Review by: The Auditor

Review #1402; Rum #701

This sample was provided to me by a producer, distributor, or some other industry source free-of-charge. No compensation, outside of the sample, was received and there were no strings attached.

This rum was bottled by Holmes Cay, an American independent bottler based out of New York. This rum comes from the Mhoba Rum distillery which is located in South Africa. There, they grow and harvest the sugarcane that is pressed to make sugar cane juice. This juice is then fermented for a long time with wild yeast and then distilled on the distillery’s custom pot stills. It aged in South African Whiskey casks or 6  years at origin before being bottled for Holmes Cay.

---

Distillery: Mhoba

Bottler: Holmes Cay

Region: South Africa

Still: Pot

ABV: 59%

---

Nose: Clove, Olive, Brine, Pie Crust, Earl Grey, Lavender, Minerality, Mint

Palate: Medium oily mouthfeel, Olive, Brine, Pie Crust, Earl Grey, Lavender, hint of pear, Mint, Vanilla, Minerality

Finish:  Long length finish, Lavender, Pear, Mint, Earl Grey, Olives, Umami, Vanilla, Minerality

---

I wasn’t sure how the cane juice distillate would take an extra 2 years of aging but this is quite excellent. Savory, a good amount of fruit, baking spices, pie crust was the real surprise. It still had a nice kick of that base distillate that shines through the 6  years of aging in South Africa. It’s pretty great and certainly a unique take on cane juice distillate.

Final Score: 91

---

Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky 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.