Aroma visualization from community tastings
MHOBA Select Reserve French Cask Rum 2019
Just one year in a French cask and it drinks like something far older — that's the shock here. Cane-juice funk meets Jamaican-style esters, dark bitter chocolate, leather and caramel, all wrapped in a dry, woody finish. Several tasters clocked it blind as a Caroni. The catch: at 65% the heat can jab, and the finish runs shorter than the nose promises.
The community says- Complex for its age
- Ester-driven funk
- But: 65% Heat
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The look inside the bottle
How does MHOBA Select Reserve French Cask Rum 2019 taste?
Aggregated from 158 community reviews.
Wild, funky South African cane rum at cask strength Loved as one of the wildest, most complex Mhobas out there — funky, chocolatey and impressively mature for its age. A few find the alcohol under-integrated and the finish a touch short.
Fans of high-ester cane funk and Caroni-style dirtiness
Anyone wanting a soft, low-ABV sipper
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
67 of 158 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
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How is MHOBA Select Reserve French Cask Rum 2019 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 sits in the “Very good” band. 92% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 1% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
84% rate it 8 or higher. 19 selected write-ups from 158 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Galli33
Most helpful positive review
This one is awesome! Cool mix of all the lovely mhoba notes, fresh notes, hay, some esters. The alcohol is intergrated well and has a great impact on it. The finish is quite long and quite woody-astringend. Very harmonious for this young age.
Review by Wernie
Most helpful mixed review
Was für eine Granate, und das nach einjähriger Lagerung. Der macht die Nase frei.😀 Eine Ester/Fruchtbombe und am Gaumen dann die schwere Holzkeule die zu nah am Lagerfeuer lag. Die 65Umdrehungen lassen sich nicht verbergen und hauen voll rein, dafür ein recht kurzer Abgang.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Mega rocket stuff. Top price-performance ratio and also great in a mai tai or rum sour with red wine float! Absolutely terrific how smooth, complex and delicious it is at only 2y and 65%. For me, one of the best mhoba rums on the market for years.
Review by Christian Rudt
I have blind tasted actually held for much older. Found him rather dirty and clearly older and have him somewhere sorted in the direction of Caroni. From nut nougat cream I noticed today nix, that comes only now slowly😅Evaluation has only confirmed. Great what great rums are still being re-bottled today 🙂 One year aging. 65%. Gross. Nut nougat cream (no advertising) aromas, banana, pineapple. Ester slightly less than on the nose. A dry and exceedingly complex finish.I repeat One year aging. For this just VERY GOOD
Review by Timo Groeger
Wow, a really great Mhoba here. The nose is definitely very woody, and traces of ester can also be detected. The palate is also quite woody, with light notes of caramel, agricole and leather. Alcohol perfectly integrated. Super.
Review by zabo
Mhoba Night For me the craziest of the ones I tried today. Edit: After trying a few more from Mhoba, I think this is one of the best that has been bottled. The others didn't really convince me.
Review by jonathan.p🇫🇷
A powerful nose in the solvents, the wood, then in mouth it takes all the papillae at once! Immediately chocolate, then spices, leather with a vegetable side. It is still strong! I then tried with a dash of water or I can identify the banana to caramel. I find the end funky in the spices. It is for me very successful! But we can feel too much the 65%!
Review by Chrischi78
An extremely exciting and intense nose - rich in esters, yet somewhat more bitter and chocolaty than typical Jamaican rums. Notes of leather and caramel are added on the palate. The finish is long, warm and persistent, with a hint of coconut at the end. A great mhoba!
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#5292 01.05.2025 Running some samples while watching the TV Series "Reacher". Nose Round, medium intense, fruity, orange, light caramel, light cinnamon, light wood. Palate Oily, fresh, round, medium intense, light wood, fruity, light orange, light cinnamon, light raisin, light tobacco. Finish Medium to long, light wood, light orange, light tobacco, light chocolate, light cardamom. Empty glass Vanilla, light cinnamon, orange, light dried fruit, light chocolate.
Review by Martin Augustin
A very interesting and intense aroma hits you. Lots of Esther, just a little more bitter and chocolaty than the Jamaican. Leather and caramel are added in the mouth. Long, warm finish. A little coconut at the end. Great mhoba.
Review by Righrum
Not so good, Sharp in taste, it's typical Mhoba but with some negative traits especially some bitterness. Usual mix of esters and wood/caramel, with almost no effect from the french cask maybe due to the young age of the rum.
