MHOBA Strand 151 2021

MHOBA Strand 151 is a high ester, agricole style rum from MHOBA in South Africa, distilled from fresh sugar cane juice on the distillery's distinctive single wooden pot still. As a cane juice spirit made outside the French islands it cannot use the word agricole, but it shares that fresh cane DNA, here pushed to an extreme and bottled unsweetened at a colossal 75.5%.

This is a spirit for seasoned enthusiasts only. The nose erupts with esters, solvent and glue alongside pineapple and fermenting tropical fruit, the palate stays intense and fruity with that varnish edge, and the finish brings young wood, grass and more pineapple. MHOBA's trademark mix of tar, gasoline and overripe fruit is immediately recognisable, the kind of aromatic riot prized by anyone who loves high ester Jamaicans or overproof cane spirits. It demands patience, a generous splash of water or a bold cocktail to tame the proof, and rewards that effort with real depth and energy.