Aroma visualization from community tastings
Swell de Spirits T.D.L That's The Spirit ! 2008
Menthol, glue, blackcurrant and tropical fruit, with an oily texture and a roasted, almost Caroni-like edge that shows up after air. One taster called it "a lot of glue" with impressive fruitiness. Give it 45 minutes to open. Most love it, though several note the 63.7% alcohol pokes through and it can feel a touch unbalanced or astringent on the wood.
The community says- Menthol freshness
- Cassis and cherry
- But: Alcohol pokes through
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The look inside the bottle
How does Swell de Spirits T.D.L That's The Spirit ! 2008 taste?
Aggregated from 72 community reviews.
Oily, minty cask-strength Trinidad rum Well-liked cask-strength TDL — minty, fruity and oily with a dirty, slightly smoky twist. The common gripe: the high-proof heat isn't always fully tucked in.
Fans of dirty, menthol-heavy TDL and Caroni-style funk
Anyone wanting a soft, easygoing sipper or sensitive to high ABV
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
35 of 72 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
Fruitier
T.D.L Rum Artesanal Trinidad Rum 2001
8.7/10362 €
Milder
Samaroli T.D.L Fernandes 2003
8.5/10279 €First choice: 16 of 21 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Swell de Spirits T.D.L That's The Spirit ! 2008 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 sits in the “Very good” band. 98% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
97% rate it 8 or higher. 18 selected write-ups from 72 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by lukasdrinkinghabits
Habe den Vagabond 2008, den Spiritori 2008 und diesen Swell parallel im Glas. Der Vagabond sticht mit einer Speck-BBQ-Note heraus, die aber mut der Zeit verfliegt. Außer dieser wilden ausreißernote sihd die Rums sich sehr ähnlich und (für Swell TDLs eher untypisch) im typischen TDL-Minz-Profil. In der Nase finde ich den (Mango-)Pfirsich-Minz-Eistee. Daneben Ingwer, eine etwas überraschend eine Ahnung von Kirsche ind Tonka. Im Mund keine Überraschungen Pfirsich-Minz-Eistee, Ingwer, gebrannten Zucker, Tannine, Piment. Dem Vagabond sehr, sehr ähnlich - nur die BBQ Note fehlt. Auch im Abgang wiederholt sich der Eindruck. Blind könnte ich die drei niemals auseinanderhalten - was das Crosstasting auch etwas zäh macht. Bei mir landen alle mit der gleichen Bewertung. Insgesamt sind die drei Rums mit den bekannten 2009ern ziemlich gleich auf.
Review by RumTaTa
The nose started with an interesting mixture of red fruits and the bourbon barrel, with a little "dirt" thrown in for good measure. I also find a few hidden sweet associations. Nice fruity and minty on the palate, but nowhere near as minty as 2001-2003. Towards the finish, the barrel influence comes out more and a slight bitter note is added. A very good, sophisticated T.D.L., the alcohol is a little superficial.
Review by zabo
Edit: enjoyed again in peace as a digestive rum after lunch at the Italian restaurant. I'm always a bit critical of Swell, but this one really won me over for once. Great bottling. Adjusted upwards a little. Unfortunately only sipped briefly when bottling. First impressions are better than the last Swell T.D.L Privat Garden #4, but a detailed tasting will follow.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#5171 28.03.2025 Running through some samples at home. Nose Intense, light wood, varnish, light glue, light apple, spice, faint coconut, banana. Palate Intense, varnish, light wood, faint smoke, fruits, banana, light citrus, faint ginger, anise, light apple. Finish Long and warm, light wood, light mango, light citrus, light ginger, clove. Empty glass Spice, licorice, light coconut, light berries.
Review by ccajerem
Très belle surprise que ce jeune TDL. Le 1er nez est très marqué caroni avec ses notes d'hydrocarbures et de fruits tropicaux. Ce côté s'atténue sur le 2eme nez et en bouche pour laisser place à la trame tdl début 2000 avec ses notes mentholées et fruits rouges cassis. Très belle longueur. Superbe rapport qualité prix au prix de sortie.
