This is absolutely the first beverage I've had from South Africa. In fact, think it may be the first beverage I've had from the entire continent of Africa. What will be interesting here is that every other kind of hard cream that I've tried has used some form of whiskey. Sometimes its not matured whiskey, and that is typically referred to as moonshine. A lot of times it's bourbon, scotch, or whiskey from a particular region. In this case, it appears that they use a liquor derived from fruits from a native tree. They then let the resulting distillation age in oak barrels for a couple of years before merging it with cream. This should be a very unique take on these kinds of creams.
Usually, I will comment about these creams being effectively darker cream, or they are even closer to chocolate milk. This one is closer to peanut butter. It's quite striking, as it sits alone in the glass. The aroma doesn't smell particularly different from other creams. It is a bit alcohol heavy, especially for the 17% ABV that it is, but I'm not able to tease out a difference between the Marula-derived alcohol and a regular whiskey. I guess that's why we drink.
First sip is sweet with a caramel overtones. I'm not sure what these fruits taste like on their own, but they seem to be doing a fantastic job of complementing the cream. The alcohol seems heavy, but it's floating on top of the dense cream with that caramel flavor added to oak and what is, presumably, some residual Marula flavor. The whole thing is quite good, and it is distinct from other creams in a very pleasing way.
Subsequent sips reaffirm the belief that this is something a little extra special. This sweetness does not become cloying, and the creaminess doesn't go way. As a result, this is an excellent beverage for sipping over an extended period.
Bottom Line: Very nice, indeed.
4.5