Mhoba Kigelia Rum 2021/2024 - 3 yo - Bourbon Cask #WRD 1 - Foundations

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 60.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Selected for Foundations, this sugarcane juice rum matured for three years in bourbon cask WRD-1. It was distilled in 2021 and bottled in 2024 at 60.9% alcohol, with the single cask yielding 278 bottles. The rum is non-chill-filtered and contains no added colouring. It comes in a wooden box.

MHOBA uses the local Nkomazi sugarcane variety, harvested by hand. Fermentation can last up to three weeks and produces ester-rich rums. Kigelia combines tropical fruit and citrus notes with flowers, herbs and spices; its lively aromas sit alongside the more mature impressions imparted by bourbon-cask ageing.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose is rich and intense. Tiger balm and flambéed banana emerge first. With air, it becomes calmer, allowing acacia honey, lemon and vanilla to gain prominence.
• Palate: The rum is firm and dynamic on the palate. A delicate pepper note accompanies juicy pear and apple. Fresh sugarcane, geranium and hibiscus add herbal and floral accents. Over time, milk tart and lime tart become more prominent, alongside verbena and chamomile notes reminiscent of herbal infusions.
• Finish: The finish is long, with lively acidity. Anise, star anise and clove give the lingering lemon and vanilla notes a spicy character.

Distillery/Bottler:

MHOBA produces single-estate rum from the juice of its own sugarcane near Malalane in South Africa. The Greaves family has grown sugarcane there at the foot of the Makhonjwa Mountains since the 1980s. Rather than molasses, the distillery uses freshly pressed juice, which it distils in pot stills.

Founder Robert Greaves is a mechanical engineer. After returning to the family farm, he looked for a way to process the sugarcane grown there himself. A trip to Mauritius gave him the idea of establishing a rum distillery. He built the necessary equipment and stills himself, and produced the first white rum in 2013. In 2015, he began the steps towards commercial production. Kigelia is an official MHOBA bottling and part of La Maison du Whisky’s Foundations selection.

Facts: