Around 12 months ago….that was the last time that I felt compelled to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard) in any serious way. Whilst I was never prolific, I was relatively regular….and whilst this won’t necessarily see a full time return, the fact that this is happening is for me, personally, a good sign.
Anyhow, what are we looking at today. It’s a Mhoba! But this one is South Africa via Australia.
Mhoba are a producer that I have written about previously, in particular I wrote a long form piece that I view as one of the first and most detailed on the history and production methods of Robert and the distillery. You can find that by clicking here…..and just a little search on the page will reveal some other reviews of the range in general.
This bottling however is from a “relative” newcomer to the independent bottling scene, Dead Reckoning. This is the brainchild and life force behind Justin Boseley….Sailor turned Independent Rum bottler. There was an interesting insight into Justin over at 88bamboo and you’ll find that here.
Dead Reckoning Mhoba – South Africa – 56% abv – 0 g/l additives
What we have here is a young Mhoba offering matured in South Africa for a couple of years in an ex South African Red Wine barrel (Vrede En Lust). This was then shipped over to Adelaide in an IBC where Justin put it into an first fill, level three char ex Makers Mark barrel for an additional 5 months of “dry ageing”. That 5 months in the hot and dry Australian sun where in summer the humidity is around 5% and the temperatures can rise to 47 degrees Celsius saw the abv increase by approximately 4 to 5%….that is it would seem, dry ageing and it saw an Angels share of 21%.
Now lets get into it
Tasting Notes
Nose: A real freshness to the liquid in the glass accompanied by a hint of that Mhoba plastic note. A beautiful sharp and sour note of tart red berries accompanies white chocolate shavings and dried cranberries. There is some of that familiar Mhoba grassy sugarcane and ester driven profile. Fruity acidity, hints of ripe tropical fruits. Development in the glass moves from the fresher, cane and fruit driven notes and grows in depth with the barrels coming to the fore. Mild tannic notes and barrel spice. Musky wet wood mixes with drier, more pencil shaving driven notes. It’s all so well integrated and the level of depth and development certainly belies its age. Creamy white chocolate and cranberry cookies. That sourness is certainly a welcome facet to the experience. It sits astride that line between a well aged agricole and a quality high ester Jamaican.
Mouth: Wow. Initial sips definitely do not bring the nose to the palate straight away. A little difficult to sift through to start with. Balance isn’t there immediately. Tingling the tip of your tongue are those tart dried cranberries, crisp apple and acidic tropical fruits. This becomes almost creamy with such an oily mouthfeel. Banoffee pie. Caramel. Chewy meringue. Sweet grain whisky. Yes there are those tart red fruit notes in there, but it becomes wonderfully drying on the mid palate. It is far more barrel driven than the nose would have you believe…..almost old Enmore like. Musky, wood and old library books. Pepper. Still allowing those tart notes to hit the side of your tongue though. Sticks of celery and peanut butter. A relatively short finish to this one but I’m not annoyed by that. Creeping dryness and hints of powdery cocoa.
In conclusion: The differing barrels have definitely had their influence on the distillate whilst also allowing the Mhoba character to shine through, that said…..I’d struggle to think on something that would be able to stunt that Mhoba character. All in all, really lovely stuff and a great bottling for Dead Reckoning to have in their arsenal.
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