Aroma visualization from community tastings
Holmes Cay MHOBA South Africa 2017
The odd part is how it smells: butterscotch-and-grass, fermented fruit, a whiff of "white dog" that confuses the brain before you sip. This Mhoba cane-juice rum lands somewhere between agricole and Jamaican funk — overripe banana, pineapple, papaya, a vinegary ester edge. On the palate several tasters call it fruity yet oddly dry, with a slightly soapy, bitter-fermented finish. Wild and distinctive, not a background pour.
The community says- Unique Mhoba funk
- Overripe tropical fruit
- Soapy/bitter finish
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The look inside the bottle
How does Holmes Cay MHOBA South Africa 2017 taste?
Aggregated from 30 community reviews.
Wild, funky cane-juice rum, fruity yet dry Members love how unusual it is — agricole grass meets Jamaican ester punch, fruity but dry. A few find the finish soapy or bitter and the whisky cask divisive.
Fans of high-ester funk and agricole edge
Anyone wanting a smooth, easy everyday sipper
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
12 of 30 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Holmes Cay MHOBA South Africa 2017 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.3 sits in the “Very good” band. 93% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
23% rate it between 6 and 8. 9 selected write-ups from 30 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Kayla Roy
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!
Review by Anton Krioukov
Will blow your socks off! Just wow! If you like high ester rum, this is for you. Intense, fruity, and exciting.
Review by ChrisPro
I think this is my rum of the year from 2022. Just trying to drink the bottle as slow as I can. Delicious!
Review by Kieron Wood
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
Review by Peter Bosel
very unique and wild. This is a fun one! It's great, but not something you can drink casually every day.
Review by Frank
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.
Review by Henry Davies
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
Review by Jakob
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.
Review by Abrahan Reyes
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.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Secret Rum Bar
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Details about Holmes Cay MHOBA South Africa 2017
A Pot Still Rum from South Africa, bottled by Holmes Cay, at 59%.
Community purchases
26 bottles logged by 20 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
15% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Holmes Cay MHOBA South Africa 2017?
Community paid 87–110 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
26 purchased · 31 tasted · 15 wishlist · as of
About the MHOBA distillery
The MHOBA distillery is located in South Africa. Rums from MHOBA have been reviewed 2,402 times with an average of 8.2/10.
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Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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