A little background on Mhoba. Robert Greaves grew up on his family’s sugarcane farm in Mpumalanga. He studied mechanical engineering, and after failing a few business ventures, he returned to work on the farm. Every machine he needed, he built himself, and later he used his skills to build a pot still from scratch. He proudly delcares that his rum is single, pure, free of sugar, caramel, and glycerine, distilled on his pot still. Luca Gargano of Velier eventually found Greaves, and the Habitation Velier project brought Mhoba to the international market. The only flavor he ever uses is pineapple in his pineapple rum, but says that he doesn’t see himself making any other flavored rums.

This rum is insane. It hurts to bring it up to my face because the esters burn my eyes. I didn’t really closely examine the bottle until writing my review later, and one thing immediately jumps out at me now is that its ester count is over 3000. I have trouble with most of Hampden’s upper range, which starts around 600-900 g/HLAA, much less DOK, which sits right up against the legal maximum of 2000. And this is over 3000.

Review

I tasted this rum alongside Savanna Réunion Grand Arôme and Clairin Communal.

Smell

It is extremely briny, grassy, and funky, but very industrial. It makes my eyes water just bringing it close to my face.

Taste

I am initially hit with plastic funk and brand new sharpie. It is extremely overwhelming, and I find it undrinkable.

I actually poured myself some Diplomatico Planas, since it’s a pretty smooth and neutral base, and then just a small splash of Mhoba, and it let me examine the flavors more. Now I get more olive brine, and almost a vanilla cake icing but with all the sugar gone. It’s high-ester, but unlike the typical Jamaican funk which is completely fruity, this just tastes… loud. Like, if loud could be a flavor, it would be this rum. As it fades on my palate, it does transition from briny to something slightly fruity, maybe a hint of the Jamaican rotten banana, but it’s honestly unlike anything I have had before. As I mentioned in my previous reviews, Clairin Communal is pretty pleasant but a very typical flavor, and the Grand Arôme was an intriguing blend of wild berries, salty brine and olives, but overall is like a more potent clairin. Mhoba is in this general category too, but it’s so unique. And I wouldn’t say in an immediately pleasant way. This rum is a very challenging and complex rum.

I tried a daiquiri with all three, and Clairin Communal is a pleasant but not groundbreaking daiquiri. It’s one I feel safe ordering, knowing it’s just going to be a delicious daiquiri. Savanna Réunion Grand Arôme made a more complex daiquiri, but with a slightly salty, slightly bitter, slightly berry complexity that made me stop, think, and enjoy it after every sip. The Mhoba daiquiri, however, made me stop, think, and wonder what is even going on in my mouth with every sip. Perhaps it should have been diluted more, maybe a split base with another rum. Again, I did all of this and wrote these notes before realizing the monster ester count of this rum. It’s a daiquiri where every sip delivers sharpie, olive, and some sort of fruit that I can’t name, but it’s like a hybrid of pineapple and peach. I kept reaching for it, writing down notes, trying to find a reason to put it down. And before I could find one, the daiquiri was done.

Verdict 8/10

It’s very possible my palate isn’t there yet. I was recently migrating my reviews to my new website, https://theruminator.co, and I saw that exactly one year ago I was trying Wray & Nephew and Planteray for the first time, and thinking “oh, how quaint”. I hope to someday look back at myself now and think the same thing. This rum is one thing for sure, and that is one of the most interesting rums I have ever had. I don’t quite have the words to describe it, and maybe one day I will unlock its secrets. But regardless, a rum that makes me sit and think so much, and delivers so much complexity and flavor, definitely deserves an 8/10.