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Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017
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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
- But: Hot when young
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How does Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017 taste?
Summarized by AI from 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.
Aroma profileFunk lovers who like Hampden-style esters and cask strength
Beginners — it's hot, funky and needs patience
Style & occasion: Tropical & funkySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
69 of 155 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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Rated better
Velier Long Pond Cambridge STC❤️E 2005
8.8/10236.23 €
Milder
Hampden Great House (Distillery Edition 2020)
8.7/10
Similar rating, cheaper
MHOBA WR 10 (Kirsch Whisky) 2019
8.5/10124.90 €
Nothing for you?
5 more similar rums ›
First choice: 70 of 86 tasters who tried both prefer it.
What does the community say?
155 community reviews
48 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
Top 15% of South Africa rumsTop 17% at MHOBA
Rate it in the app
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by Oliver
Most helpful positive review
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 alex
Most helpful mixed review
It's good, it's well done, but I didn't get hooked.
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 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 Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Blind tasting. Had guessed HD. 🙈 Strong lad like almost all Mhoba brothers. I like very much!
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 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 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 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
Despite almost the same alcohol strength as the Mhoba 2017 Navigate World Whisky, the HV Mhoba 2017 is much sharper. The alcohol stands out more clearly. Addendum "Small" Mhoba Cross-Tasting 2025: Over time it becomes softer and less alcoholic, I like it better now.
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 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 Martin Augustin
A great rum from South Africa. It definitely has a lot of funk. Comparable to a Hampden. Still you can taste sugarcane, raisins and dried apricots late in the finish. For the strength and especially the short aging surprisingly mild, mature and complex. Great journey!
Review by Ayc
Nice length, a clever blend of Esther on a pure rum. The bottle was opened a long time ago, so the analysis may not be right, but it's not necessarily very good... a little extreme on the rancid nose and very acidic on the palate. After opening, the nose becomes more pleasant, with hints of vanilla. On the palate, I still find the length very nice, but I'm critical of the bitterness I sometimes find on agricultural whites, which doesn't suit them. I'd say it's promising, but probably too young.
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 Jakob
Very round for a rum that's only four years old. Exciting profile with milky-floral, spicy and sweet notes. I'm very curious how Mhobas will develop with even more aging - the young guard is already very promising.
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 Basti
On the nose, quite a lot of plastic, artificial aromas, glue, cream toffee, some chamomile, caramel candy, and something chemical.
Review by Nils123
The typical Mhoba sugarcane note is clearly present. The alcohol is perfectly integrated. With water, the glue note disappears and more sugarcane and honey come out. A very "yellow" rum.
Review by Tim
Very good and round Mhoba rum, which is significantly less rough than some other Mhoba. The aging has done a great job here and created a pleasant picture with the otherwise rather high-ester rum. 5 years aging is also rare because the angels' share at Mhoba is very high due to climatic conditions. Lots of caramel/honey/chocolate, which I like.
Review by Rowald Sweet Empire
BOOM! This one kicks in with fierce vegetal and tropical aromas. Mhoba is truelly something unique. Lots of different flavours. Sweet in the middle and then a nice lime acidity in the long finish. Green apples. The alcohol is quite high so let it breath. But once you sit down for it...wow! Great rum.
Review by Benoit Mahe
It's very well done, but it's not my favorite profile. Maybe a little older I'd like it more!
Review by Henry Davies
It lacks the in your face roasted pineapple of the HC but it’s unmistakeably a Mhoba. Great poise and balance for a 4 year old rum. The nose is muted pineapple, some sugarcane and fruit but really very good with time. The mouth is somewhat creamy with fruit and spice in equal proportion. The finish is medium length with some warmth and spice. A really solid and refined Mhoba and would be happy to drink regularly, not as brash and memorable as other Mhoba’s but a really top rum
Review by Lukas Jäger
Exciting stuff! On the nose very alcoholic-fruity, with associations to white wine, Calvados or fruit brandies in general. On the palate first a very sweet taste, then slightly smoky and floral with a final appearance of esters. Unfortunately still a bit edgy, I am already looking forward to older releases from Mhoba. Something unique and special, that’s fun.
Review by Zorman 🇩🇰
The nose is phenomenal. A lot going on like a mix of Jamaica of Savanna high ester. A bit of water releasens some musty and deeper notes. The palatte is not so wild dominated by young wood an keeps It from getting a higher score
Review by Sebastian Kornett
For its four years, it has a lot to offer. I like it very much.
Review by Stefan L
Just tasted this one in a blind tasting and I really like it.
Review by m8375e
an elegant expression of mhoba
Review by Christoph
Goes very floral and reminds me completely of a South African wine in smell, which I knew from before unlike rum. In taste, sweet notes and coconut alternate with grapes. Tends slightly to seem "artificial" but not like Red Bull, rather like a good chewing gum (meant positively).
Review by Luca
Really nice to see that even young distilleries can deliver top quality. This drop is very multi-layered and complex. Both on the nose and on the palate.
Review by tojo
A nice nose with baked goods, sugar, butter and a bit burnt. Unfortunately not much follows on the palate. Some fruit and also bitter notes. The finish lingers long.
