La Maison Du Whisky MHOBA Rum South Africa Flag Series (Collection Foundations)

Today the three new bottlings of the Flag Series had to face our noses and palates, this was celebrated together with DomM. For me, the South Africa is the best of the three. The one from Vietnam is rather restrained, but as a mixer with cola it develops a nice fruitiness. The Indonesian is very unusual, but that makes it interesting. Nice to have tried them all.

09.05.2025 Retasting at our local tasting with Hannes from Whisky Watcher. ----- Still a good rum ----- #4855 Whisky Live in Paris 27.09.2024-30.09.2024. Another great event meeting a lot of RumX new and old friends. This year three weren't as many new releases as in 2023, but I still had a great time. Nose Light wood, fruity, spice, light citrus, faint ester, pineapple, round. Palate Warm, fresh, round, light wood, faint ester, medium dry, light sweet, medium spicy, fruits. Finish Medium long, fresh, light sweet, fruits, spice, medium dry, light spicy. Also a surprisingly good release and at an affordable price. Fruity and well rounded.

A rum tasted at Whisky Live in Paris in 2024. A somewhat strange nose with esters, spices, varnish and dried fruit. The palate is deep, dominated by pineapple and again esters and varnish. The finish is rather short, but the pineapple flavors remain on the palate for a very long time.

Very intense on the nose. Dominated by a fruity sourness akin to green pineapples. Very much Mhoba notes for me. Plenty of funk and solvent notes. On the palate even more intensity. Lots of funk with tropical fruits and pineapple as well as a nice, balancing sweetness. The notes from the wine cask are very well integrated and provide additional depth and complexity. Very vibrant bottling.

Finally another Mhoba in a glass. Typical Mhoba with lots of esters and fermented fruit. The nose is beautiful and makes you want more. On the palate, the aromas become a little more subtle, the Mhoba monster is very restrained here, appearing very restrained, almost creamy and elegant for a wine of its kind. The finish is of medium length and again somewhat more promising than the play on the palate. There are definitely better representatives of its type. Many thanks for the sample @Zabo

8,1:On the nose, the first impression we get is very intense with mushrooms and cheese and butter, then with esters, varnish and very fermented tropical fruits like pineapple, banana.A wood is spicy and roasted with caramelized burnt sugar, almost like buttery sugar candy. On aeration coconut is out, so is syrupy, herbaceous aspect of this rum with honeyed sugarcane, dried fruits and perhaps a leather. 8,2:On the palate, the attack is sweet and dry with caramelized, buttery, burnt sugar, spicy and nutty wood, tropical fruits with coconut, pineapple, esters and varnish are obvious, dried fruits with raisins also, after resting the rum, herbaceous, vegetal aspect is out again, with sugarcane, which was flowing underneath before. 8,6:The finish is the most balanced and delicious, all notes settled and round with dry and roasted wood notes, earthy sugarcane and dried, fermented tropical fruits...

A good representative of South African rums. The nose opens with esters, varnish and undergrowth aromas (mushrooms) for a full medicinal and fermentative panel. Tropical fruits, sugarcane, spices and young oak are in the background, but refine the intense, heavy profile that emerges. The palate retains the power of the nose but develops the aromas further. Varnish, rubber, esters and a medicinal edge intersect with bourbon, exotic fruit, sugarcane and spices (vanilla, pepper, chili) for an exotic but well-controlled amalgam. The profile is dry and intense, but rather deep for a rum of this age. The alcohol is also well integrated. The finish is of medium length, rather dry and intense, with freshness, medicinal notes, sugarcane and exotic fruit. Apart from the light oak and spices (chili), there are hints of plastic and earth, in keeping with the rest of the profile. A solid rum with multiple qualities that augurs well for the future of rum in Africa.

Typical Mhoba profile! Very round, yet complex. Alcohol well integrated.

Whisky Live Paris 2024 (trade fair evaluation, only overall rating and personal recommendation to buy): This time three exotics in the Flags series, Vietnam, Indonesia and South Africa. The South African tastes suspiciously like Mhoba. Quite good, but I don't have to have a bottle of it.

Absolutely stable and quite typical mhoba. Bourbon cask all the way, freshly lacquered mustang, slightly mushroomy and fermented both on the nose and in the finish together with lots of sweet and sour caramelized pineapple. Complex, alcohol well integrated... Beautiful thing!

Whisky Live Paris tasting notes - quick notes. The use of a local "Nkomazi" cane, and local ex-wine casks give us a rather milky texture, medicinal notes... not easy to describe, but the cane is definitely there. Some esters and fruit on the nose, a little drier on the palate, where fruit and spice lead to a fine finish. I was very intrigued by this profile, very different from what we find at Mhoba.

Unaccustomed to South African rums, I'm surprised by a nose that doesn't speak to me. Esters, lively woodiness, vegetal notes, a hint of fermentation, nutmeg. Strong and full-bodied. On the palate, the first impression is of a very dry, lively, warm rum. Woody, spicy, a real kick! Then a nice roundness appears, with an impression of milk chocolate. The fruity esters on the finish could suggest a Long Pond. I'd have expected more length, but the rum stays moderately long. Very cool, even if too strong for me. Glad I tasted it.

WL24

Nice Mhoba, fits well into the series of bottlings. The profile is not overly complex, but harmonious, alcohol integration is good.

As a big fan of rums from Mhoba this one knocks it out of the park. Its bold, pungent, fruity, savory, briney, and just has a lot going on. The flavors play well together, which is good as I was concerned about how much the red wine influence was going to be. This is certainly one of the best aged Mhoba I’ve tried.