bottled at 42% ABV (84 proof) in Riviera Beach, Florida.

This light amber gold rum is a truly tasty and versatile spirit designed to suit a diversity of palates and to drink neat or in cocktails.

Tasting notes

• Nose: Vanilla and candied tropical fruit notes.
• Palate: Warm with hints of coconut, stone fruit, and vanilla to balance the oak and light tannins.

On Rum Ratings, Saint Benevolence 5-year obtained 5.8/10 points and 5 ratings, some of these are:

Piratejabez from the United States described it as “… Good nose. Sugar cane character, but not sweet. Hint of varnish. Cherry cola note. Scarlet Ibis meets Richland Rum. Palate is somewhat harsh, slightly bitter. Short finish. This is designed for mixed drinks, where it shines, but can also be sipped neat. Looking forward to trying again. I really like Saint Benevolence as an organization, and the people who run it are great. All profits go to benefit charitable efforts in Haiti (where the founders have been working for many years), and a clairin is forthcoming.”

Tony Sanders from the United States said that it is “a fair rum with a good cause. Part of sales goes to charitable causes, thus the name. The taste is a bit short on finesse for neat sipping but the cola cherry note is ok for mixing. The bottle and label look good on the bar.”

Finally, Mo McGurk from the United States pointed out, “Oaky straight, but a touch too much after-burn. Mixed even better. I do like the charity aspect of it as well.”

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