Aroma visualization from community tastings
Swell de Spirits Flashback Series 2-07 1996
Oily coconut, vanilla, caramel and roasted, slightly bitter wood — a 1996 cask-strength WIRD bottled by Swell de Spirits. Several tasters note the nose stays closed and needs 45 minutes or a drop of water to open up, and at 61.9% the alcohol runs hot. Pleasant and creamy for many, but a few find it flat and short on depth.
- Oily coconut
- Roasted wood
- Creamy caramel-vanilla
+10
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How does Swell de Spirits Flashback Series 2-07 1996 taste?
Aggregated from 51 community reviews.
Hot, woody Barbados that needs water and time Decent older Barbados that splits the room: fans love the coconut-and-roasted-wood balance, others call it closed, "kind of boring," and too hot until water tames it.
Patient sippers who like older, woody Barbados at cask strength
Beginners and anyone wanting a punchy, instantly expressive rum
How is Swell de Spirits Flashback Series 2-07 1996 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict , 8.2 lands squarely in the "Very good" band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Rum reviews
Selected write-ups from 51 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Based on 51 ratings
Review by Thunderbird
I don't really warm up to this WIRD... the nose is smoky, bacony mixed with pastry, the woody roasted dominates with some catamel and pepper... it's certainly good, but not mine Second time in the glass today... and my opinion doesn't change... we don't go together
Review by Leo Krüper
Solid WIRD. This distillery will probably never quite convince me. Very light Barbados style with alcoholic finish.
Review by LukaŽiga
8,6:On the nose, the first impression we get is very tempting with fruitcake note, some esters, as the fruits are tropical with pineapple, coconut and dried with raisins and apricots, roasted wood begets us with smoky touch and delicious pastry, caramel, spiced up with cinnamon. On aeration, we feel red fruits, more esters, buttery vanilla and sweet honey, as a molasses is vegetal with flowery, minty notes. Great! 8,6:On the palate, the attack is balanced with sweet, fruity and woody deliciousness with overripe, estery tropical fruits like pineapple, banana, coconut and citrus, red fruits later on.The wood is roasted, spicy with burnt sugar, honey, creamy vanilla, nuts, leather, a bit peppery, later some clove arises.The molasses is vegetal, earthy, floral, grassy and minty. 8,5:The finish is long with dry, spicy, roasted wood notes, similar as on the palate, but more on confectionery side with biscuits, pastry, as the fruits are dried, tropical, esters recede slowly....The molasses stays earthy...Some tannins arise.. Edit:28.6.25
Review by Mike H.
I didn’t take any notes at the Rhum Fest so a more detailed review will follow as soon as I get the chance to sample this rum again in a better context. I finally managed to sample this rum a second time and have to say that I’m less enthusiastic about it than at the rhum fest. Lowering my note from 84 to 79 as it makes for a decent sipper but lacks depth and complexity.
Review by Vincent D
Very gourmand on the nose, even if the alcohol is quite noticeable. Coconut, vanilla, wood, spices. Engaging. Warm and spicy on the palate. The wood is straightforward, with vanilla and coconut. The alcohol is very present, too much for me, and I prefer it with a drop of water. Rather long finish. Pleasant despite the alcohol, which could have been better integrated. Edit: tested with a little water to bring it down to 55% and found it much more pleasant. The alcohol is still very pungent, but leaves more room for vanilla, elegant woodiness and discreet coconut.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
My first 1996 WIRD. I was skeptical at first because I often don't like the "young" wird's because they consist only of tea and bitters. This one manages a nice balancing act between a 10% 1984 profile (honeycomb, incense, herbs) and a more typical Barbados foursquare profile (coconut, banana, caramel). Nice thing, but overall a little too bitter for me...