Review by Jakob Mmmmhhh
It’s like my favorite rum (Hampden 2010 HGML), in a „this is special and I like it“ way, but in a more balanced way so that I can enjoy it more often.
Review by Philip M. 🇧🇪
Sample received from Stijn. I love rum from Mhoba, and this is another very solid release from Velier. Complex stuff that requires your attention and you shouldn't rush it. In my opinion, the FAQ Plastic remains the GOAT and still is my favourite, but this comes close.
Review by Alexander Rasch
Yes... awesome. For me the best Mhoba so far. It's fun. A lot happens here. The rum changes by the minute. Very complex. A rum that needs time but can also be sipped easily due to its sweetness. Top!!!
Review by Florent Apl
I'm trying one if my favorite bottling, both from Mhoba and Habitation Velier. The nose is very inviting, I have a combination of tropical fruits, honey syrup and milk chocolate, hold bathing in butter. The mouth is also complex but slightly different. I still have the fruits in honey syrup, but here there are some chili and herbal notes, and if course, ester. It's still sweet, very easy to drink, the ester content is not very high which I think in this case is a very good thing, as it let's other aromas shine through The final is on young wood, as well as sweet fruits. This is a very nice rum, complex but that you can also drink every day. The only downside would be it's availability, it's hard to find now and when it is it's often for unreasonably high prices.
Review by Harald
Color: Bright gold. Smell: Initially funky, a blast of esters (fruity, solvent) with honey. Sweet, tropical fruits (passion fruit, pineapple, banana, African medlar). Very fruity. After standing briefly, vanilla also comes through. Very tasty. Taste: Intensely fruity-alcoholic and honey-sweet in the mouth. When swallowing, strong and very fruity with esters. Pear, passion fruit and ripe papaya. Very spicy with vanilla and wood. Finish: Medium length. Spicy-woody, still fruity with esters. Dry aftertaste. A great rum that shows what the distillery can do.
Review by BnBrt
Belle découverte, un rhum très complexe avec un peu de funk. Nez assez funky avec un côté maturé/humide, une note de fraîcheur un peu médicamenteuse. First kiss très agréable. Une complexité incroyable avec plusieurs temps marqués, attaque sur le miel. La douceur laisser place au fut avec l'alcool qui prend plus de place. Du funk puis la finale en salade de fruits exotiques. Très belle longueur.
Review by Filip Šikula
Golden Advent Calendar 2024
Review by Djehey
Profile not that fruity (more on the nose than on the palate). Rather vanilla, cream, sugar... which naturally reminds you of crème brûlée and custard. Not very complex but pleasant for such a high strength (alcohol well integrated).
Review by Buddudharma
In direct comparison with the FAQ and the Kirsch, slightly less voluminous and with a short finish. Nice profile, but other bottlings have taken the lead here, so a slight downgrade.
Review by cetto
From the series habitation velier this Mhoba for now beats the Jamaican funk according to my taste.
Review by TheCelticRumFan
Nose: Quite Jamaican reminiscent, plastic, pineapple, acetone, lime, banana, bubblegum, vanilla, cherry, lavender, sea salt Mouth: Banana, honey, wood varnish, cardamom, lime, caramel, cherry Finish: Flavour holds on for a medium length while the mild tingle of a burn sustains for a long time with a hint of a smokey flavour underlying. Not only is this a challenging rum, but it is very engaging. It has a very strong nose but a gentler yet still heavy palate to follow. The alcohol integration is almost seamless with a smokey mild burn coming though which only adds to the experience. Very impressive.
Review by Jeremy Roger 🇫🇷
The attack is spicy and warm, then reveals fruit and honey. With aeration, the evolution is interesting, and should be even more so with a bottle, as the spiciness becomes more masked and mingles with the aromas. The timid woodiness adds its own touch to this gustatory jumble of fruit. It's funky
Review by Stijn Zino
Comparing with FAQ Plastic Plastic is still the better more balanced one. This is nice if you feel like a stronger Mhoba. Every sip I get a very creamy impression, I think this is one of the most buttery, creamy, yoghurt like rums I ever had. Very nice nose with fruit and ester.
Review by Vincent D
Young and promising. Too powerful for my taste to be really appreciated. But what Mhoba is doing is really good and worth following.
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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 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...
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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Community shelf
219 bottles logged by 173 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
18% opened, 17 emptied.
What does Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017 cost?
Community paid 89–150 €.
Current best price: 199.90 € – above the typical community range.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 114 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ ›
+5 additions in the last 3 months.
Additions per month over the last 12 months; dark bars: the last 3.
219 purchased · 159 tasted · 43 wishlist · as of
Details about Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017
A Pot Still Rum from South Africa, bottled by Habitation Velier, at 64,6%.
About the MHOBA distillery
The MHOBA distillery is located in South Africa. Rums from MHOBA have been reviewed 2,522 times with an average of 8.2/10.
To MHOBA ›Read on in the RumX Guide
You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Velier MHOBA FAQ Plastic 2017
Habitation Velier Hampden DOK 2017
Velier Long Pond Vale Royal VRW 2006
Velier Clarendon Monymusk MBS 2010
Habitation Velier Clarendon EMB 2010
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