Holmes Cay MHOBA South Africa 2017

Phenomenal, how delicious! This is not for everyone, but if you like funky, almost gross smelling rum (if you know, you know) this is the thing. It smells like white dog and fights like a much younger distillate. Wonderful!

Will blow your socks off! Just wow! If you like high ester rum, this is for you. Intense, fruity, and exciting.

I think this is my rum of the year from 2022. Just trying to drink the bottle as slow as I can. Delicious!

Tasting 23-03-2023 The nosing on this is quite weird as it's really heavy ina butterscotch grass note which confuses the brain . The tasting is just as insane that's a beautiful blend of agricole notes with a sweet rum .. This is an excellent bottling from Eric that's so unusual it blows the mind

very unique and wild. This is a fun one! It's great, but not something you can drink casually every day.

From the very first Mhoba, I have loved this distillery with its very own rum profile. This one matured for the whole 4 years in a South African whisky cask - maybe Bains? Nose: clear Mhoba profile, fermented fruit with honey and yogurt. Overripe banana and papaya and slightly vegetal towards olive. There is also the typical funk, which is noticeable with fruit esters and vinegar. To be honest, I don't notice the whisky cask here. But, as always, good. 8.4 Palate: yes, now the whisky does stand out. The classic Mhoba seems a little more tannic, coarser. But the basis is again fermented fruit and honey with a slightly bitter-salty attack. Ester and banana. It does seem a little dry. Am I deceiving myself or is there a little soap in the finish? 8,0 I actually don't like the whisky cask that much, even though it adds a distinctly different note to the usual Mhoba flavor.

Unusual and very distinctive nose - really great strawberry and overripe pineapple. A bit of heat on the tongue but nothing crazy given the age profile, tropical fruit, Indian spices, treacle and caramel. Light slightly flat finish with a bit of pepper and green hay. It’s different, interesting and an exciting early release - keen to try more from Mhoba

Lots of youthful freshness, accentuated fruity notes with some sweetness on the nose. On the palate, there is a spicy, roasted aroma reminiscent of cigar smoke - heavy tobacco aromas combined with smoke. For me, it could have a little less of a roasted note, but that is a matter of taste. All in all, a good overall package.

I was given a sampler for this to try. The color is very clear and that may be because is aged for only four years. Nose: Sugarcane, pineapple, very pleasant. Taste: The first impression is that kicks hard, that's because is bottled at 59% ABV. After letting rest you can get more from it. Banana, coconut, sugarcane. The aftertaste is prolonged and pleasant. Very good indeed will probably be better with some extra time in the barrel. Will I buy it, not so sure the price is a bit stiff for me, and in that price range I can get some excellent rums.