Aroma visualization from community tastings
Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017
Sipped neat with a little air, this South African pot-still MHOBA opens on glue, honey and tropical fruit, then turns buttery and creamy — think yoghurt and pear over sugarcane. At 64.6% the alcohol runs hot at first but settles after 20 minutes. Funky like a Jamaican, but rounder. Several tasters rate the FAQ Plastic higher, yet still call this one of the best MHOBAs.
The community says- Creamy yoghurt funk
- Bright tropical fruit
- Hot when young
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The look inside the bottle
How does Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017 taste?
Aggregated from 153 community reviews.
Funky, buttery cask-strength South African pot still Loved for its creamy, funky, sugarcane-driven profile and surprising roundness for four years old. A few find the alcohol bites early and the finish short; give it air and water.
Funk lovers who like Hampden-style esters and cask strength
Beginners — it's hot, funky and needs patience
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
68 of 153 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 sits in the “Very good” band. 98% 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?
14% rate it between 6 and 8. 19 selected write-ups from 153 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Oliver
Very exciting and unique. Funky, citrus fruits, sugar cane and spice. Extremely intense. Slightly smoky finish and pleasant bitter notes. Only the somewhat short finish prevents a higher rating. In the blind tasting, I put it in the direction of Fiji - rather atypical for MHOBA.
Review by Thunderbird
Exceptional! The nose is fruity berry, after English wine gum, with hints of mirabelle plum brandy and Piedmont cherry!On the palate a delicate sweetness of cherry...creamy and mild it spreads, later develops a slight smoky note and coconut joins..The finish is medium long with cherry and coconut ...I am thrilled...something new and m. E. very tasty
Review by Galli33
Here we have another successful pot still bottling from Velier! This was one of my first rums from the Mhoba distillery. A rum where you can really taste the cane well, but due to the not well-integrated alcohol, it is only recommended for experienced rum lovers.
Review by Serge
Tasted with the French Cask. For me, the Habitaion Velier is just ahead. Because it's creamier and the alcohol is better integrated ... but it also costs a lot more and has spent twice as long in the cask. But for the issue price, I prefer this one ☺️ Update: Tasted again after a long time. The standard grows with experience, so a few points less, but still delicious and a great blend of funk, yoghurt, wine, vanilla and a little smoke.
Review by Giorgio Garotti
Mhoba really surprised me! I didn't know what to expect but it is a very good farm! Congratulations!
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Blind tasting. Had guessed HD. 🙈 Strong lad like almost all Mhoba brothers. I like very much!
Review by zabo
Mhoba Night. For me, a very pleasant representative. Very tasty. I find the alcohol well integrated. As a conclusion, maybe it should be added that all the ones I tested were not bad, but I would have expected a bit more from the Velier bottling. Unfortunately, this one doesn't really stand out from the others.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
sehr intensiv und mhoba typisch funky und speckig rauchig. sehr komplex und außergewöhnlich und eine sehr gut eingebundene Fassstärke für ein so junges Alter! der french cask ist für mich aber dennoch deutlich besser...
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
A surprisingly good rum where the ABV is very well integrated and basically just adds a warm tingle in your mouth. Very fruity on the nose and I like the wood smoke finish. I hope there will be more like this one in the future.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A rich, opulent Mhoba for its relatively young age. The nose, extremely pastry-like, is focused on butter, yoghurt and cream, with hints of honey and aromatic flowers. Spices, wood and fruit then support medicinal notes on esters, solvents and glue. An exuberant, lively profile. The palate is intense, buttery, estery and fermented. Floral, honeyed and sweetened by cane and caramel, the profile is exotic but well-balanced. Ripe banana and warm spices line the palate, with smoky notes that are full-bodied and captivating on the palate. A hint of saltiness sharpens the aftertaste. The alcohol is well integrated. The finish extends the experience with bitterness, medicinal notes, glue, esters and candied tropical fruit. Spices (chili) and smoky notes are more discreet, but leave a delicious trail on the palate that lingers. A very fine selection by Habitation Velier, distinguished by its distinct aromas, liveliness and roundness.
Review by cigares
Rum Friendly Club Day 3. Plenty of esters, overripe pineapple, fermented herbs, tropical fruit and a certain freshness with menthol. Alcohol is (too) present on the palate, fruit rises and bitterness takes over. The finish is short, with bitterness and brown sugar at the very end. An explosive rum with a beautiful nose that lacks a little complexity, an intense palate with alcohol that's not very well integrated, and a disappointing finish. The empty glass has a very pure, clean nose.
