Aroma visualization from community tastings
Swell de Spirits West Indies Flashback Series 2-07 1996
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Oily coconut, buttery vanilla and roasted oak lead here, with dried fruit and a peppery, spiced finish underneath. At nearly 62% it drinks hot — several tasters knock it back to around 55% with a drop of water and like it much better. The nose plays hard to get and needs time in the glass to open. A well-made cask-strength Barbados, though a few find it more restrained than the proof promises.
The community says- Oily coconut
- Roasted oak spice
- But: Hot at full proof
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The look inside the bottle
How does Swell de Spirits West Indies Flashback Series 2-07 1996 taste?
Summarized by AI from 52 community reviews.
Hot, spicy Barbados that opens up with water Most owners land on "good but not exciting" — a clean, spicy Barbados that rewards water, though several wish it had more depth for the intensity.
cask-strength Barbados fans who add water
beginners and anyone wanting big complexity
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
21 of 52 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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8.8/10290 €
Milder
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Community voices
What does the community say?
52 community reviews
26 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
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Ranges include their upper bound: “7–8” means above 7 up to and including 8. See the full rating guide
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by LukaŽiga
Most helpful positive review
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 Thunderbird
Most helpful mixed review
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 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 Leo Krüper
Solid WIRD. This distillery will probably never quite convince me. Very light Barbados style with alcoholic finish.
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 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 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 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, but the nose initially strongly reminds me of a Jamaican (low-mid ester) with buttery notes and is rather untypical for a Bajan rum. This is similarly reflected on the palate and I would definitely misidentify the origin in a blind tasting. Alcohol well integrated. On the second tasting, it feels too flat and overall a bit boring to me.
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 Alexander Rasch
Exciting rum. Seems closed on the nose. Everything very elegant and balanced. Super creamy on the palate with a great sweetness. The wood is on point and the finish has a nice cask influence. The aromas linger long. Not a spectacular profile but quite tasty. But the price....
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 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 TheJackDrop
You really have to let it rest 45 minutes or more to get something on the nose, but after that it's good. The palate is very powerful right away and I really liked the spices. Ultimately quite close to a more classic Foursquare (and thus probably a bit expensive)!
Review by Oliver
Good Barbados rum, but personally not quite convinced me.
Review by Filip Šikula
A pleasant representative of WIRD. The nose is full of heavy scents, coconut, cookies, caramel, and spices. On the palate very spicy, the higher ABV carries more flavors here from raisins through spices to the omnipresent wood. The finish is slightly prickly and medium length.
Review by Mentalo
Very fine fruit notes with a bit of spices, caramel, and vanilla. Pleasant creaminess, but it simply lacks depth and complexity.
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 Richard Krupa
Medová vůně, sametobá sladší chuť, máslové sušenky
Review by ElReyTristan
Beau nez barbadien avec de la coco huileuse notamment mais aussi avec des arômes de fruits confits et de clou de girofle inédits qui se rajoutent. En bouche c’est plus agressif et fort, les marqueurs classiques sont toujours bien la mais plus les arômes tertiaires inédits du nez. Finale moyenne en longueur caramel, vanille principalement.
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 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 zabo
For a rum that was so highly praised, I find it a bit disappointing. In my opinion, I've had much better rums from Barbados in the glass and for much less money. In my opinion, this rum is overpriced.
Review by Buddudharma
A strange rum that even after some time in the glass doesn’t really open up. Too restrained, unspecific profile for this price range...
Review by Adrien B
V1 :80 Nez assez fermé, coco frit blanc acidulé Bouche attaque puissante franc fruité belle sucrosite, belle longueur V2 : 76 très puissant mais rond mais assez peu complexe. Bon équilibre global
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Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 7.5/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
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.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Community shelf
36 bottles logged by 33 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
19% opened, 2 emptied.
What did the community pay for Swell de Spirits West Indies Flashback Series 2-07 1996?
Community paid 173–201 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 192 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
36 purchased · 55 tasted · 8 wishlist · as of
Details about Swell de Spirits West Indies Flashback Series 2-07 1996
A rum from Barbados, bottled by Swell de Spirits, at 61.9%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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Swell de Spirits T.D.L Private Garden No.1 Clos des Spiritueux 2000
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