I’ve been collecting little bottles of orange liqueurs for a while. Saw a 50mL of Cointreau and Grand Marnier, and of course I bought a whole bottle of Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao for Mai Tais. But then, when I got a sample of Clément Créole Shrubb, I knew that I had to do an experiment.

Review

Smell

Definitely smells of orange, something spicy like cinnamon and vanilla, sweetness, and the grassy smell of agricole. It’s like an orange spiced tequila.

Taste

The taste is pretty wild and unique. The underlying agricole rum is very interesting and suits this flavor profile. Spicy, sweet, fruity, and it’s honestly not too grassy/briny, but there’s some good depth and complexity here. It’s hard to pick out any individual spice from the mix because it’s all so subtle, but I really like the mix. It has this really nice finish that is floral and fruity.

I also tried it in a Mai Tai. I actually took the opportunity to compare several different orange liqueurs, and Créole Shrubb won the contest for my favorite, barely edging out PF Dry Curacao and Grand Marnier. I hope to do this again when… I know a bit more about what I’m talking about.

Verdict 7/10

It’s hard to compare this rum to other rums, since it’s more like a spiced rum or spirit drink. And in that regard, it might well be the best one that I have ever tried, just because it does it well for the task, which is to be a complex and flavorful mixer for when the recipe calls for an orange liqueur, such as a Mai Tai. I would not drink it neat, and its use is situational, but I can see it easily elevating cocktail recipes that call for basic orange-flavored liqueurs.