Review by Jarek
Trotz fast gleicher Alkoholstärke wie der Mhoba 2017 Navigate World Whisky ist der HV Mhoba 2017 viel bissiger. Der Alkohol sticht deutlicher heraus. Nachtrag „Kleines“ Mhoba Cross-Tasting 2025: Mit der Zeit wird er weicher und weniger alkoholisch, gefällt mir jetzt besser.
Review by Alex1981
Woah, this is intense. With some water it opens up to sugar cane, zest, citrus, funky esters, some rotten fruits. Smoky finish. Great for the young age! //update: still very intense, but good. Need to be in the right mood to enjoy ;)
Review by Martin Augustin
Ein großartiger Rum aus Südafrika. Er hat eindeutig gehörig Funk. Vergleichbar mit einem Hampden. Dennoch schmeckt man auch Zuckerrohr, Rosinen und getrocknete Aprikosen spät im Abgang. Für die Stärke und vor allem die kurze Lagerzeit erstaunlich mild, reif und komplex. Tolle Reise!
Review by Frank
Basically I find Mhoba very exciting. Here is probably the oldest bottling so far (with 4 years 😉).Nose: a little biting alcohol at the beginning, then it comes very fruity. Green apple, fresh sweet lemon with a slight plum note. Reminds me of a white wine or even calvados. Some honey and sesame come in. Becomes more rounded and pleasant.Palate: spicy-fruity, toasty with something umami-like. Grassy, sweet sugar cane definitely comes through. Again, associations with white wine and sesame at the back come easily the esters.Quite something of its own. I like.
Review by mto75
The pungent alcohol dissipates after 20 minutes, then Katjes yogurt gums 😉 floral notes, Äppelwoi. On the palate, a creamy sweetness that fades into the floral and finishes with bitter cocoa, burnt sugar and roasted flavors. The variation on the nose and palate really surprised me in a positive way. Clear recommendation 👍
Review by Martin Ekrt
Very strange smell. It's like a combination of honey, wax and chemicals. It reminds me a little of Mhoba FAQ. The flavour is intense, estery, honey and a transition to caramel at the end. This is not for everyone in its wildness.
Review by Jakob
Sehr rund für einen nur vierjährigen Rum. Spannendes Profil mit milchig-floralen, würzigen und süssen Noten. Bin sehr gespannt darauf, wie sich Mhobas mit noch mehr Lagerzeit entwickeln werden - die junge Garde ist jedenfalls schon sehr vielversprechend.
Review by Basti
An der Nase relativ viel Plastik, künstliche Aromen, Klebstoff, Sahnetoffee, etwas Kamille, KaramellBonbon und etwas Chemisches.
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Expert reviews
4 critics scored it, averaging 8.6/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by The Secret Rum Bar
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Expert review by Préférence Rhum
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Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Not nearly as good as the faq plastic. But nethertheless a proper Habitation velier release. This is a glue delight in both the nose and the palate. I fear though it is hard to get mhoba in really excellent. Still a well done entry...
Details about Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017
A Pot Still Rum from South Africa, bottled by Habitation Velier, at 64,60%.
Community purchases
213 bottles logged by 166 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
18% opened, 17 emptied and repurchased.
What does Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017 cost?
Community paid 89–149 €.
Current best price: 149.00 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
213 purchased · 157 tasted · 42 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.
To MHOBA →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
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Habitation Velier Clarendon EMB 2010Woody, fruity Jamaican with tame funk
Habitation Velier Hampden HLCF 2010
Habitation Velier Hampden HLCF 2010Fruity, funky Hampden ester bomb, hot but great
Habitation Velier Hampden LFCH 2011
Habitation Velier Hampden LFCH 2011Rounder, fruit-forward Hampden you can sip daily
Habitation Velier Worthy Park WPL 2007
Habitation Velier Worthy Park WPL 2007Rounded low-ester Jamaican, banana and spice
Velier MHOBA FAQ Plastic 2017
Velier MHOBA FAQ Plastic 2017Funky, estery cane-juice bomb from South Africa
Habitation Velier Long Pond TECA 2005
Habitation Velier Long Pond TECA 2005Intense, funky high-ester Jamaican bomb
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