Review by mto75
Despite the 61.9% but rather restrained on the nose. What arrives goes in the direction of peach, tangerine and almond crescent. On the palate, toasty, allspice, latte, caramel. Perhaps most comparable to the Plantation WIRD 2007 Extreme No 5.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A very disappointing rum. This WIRD initially offers a very pastry and buttery nose, with aromas of fruit cakes, exotic fruits (pineapple) and a few traces of spices, roasted aromas and wood. The whole is greedy without being surprising or really intoxicating. Despite the 61.9%, the palate is extremely light. While the integration of alcohol is commendable, the flavors are very simplistic. Dried fruit, coconut, wood, spices, a little tobacco and that's it. The profile is both bland and terribly lacking in depth. The finish is just as ephemeral and unmemorable as the palate. After Wild Parrot's WIRD 1996, one disappointment follows another with this vintage. Even so, the quality/price ratio remains superior to that of Wild Parrot, although there are much higher quality, more aromatic rums available at much lower prices.
Review by Jakob
Beautiful WIRD, which reminds me of the representatives from 2000. The good 10% more alcohol compared to the Wild Parrot create much more intensity and aromatics. I like it very much!
Review by Oliver
Good Barbados rum, but personally not quite convinced me.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4054 This rum is pretty good and I think the price matches the quality. Well balanced and fruity with nice roasted wood notes. I really like the caramel from nose to finish thigh it's very light on the nose. The empty glass is really nice and I can pick up some light smoke and honey.
Review by Johannes
To my knowledge, I have not yet had a 96 Barbados in the glass. Strange rum. It tastes somewhat like WIRD, however, you taste a lot of Column style out. Lacks complexity. Alcohol is not well integrated.
Review by DomM
Hm…. nose remains somewhat closed up an a bit harsh - it is not bad really, but just not what 100% there. Palate is interesting but again not very balanaced and elegant enough to really cut it into the top ratings.
Review by Lot-NAS
Kind of boring, I mean it is complex but nothing is really standing out. Overall not worth a bottle.
Review by Basti
W(e)IRD, aber die Nase erinnert anfangs stark an einen Jamaikaner (low-mid ester) mit buttrigen Noten und ist eher untypisch für einen Bajan Rum. Auch am Gaumen spiegelt sich das ähnlich wieder und ich würde die Herkunft in einem Blindtasting mit Sicherheit falsch zuordnen. Alkohol gut eingenunden. Beim 2. Probieren ist er mir einfach zu flach und insgesamt etwas zu langweilig.
Review by Alexander Rasch
Spannender Rum. Wirkt in der Nase verschlossen. Alles sehr elegant und ausbalanciert. Am Gaumen super cremig und mit einer tollen Süße. Das Holz ist on point und der Abgang mit schönem Fasseinfluss. Die Aromen wirken lange nach. Kein spektakuläres Profil aber ziemlich lecker. Aber der Preis....
Review by Alex1981
Hmm, not sure what to think if this. Fairly unbalanced & rough, but has some nice fruityness and funk going on. Peppery finish with some bitterness. Time & water helps to tame it and pronounce the nicer side a bit more. Was my first WIRD, hope that others convince more.
Review by w00tAN
Beim Geruch dominiert Frucht gefolgt von Würze und alkoholischen Noten. Im Mund dann eine schöne kräftige süße die eng mit Würze verbunden ist. Dann röstige Holznoten sie es einem Warm ums Herz machen. Der Alkohol ist wirklich gut eingebunden. Sehr schöner Rum aber nichts für Einsteiger
Review by zabo
Für das dieser Rum so hoch gelobt wurde, finde ich ihn ein wenig enttäuschend. Aus meiner Sicht hatte ich aus Barbados schon weit bessere Rums im Glas und das für weit weniger Geld. M.E. ist dieser Rum überbepreist.
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
"The alcohol integration is killing the whole rum for me. It is quite a lot going on, but it is quite a lot next to each other not reall integrated well into each other. The harshness of the alcohol then takes over."
Details about Swell de Spirits Flashback Series 2-07 1996
A rum from Barbados, bottled by Swell de Spirits, at 61,9%.
Community purchases
36 bottles logged by 33 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
19% opened, 2 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Swell de Spirits Flashback Series 2-07 1996?
Community paid €173–€201.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
36 purchased · 54 tasted · 8 wishlist · as of
About the West Indies distillery
The West Indies distillery is located in Barbados. Rums from West Indies have been reviewed 7,148 times with an average of 7.6/10.
To West Indies →You may also enjoy
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Swell de Spirits Easy Peasy Series (Exotic Blended Rum)
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