Pineapple Rum, 'Sihhenge', Mhoba Rum

• Pineapple-infused rum produced by MHOBA Rum Distillery in Malalane, South Africa • Blend of Select White (SW) and Select White Double Distillate (SWDD) marques • Produced from 100% sugarcane juice pressed from estate-grown sugarcane • Open fermented 6–7 days using ambient yeast • Distilled in custom high-reflux pot stills made of stainless steel and copper • Infused with fresh Queen Natal pineapple for 2 weeks • A nose of rich pineapple upside-down cake, vanilla, honey, and underlying hints of savory barbeque spice transitions to a layered palate of pineapple—candied, canned, grilled, caramelized—with green, grassy notes of fresh sugarcane, nutmeg, and brown sugar • No added sugar • Non-chill filtered; 40% ABV Sihhenge (see•HANG•geh]—the word for pineapple in the local siSwati dialect—is a collaboration between MHOBA Rum Distillery and independent bottler Holmes Cay. While it took a bit of arm-twisting to convince Robert—a staunch opponent of additives in spirits—to add anything to his rum besides water for proofing, he decided that if he was going to produce a pineapple rum, he was going to do it the right way. In opposition to the many artificially flavored and sweetened expressions available, Sihhenge is produced as simply as possible using Queen Natal pineapples, a low-acid variety sourced from the neighboring province of KwaZulu-Natal. After removing the tops and rinds, the pineapples are chopped into large chunks and macerated in a special rum blend for two weeks. That’s it—just good rum and fresh pineapple!