Swell de Spirits West Indies Flashback Series 2-07 1996 61,9%

"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"

"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."

"Nez très gourmand même si l'alcool se fait bien sentir. Coco, vanille, bois, épices. C'est engageant. En bouche, c'est chaud et épicé. Le boisé est franc accompagne la vanille, la coco. L'alcool est très présent, trop pour moi, et je le préfère avec une goutte d'eau. Finale plutôt longue. Agréable malgré l'alcool qui aurait pu être mieux intégré. Édit : testé avec un peu d'eau pour le ramener à 55% et je le trouve bien plus agréable. L'alcool est encore très piquant mais laisse plus de place à de la vanille, à un boisé élégant, une coco discrète."

"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."

"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..."

"Good Barbados rum, but personally not quite convinced me."

"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."

"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."

"#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."

"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."