Aroma visualization from community tastings
MHOBA Strand 101
The nose throws you first: glue, solvent, mushrooms, even a garlicky, meaty funk that made one taster's wife recoil. Push past it and the palate turns fruitier and rounder — rotten-ripe banana, pineapple, cane, spice. A South African MHOBA pot-still cane-juice rum at 58% that reads like a high-ester Jamaican with a savory twist. Give it 5-10 minutes of air; several say it opens up completely.
The community says- Wild ester funk
- Fruity palate
- Divisive savory nose
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The look inside the bottle
How does MHOBA Strand 101 taste?
Aggregated from 97 community reviews.
Funky, meaty, high-ester cane-juice rum Loved by funk-hunters for its wild, savory, ester-heavy character — many say it tastes better than it smells. Polarizing though: some find it truffly and rancid rather than pleasant.
Ester chasers who want savory, unusual funk
Anyone put off by glue, mushroom or high heat
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
36 of 97 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is MHOBA Strand 101 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.9 sits in the “Good” band. 75% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 1% 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?
60% rate it between 6 and 8. 16 selected write-ups from 97 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by TheSloggy33
This rum is not for everyone. I'll definitly recommand that you'll taste before buying. But if you're in this kind of strong smell and flavour you're gonna love it.
Review by TheRhumhoe
Mhoba is one of those rums with an original, unique and surprising profile. This rum is no exception: notes on the nose of undergrowth and mushrooms (not available in flavors of the application?) of earth and vegetal, spices and tropical fruits that mix with the more medicated, phenolic and chemical flavors that this rum usually offers. On the palate, the rum completely changes its profile, moving towards something more fruity (cherry, grape, apple, banana and citrus among others) with a floral, spicy and vanilla touch. The finish is very long, turning to fruity, vegetal and spicy notes. Intense and subtle at the same time, aromatic, greedy, very round and of a great complexity, this rum is a frank success.
Review by Lukas Jäger
Wow, this is exciting stuff! In the nose it reminds me first of a Jamaican, quite with esters but not High-Ester full throttle. In the mouth then the opposite, here the rum plays piano on the tongue and presses all the keys at once. Funky, fruity, medicinal, well amplified by the high and also quite present alcohol. Fun, but also requires attention and calm. Again discovered an exciting corner of the rum world, which I like very much!
Review by El Peludo
Un nez étonnant, plein de banane, d'esters, qui s'ouvre petit à petit. De la colle, du vernis, des champignons. Bouche qui tranche beaucoup, bien grasse, des fruits pourris mûrs, doux et chaud dans la gorge. Un côté torréfié également. Très bon, m'a fait découvrir Mhoba et ses promesses. Encore meilleur une fois la bouteille ouverte depuis un moment...
Review by Maarten Leewis 🇳🇱
It mellows out nicely
Review by Dr.Django
very interesting and unusual rum. i can only advise everyone: the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Review by Righrum
Really funny, you can clearly identify the blended rums, with the punch of the high esters on one side and the caramel and wood from the glass cask. Maybe a bit unrefined, but definitely funny to drink
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#5241 12.04.2025 Running some samples at home while relaxing a bit. Nose Intense, glue, fruits, light rubber, light minerals, faint caramel, vegetal. Palate Medium intense, light wood, light citrus, orange, light vegetal, tannins, light bitter, earthy, light caramel, spice, light rubber, light mineral. Finish Medium to long, light wood, faint roasted, fruits, light citrus, light apple, light rubber. Empty glass Faint rubber, apple, lemon, light iodine, tannins.
Review by ilRummista
Very particular drink but with great character. A powerful rum with a nose loaded with fruit, solvents and esters that we then find on the palate as well. It is not exactly a daily dram. It is quite a challenging drink that also requires some familiarity with overpowering rums to be appreciated. In any case, it is a bottle that I would recommend!
Review by Rum man
This is a well composed mix between a round and sweet molasses rum and a high ester unaged Jamaican. Note that those are not facts but a description of my tasting. The alcohol is well integrated. This is a wonderful rum that seems to create a little niche for itself.
Review by Travellers
Aeration for at least 5 or 10 minutes completely changes the mouth and gives it roundness.
Review by FattyLiver
Truffles, ester, plastic,sugar cane, surgary and rich on the palate
Review by MichalMr
Kiedy pierwszy raz spotkałem ten rum odrazu mnie urzekł swoją złożonością. Świetna butelka i czuć rolnictwo w każdym łyku. Zapach i smak tego rumu zapadają w pamięć na długo. Dużo lakieru. Zgniłych bananów. Ananas. Piękny.
Review by Air-one
Le Mhoba standard 101 est un rhum surprenant. Par plusieurs aspects il ferait penser à un Jamaïquain. Le nez est dominé par les esters, solvants et une curieuse odeur carnée. En bouche les esters dominent aussi. La finale est moyenne à longue et relativement complexe.
Review by Rumpalumpa
An der Nase eine sehr unerwartete Mischung von... so ziemlich allem? Zuerst süße Früchte, die dann aber schnell von Lösemittel und Klebstoff überdeckt werden. Dahinter irgendetwas Herzhaftes. Am Gaumen dann vergleichsweise schlicht. Hier kommt der "gelagerte" Anteil durch.
Review by Werni
Um meine Frau zu zitieren: "Igitt, der stinkt ja nach Knoblauch"😀 Dieser Rum ist einer von wenigen die geschmacklich besser sind als ihr Nase. Ich hatte schon einige Samples von Mhoba und war recht angetan, aber dieser hier ist nicht meins. Die Nase sagt: Trink das nicht! Undefinierbar, irgendwie echt nach Knoblauch, Schimmel und Pilzen, leichtes Holz dazu. Am Gaumen überraschend besser. Leichte Süße, fruchtig, Fass, umami, leicht metallisch und würzig. Mehr als ein niedriges "Gut" ist aber nicht drin.
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by L'amateur éclairé
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Expert review by Rum Diaries Blog
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Details about MHOBA Strand 101
A Pot Still Rum from South Africa, distilled by MHOBA, at 58%.
Community purchases
72 bottles logged by 71 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
31% opened, 4 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for MHOBA Strand 101?
Community paid 49–60 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
72 purchased · 99 tasted · 31 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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