Nestled amongst the rolling hills of the Onderberg district of Mpumalanga, amidst their own sugarcane fields, you’ll find The Mhoba Rum Distillery.  As wild as rum comes, it is hard to believe we have such a superb rum being produced in South Africa that is so incredibly popular abroad – especially in Europe – yet the same fame cannot yet be claimed in South Africa.

Crafting with pure sugarcane juice, yeast, toasted oak and time, Mhoba are the pioneers of original South African small batch artisanal rum, produced from local Nkomazi sugarcane.

Tasting Notes

Profile: Baked pudding with some wildness.

Colour: Golden Syrup (Homemade).

Nose: Dessert, definitely a baked pudding has just been taken out the oven.  Milk chocolate, wafer, perhaps better described as a Tex chocolate bar.  Touches of oak, some lovely subtle spiciness, more clove and nutmeg than cinnamon along with deep vanillin’s.  A hot chocolate tin that has recently been opened there are some serious milk and cocoa powder aromas coming through that are very captivating. There is a wildness here, could it be funky esters, very alive sugarcane or some wild fermentation coming through.  Certainly the Mhoba DNA is very in tact, marrying well with the wonderful Bourbon cask notes. Varnishes and glues have made an appearance now along with some freshly harvested sugarcane.

Palate: Round and buttery the liquid on the mouth is thick and full.  Immediately notes of dessert and pudding, definitely some lucky child’s “mamma’s baked apple pudding”.  The milk chocolate is ever present along with butterscotch, dried apricots and subtle spices.  Some homemade custard to go with mamma’s pudding. Cigar leaf, perhaps before being rolled and made.

Finish: Long and quite juicy, one could recite just about all of the earlier notes.  The nose is very indicative of the palate and the palate very indictive of the finish.  A very tidy dram indeed.