Review by: Raygun

The Auditor dropped a bunch of rum samples on me, and…well, I’ll do my best. Probably doubled or even tripled the number of rums I’ve tried in the last couple of months. Still feeling my way with it, but I’ll give this one a shot. Two firsts here: first South African rum and first from Holmes Cay. Reviewed from a sample, initially tasted blind. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Mhoba

Bottler: Holmes Cay

Region/style: South African cane juice pot still rum

ABV: 59%, cask strength 

Age: 3-4 years. Distilled in 2017, bottled in 2021

Cask type: South African whisky cask, #49

Color: 0.6 old gold. Natural color.

Price: $110

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Nose: This is interesting. Pineapple and grilled artichokes at first. Butterscotch. There’s something very distinctive about it, but I can’t put my finger on it. Something almost truffle-like, but that’s not it exactly. Or a funky cheese.  

Palate: Caramelized pineapple, butterscotch, French toast, lime juice, and…something. Like a cross between olives and mushrooms: briny umami funk. Fascinating stuff, though actually a little tamer here than the nose. Still a kind of vegetal aspect. 

Finish: French toast, brown sugar, pineapple. Again that kind of odd pungency. Not exactly olives, but kind of in that neighborhood. Sheep’s milk cheese. Banana leaf. 

Conclusion: This is out there, but in a really, really good way. I have no idea how sugar cane distillate ends up tasting like this. The process blows my mind, too. Four-week fermentation. One of the weirdest spirits I’ve ever tried, but it’s not just weird: it tastes great. I’m kind of blown away here.  

Score: 88

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent rum worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.