High Ester Overproof Rum, 'The Shaldon'

• Unaged overproof rum produced by MHOBA Rum Distillery in Malalane, South Africa
• Blend of Greaves High Ester GHE and GHE 1.5 marques
• Produced from 100% sugarcane juice pressed from estate-grown sugarcane
• Open fermented for 28 days using dunder and ambient yeast
• Distilled in custom high-reflux pot stills made of stainless steel and copper
• Punchy aromas of ripe pear, Twizzlers, sea salt, sweet cream, Sharpie marker, green olive, and a hint of cardboard precede a robust palate of strawberry jam, underripe pineapple, eggnog, jackfruit, nutmeg, almond flour cake, mint, and caper berry
• Rested for two months before bottling
• Additive free
• Non-chill filtered; 63% ABV

The Shaldon, named for MHOBA’s up-and-coming distiller and Assistant General Manager, Shaldon Engelbrecht, is a jaw-dropping expression of sugarcane, showcasing a robust and flavorful blend of two different high-ester marks. The four-week long fermentation process is produced using 70% cane juice and 30% dunder from the MHOBA’s dunder pit. This pit, described as a cross between a dunder pit and a muck pit, also contains cane trash, or the veneer, leaves, stems, and other parts of the sugarcane plant that are removed before crushing. Additionally, the esters in this expression are amplified using the Cousins Process, a technique used to create high-ester Jamaican rums by re-esterifying the lees from previous distillations. This is a must-try, must-buy for any rum head.