Review by Jacques etdom
Colle, vernis, fruits exotiques, un côté mentholé et du caramel, le tout, au nez comme à la bouche. Après un certain temps d aeration, apparaît un côté fumé et tourbé. Cela apporte la note de complexité dans ce rhum. L alcool est un peu piquant et pourrait être mieux intégré. La finale est moyenne. Joli tdl, encore une belle sélection.
Review by Jakob
Great TDL mint and menthol profile, which is obviously also present in 2008 alongside the 2001-2003 vintages. Exciting, still rather fresh with subtle wood and caramel notes - earlier vintages offer even more power. However, it remains to be seen what will happen here with further ageing.
Review by DomM
Balanced showing in the nose. Quite some wood with roasted notes intermingling with dried fruits (apricot) and some exotic fruits (lychee). Complex on the palate with even more fruitiness (cherry and berries) as well as a bit of herbal and minty notes. Nice bottling overall.
Review by alex
Ce jus est plutôt bien fait , Une intégration d’alcool qui pourrait être meilleure encore, ça doit être un des seuls défauts que je lui trouve. Belle complexité, Beaucoup de fruits, Et du menthol… Habituel pour les TDL de cette époque Belle longueur en bouche J’aime bien
Review by Mentalo
Braucht Zeit im Glas. Der Alkohol ist ok eingebunden. Deutlich fruchtiger als andere T.D.L Jahrgänge. Kirsche, Johannisbeere. Dazu dezente Minznote und etwas karamellig. Leicht ölige Textur. Kann imo nicht mit den Topjahrgängen mithalten, trotzdem ne schöne Abfüllung.
Review by Mike H.
81 points. Much too young for my taste as I favor the older TDL’s especially the ones from 2001 and 2002. The classic TDL markets are present but they are a little weak and the fruit takes over a little too fast and is a little overpowering the other flavors.
Review by Lot-NAS
I like it a lot, starting off with a great and complex nose. On the palate I find it a little bit edgy sort of unbalanced. Too much of everything. The finish nevertheless is really nice and everything is just slowly fading out without any off notes.
Review by Jeremy Roger 🇫🇷
Très fruité ! Il faut bien le laisser respirer (au moins 45 min) c'est une explosion de cassis que fond de cerise. Puis viennent les épices et le mentholé, ce dernier vient rajouté une bonne dose de fraîcheur. C'est super bon. Très bon RQP 👌
Review by mto75
Initially quite dirty notes on the nose, with longer standing time mango, caramel, butter cake, floral notes, polish, light menthol notes. Dirty notes on the palate, coffee, toasted barrel, caramel. Really good TDL!
Review by Romain de L
Interesting and pleasant one ! On the nose, dense and rich, quite classical : hydrocarbures, ripe fruits, glue, dirty but not too much. Pleasant taste - well integrated - strong but smooth, fruity and ripe. Moderately long finish
Review by Thunderbird
Ein weiterer sehr guter 2008er TDL..nicht ganz so präsent wie der Vagabond Spirits, vor allem im Fruchtbereich, aber noch im grünen Bereich! Insgesamt scheinen die 2008 am Profil der 2003er anzuschließen. Sehr erfreulich.
Review by Kevin Dsr
Tdl très agréable et alcool bien intégré. On sent bien le marqueur Mentholé et c'est plein de fraîcheur ! Petit côté fruit rouge et herbacé également. Je trouve ce swell très bien fait et il donne envie d'y retourner !
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Bitterorange/Kumquat/Minze/Eukalyptus/Eichenfass.... Super ölig, ätherisch, ölig frisch und intensiv. Könnte etwas komplexer sein. Insgesamt ist er mir zu adstringierend und holzig, hätte ich etwas mehr erwartet.
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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 WhiskyNotes
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Expert review by L'amateur éclairé
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Market value
Avg. community purchase price 115 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Swell de Spirits T.D.L That's The Spirit ! 2008
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Swell de Spirits, at 63,7%.
Community purchases
72 bottles logged by 55 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
12% opened, 3 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Swell de Spirits T.D.L That's The Spirit ! 2008?
Community paid 85–119 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
72 purchased · 78 tasted · 28 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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