Renegade Études Single Farm Origin-Pearls & Mhoba-Strand 101 rum review

Agricole rums hold a very specific place in the rum world. Built on fresh sugarcane juice they provide a direct link to the land they comes from. Cane variety, cultivation, harvest conditions, fermentation and distillation all have a clear influence on the final spirit. When producers stay true to that idea, agricole becomes one of the most transparent styles in spirits. It shows origin, intent, and production choices with very little room to hide.

In this review, I am looking at two agricole rums that share more common ground than it may seem at first glance. Both rums do not fall under the protected AOC regulations of Martinique. Because of this, they cannot legally use the word “agricole” on the label, even though in every practical sense they belong to that tradition. What they represent is the growing category of independent cane-juice rum producers who work outside geographical rules but with the same core idea that the cane should speak first.

Pearls comes from the Renegade rum distillery which was a part of Mark Reynier’s terroir driven project in Grenada, built on the same principles he championed at the now shuttered Waterford distillery in Ireland. Field specific cane, controlled harvests, parcel transparency, and the belief that each plot has its own voice. Sadly though, Renegade has also shuttered.

Strand 101, from South Africa, comes from Mhoba distillery which also works with estate grown cane and places strong emphasis on raw material identity. Robert Greaves, an engineer who built much of the distillery equipment himself, including the stills, works exclusively with Nkomazi sugarcane grown on his family farm near Malelane. Fermentation relies on both, local and commercial yeasts and distillation takes place in custom built pot stills. Mhoba’s philosophy is grounded in origin and a hands on control from field to spirit, even if the aesthetic and style differ from the Caribbean agricole tradition.

Both rums grow from a shared foundation of estate cane, distinct variety, and a belief that the final spirit should reflect where it was grown and how it was made. That is why comparing agricole rums from different regions is so meaningful. You’re tasting not just technique, but landscape and intent. I've explored this in my previous post on Clairins of Haiti. With that, lets jump into the reviews.

Base: Fresh sugarcane juice

Variety: Yellow Lady

Distillation: Pot Still

Cask type: First Fill American Oak (50%), Virgin American Oak (32%), Premium French Oak (18%)

Matured: in Grenada for 1yr 6 months

Type: Single rum

ABV: 55%

Colour: Dull brass

Nose: Saffron, immediately and I'm liking it already. My entire room is humming! In comes the field - bright sugarcane juice, wet soil, and bagasse. This is followed by mentholated sugar coated saunf (aniseed), gulkand (sweet rose petal preserve), wild honey, bananas, prunes and fresh coriander powder. Running alongside is mild fruity funk and a touch of wood polish. Underneath the top notes there is a fair bit of dusty oak astringency, coco powder, demerara sugar, pencil shavings and a very odd starchy earthiness of boiled singhada (water chestnut) with a briny olive like mineral edge. This is densely layered and complex.

Palate: Saffron infused sugarcane juice as indicated on the nose alongside overripe fruit funk and a generous sprinkling of sweet spices from the american oak in the form of cloves, dried ginger, nutmeg and mace. The mouthfeel is dense and the french oak is really grippy on the mid-palate with the spices and the ABV turning up the heat. The cane juice character is still dominant - grassy, sweetly honeyed, floral, olives et all. As it sits there’s a fleeting echo of demerara sugar, citrus peel and plasticine before the oak grips again.

Finish: Dry, warm and very long. Lingering notes of saffron, cane, earthiness and light caramel with a fade of peppery oak.

Base: Fresh sugarcane juice

Variety: Nkomazi

Distillation: Custom Pot Still

Cask type: Charred American Oak Staves in a Glass Demijohn

Matured: in South Africa

Type: Blend of High Ester Unaged and Glass Cask aged 2yr rum

ABV: 58% (101 Imperial proof)

Colour: Dull Brass

Nose: Greasy toolbox meets earthy sugarcane juice followed by a spade full of lime plaster, nail polish, varnish and the funkiness of fermented play dough mixed with jaggery if there ever was one! There's smoked honey ham and sugar water joined by overripe cherries, pineapple, gooseberries and sour plums. With time, I get a lot more oak now with weak coffee, dusting chocolate, sweet lime peel, wild honey and marzipan. There's lots happening here. I'm even getting smoky coconut water. Very interesting.

Palate: Bailey's Irish cream mixed with fermented sugarcane juice. I know it doesn't sound too appealing but it works here! White chocolate, mint, vanilla and toasted nut follow with intense industrial funk and fruit. Notes of overripe mango, green banana, olives and vinegar mingle with bitter tannic wood, black tea and cloves. Those charred oak staves and the heat from the ABV firmly grip the mid-palate. Its relative youth is quite evident and so are the stills in the form of a metallic edge that runs throughout. Very bright and energetic. The balance between the unaged and aged components seems a little disjointed especially in the initial sips but eventually settles very well.

Finish: Long and dry with lingering funk, oak, and a return of that grassy, earthy cane.

Overall impressions: Tasting Renegade Pearls Yellow Lady and Mhoba Strand 101 together show two very different expressions of cane juice rum. Both are new-wave agricole makers,  terroir-driven, scientifically curious and unorthodox. Their aesthetic is modern, experimental, and at times raw, prioritising transparency and individuality over adherence to tradition.

For something just eighteen months old, Pearls feels remarkably composed. It is oak forward, without a doubt. The tropical ageing has clearly done its work, pulling colour, spice and grip. Tannic, spicy and textured and yet the spirit never loses its sense of cane. The fermentation still speaks through the layers, bringing that saffron-like warmth, funky fruit, a mineral edge, and the peculiar starchy earthiness that almost feels like an off-note but yet it somehow keeps everything grounded. Esters are well integrated and not overpowering. The three casks seem to have been blended with a sure hand each bringing weight, sweetness and spice. What you get is a rum that is perfumed, dense and eccentric, but with a great conversation between wood, cane and earth.

Strand 101 feels more ballsy rather than polished. The nose moves between grease, cane and fruit with a raw un-polite honesty. The palate follows the same energy. There is sweetness, funk, oak and a metallic edge that keeps everything slightly chaotic. The blend of unaged high ester distillate and aged spirit rested in demijohns with charred oak staves creates a profile that shifts as you sit with it. You can taste the intent and the nod to old school flavours like those found in Smith and Cross, which it pays homage to, without it ever feeling like imitation. Sure it has rough edges, but they are part of what makes it interesting. Neither is chasing smoothness or mass appeal.

In conclusion, both these remind you that rums do not always need to be rounded or refined to be worthy of attention. Intent and flavour are the focal point and neatness can wait.

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Further reading:

1. MHOBA Rum – A South African Farm to Bottle Story by Steve James

2. Renegade rum web archive