Mhoba Rum: artisanal South African agricultural rum from Onderberg

Mhoba is an independent agricultural rum distillery nestled in the Onderberg Hills of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Surrounded by its own sugarcane fields, it produces rum from fresh cane juice rather than molasses, making it a pure and authentic expression of the local terroir. The entire harvest is manual: the cane is cut, stemmed, shredded by hand, and then pressed in a hydraulic press designed by Robert Greaves, the distillery's founder. The extracted juice is immediately sent to one of 12 unsealed fermentation tanks. After the addition of local yeasts, fermentation takes place slowly at room temperature, taking advantage of the region's warm climate. Its duration varies from one to three weeks depending on the desired profile, allowing the rum to achieve its aromatic richness and texture. Mhoba then distills exclusively in pot stills, preserving the distillate's power and uniqueness. Mhoba's approach is resolutely sustainable: residual bagasse is reused either as organic fertilizer for the fields or as a heat source for the still, thus completing an economical and environmentally friendly production cycle. This complete integration between cultivation, fermentation, and distillation gives the rum a coherent identity deeply rooted in its birthplace. Mhoba offers a taste experience typical of well-crafted agricultural rums: purity of cane juice, complexity resulting from long fermentations, and the assertive character of the pot still. It is a rum where each step, from harvest to distillation, is mastered by an artisanal and responsible philosophy.