Swell de Spirits T.D.L Wonders of the World Single Cask Series 13 2009

TDL nose: woody, minty and fruity. Surprisingly greedy. Engaging. On the palate, it's surprisingly progressive. Woody frame and light mint envelop brown sugar, discreet coconut, zesty spices, orange and a mocha impression. The taste evolves with time. The finish is rather long, cocoa-like, lemony, minty and bitter. Once again, Swell is the bomb! The bottle has just been opened. In 15 days, after oxidation, it'll be even better! Can't wait. Edit: tested with a drop of water to reduce the strength a little, and I think this rum would have easily withstood a reduction without it altering the interest, on the contrary.

Either my sample was totally old, or I'm being overly critical. I don't think this T.D.L bottling from Swell is as good as it has been rated so far. The taste is furry, musty and earthy on my tongue, which I find overpowering.

Where does tdl get such a bacon note from? Whisky finish? Delicious but this note is very unusual! 🥓 For me, it has almost nothing to do with a TDL... Hence some deductions in the rating.

Sweet sugar cane and mango meet toffee, vanilla and a little wood as well as a somewhat idiosyncratic roasted note, which does indeed have something of smoked bacon about it... unfortunately, the whole thing seems a little unbalanced to me and consequently doesn't really win me over. Perhaps a few more years in the cask would have helped here - or the rum's own notes simply miss my preferred profile.

A lovely T.D.L. that opens with a lovely bouquet of exotic fruits, gourmand notes of caramel and pastries, a freshness on menthol and subtle notes of cocoa and sweet spices. The woodiness is well blended into this direct, sweet, gourmet profile. On the palate, power is assumed at the expense of complexity. The attack contrasts with the sweetness of the nose for a very mentholated and floral profile, accompanied by exotic fruits. Smoky notes join spices, chocolate and mocha. A more abrupt and direct approach, but with intensity. The finish falls short of the rest of the profile. After a greedy nose and powerful palate, the finish is rather discreet, with an unusual bitterness. Minty, herbal and cocoa notes combine with licorice, coffee and spices for a drier, less fruity profile. We're left a little disappointed. A fine selection of Swell de Spirits nonetheless, with a profile that changes considerably over time.

65. Quite disappointed by this atypical profile, absent nose and palate far too marked by smokiness which hides the following aromas. Might appeal to a whisky lover, but that's not the subject here and not my thing, even though I love tdl. Edit 69.2nd sample. Nose still rather discreet, ripe fruit. Need more aeration? On the palate, I don't find too much of the smoke that was bothering me. Pleasant but not very expressive, well-integrated alcohol.

The weakest TDL that I have sampled this far. Also the youngest, a few more years in the barrel would probably have been of benefit as this rum is a little messy in its tasting notes. The flavors are not harmonious, the classic minty note that can be found in TDL’s struggles to come through, much to weak to give us anything but a slight hint of presence. All in all not a bad rum which makes for a nice sipper but lacking the complexity and some of the flavours needed to make a great TDL.

On peu le classer dans la partie des tdl « gourmands » au nez en tout cas. Très caramel, praline, léger vanillé. On sent que les fruits veulent percer mais ils sont très très en retrait (ce n’est pas forcément ce que je recherche personnellement sur un tdl). En bouche pas de grande surprise, c’est assez monolithique sur la praline mais quasiment pas de fruit, un côté poussiéreux léger aussi. Grosse artume sur la fin de bouche très marqué par le fût.

The nose is quite classic from TDL and very pleasant. The mouth is original: for the first time I felt a very smoky side, almost like grilled meat. It didn't displease me but it confused me.

Intense profile, woody with tropical fruits and a touch of tar. Very good length. Alcohol is well integrated but very present.

A fruit salad disguised as rum

Swell TDL 2009 Au nez : Des fruits blancs légers, on part sur la vanille puis le caramel / ou le chocolat blanc. Les fruits reviennent par la suite, mais un peu cachés. En bouche : c’est vif, plutôt jeune, les fruits sont encore là, mais difficile de distinguer lesquels. C’est mûr, mais pas incroyable. Un léger boisé et quelques épices timides viennent rehausser une voile de fumée. Le menthol n’est pas là où en tout cas pas assez présent pour un TDL comme je les aime, finalement c’est un peu léger, un peu court; timide. Sans être mauvais, j’avoue que c’est une petite déception à ce prix.

This shows strength immediately out of the gates. Starts off tangy, aggressive and medicinal with bitter orange peels and subtle iodine. It’s oily and a bit dirty. Leave it to breathe excessively and the chemicals turn rather sweet and fruity. Dominant on apples, with little fresh pineapple and coconut, followed by anise and a minty finish. The taste is complex as it twists and turns, making it’s way from apple to waves of ripe passion fruit on the mid palate. The sweetness is clingy and spiced with baked apple aromas. It’s dirty, cooling, packed with spearmint, yet smooth. The finish is again rich, oily, cool and swarming with passion fruit. Some oak slumbered through the entire experience. Very well balanced.

Continuing on the swell se spirits dégustation. This one is very pleasant to drink - probably second after the private garden - mostly because of a less distinct character and taste - but at the same time more drinkable. Classic tdl nose - but slightly pâtissier at the same time. Nice attack - quite rich. Medium finish Overall very enjoyable

The nose is sweet with vanilla and some spices and orange peels but all pretty subtle. Good but also not really promising. The palate on the other hand is surprisingly and way sweeter than expected. Spices, wood, caramelised sugar and ripe tropical fruits (especially banana, mango and papaya). The finish is orrery sharp and this definitely needs to be watered down a bit. The menthol is now a little bit more present between all the spices and sugar of different kinds. Without water 8.2