Review by MarcT
First Tasting here: This one is the better of the two Mhoba I am just tasting. Creamy, fruity, complex, very well integrated alcohol... First thing when tasting was "hm, rotten apples", but never got why. Interesting. I has something it's Sibling does not have, which I attribute to the French Cask, and it improves the Rum. Very good. Second Tasting: still good, still better. Putting it on my wishlist...
Review by Gregor
After I tried the white overproof from the distillery and was thrilled I saw that this one was inside in the calendar of the Rum Club. So bottle opened and app opened. And what can I say. In the smell it reminded me strongly of a blend of Barbados (glue) and Jamaica (ester). In the taste then but dry with typical things like caramel and chocolate with a small touch of Agricole. So the distillery I will definitely keep an eye on really nice things that come out of South Africa
Review by Serge
Tasted with Habitation Velier. I gave the HV although one point more, because the alcohol is better eingwbunden in my opinion and he also comes along a little creamier and fatter. However, these two are really very close to each other and do not give each other much in terms of taste. Noteworthy when you consider that the here was only 2 years in the barrel. For me, the PLV winner but still a close Punlt behind. Both more than worthwhile 😍
Review by Tim
Quite offensive smell with ester at the beginning. After a while in the glass, the alcohol then fades and more floral and caramel notes shine through. Then the chocolate takes over. Very complex! A mix of Jamaica and Agricole?! Very spicy, sharp and dry in the mouth, with mostly dark bitter chocolate lingering. 65% I find too violent, which is why I add some water. Special rum experience, definitely!
Review by Tschusikowsky
Rum X Easter 19.4.22: Very challenging the thing. In the nose I find the little appealing. At the beginning very one-dimensional. With time, more but very special scents come to it. Wood, roast, chocolate, soapy, copper, metallic. Later floral notes, discreet hemp🤔 tobacco and cardboardIn the mouth then woody, blackberry, green apple, red fruit, melon, chocolate, spice, tobacco. Finish very dry, kiwi, dirty notes.I have no idea what this profile is. At first I thought it must be something French, since the ABV is relatively low in relation to the power in the mouth and finish.After a little thought I go out on a limb and claim that it is a low-volume and also younger (10/12 years) Caroni 🙃
Review by Émile Shevek
Al naso aceto, mais inscatolato, arrostito/tostato, frutta (banana e agrumi), maturati, solvente e un tocco di sakè. Al palato solvente, aglio, mais inscatolato, cicoccolato, frutta e bosco speziato. Finale poco persistente, speziato. con qualche estere e castagne. Purtroppo non è il genere di profilo che mi piace bere in un agricolo, se non ci fosse il sapore dell'aglio avrebbe superato tranquillamente i 75, degustibus
Review by Jussi Piirainen
On the nose: Fresh, mellow intensity. Interesting combination of ester, sugarcane and dark fruits/grapes coming from the red wine cask. Taste: Woody,spicy,peppery, roasted and agricole notes. Some sweetness from caramel. Mouthfell is creamy and dry. Overripe pineapple notes here and there. Nicely balanced. Finish: Dry, chocolate notes, woody notes. Quite complex finish. Medium-long finish. Absolutely lovely. Very balanced and rich. Good cask choice.
Review by Joe95
A pure powerful cane juice. The nose joins the mouth without surprise. The esters are well present. A unique rum which is really out of the ordinary. The length is a bit short. A bit young but very nice for the price.
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Expert reviews
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Market value
Avg. community purchase price 94 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about MHOBA Select Reserve French Cask Rum 2019
A Pot Still Rum from South Africa, distilled by MHOBA, at 65%.
Old Fashioned with Rum
Recipe, history, and four builds from a bar professional: why the ur-cocktail gets bigger with rum, with a video to mix along.
Read more →Community purchases
130 bottles logged by 120 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
39% opened, 19 emptied and repurchased.
What does MHOBA Select Reserve French Cask Rum 2019 cost?
Community paid 75–118 €.
Current best price: 96.19 € – 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+ →
+14 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.
130 purchased · 162 tasted · 123 wishlist · as of
About the MHOBA distillery
The MHOBA distillery is located in South Africa. Rums from MHOBA have been reviewed 2,482 times with an average of 8.2/10.
To MHOBA →Read on in the RumX Guide
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MHOBA WR 10 (Kirsch Whisky) 2019
MHOBA WR 10 (Kirsch Whisky) 2019Oily, glue-heavy Mhoba with big bourbon cask
Habitation Velier Long Pond STC❤️E 2019
Habitation Velier Long Pond STC❤️E 2019Young, wild high-ester Long Pond
Velier Long Pond Cambridge STC❤️E 2010
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