MHOBA Select Reserve Glass Cask Rum 2021

Mhoba is a small South African distillery making rum from fresh pressed cane juice in an agricole style, though outside the French appellations it cannot use the word. This Select Reserve was matured in a glass cask, an inert vessel that leaves the spirit's character bare, and bottled unsweetened at a forceful 60% from the 2021 record.

The profile is wild and distinctly Mhoba, the nose full of fermented sugarcane, burnt sugar and ester driven funk, the palate intense with vanilla, roasted notes and raw cane, the finish dry and woody with a maple edge. There is a smoky, almost meaty undercurrent that marks it out from Caribbean cane juice rums, and at full strength it needs plenty of time and air to open. This is one for experienced palates who enjoy bold, high ester profiles and want something genuinely unusual.