Swell de Spirits South Pacific Wild Nature Series N°1

"Edit Edit: had another one in the glass at the Swell Masterclass. A really great Fiji. Edit: In the comparison test with other Fiji, this one is in the top third in my opinion and is one of the best Fiji bottlings I've had in a glass. Evaluated quickly when bottling. I like it quite well at first glance. But will have to compete against other Fiji again."

"We had a really fantastic masterclass with Mika from Swell. The session was extremely informative and the rums really excellent! This Fiji immediately ticked all the Fiji boxes for me and triggered strong associations with the TCRL Fiji 2014. It's just a unique blend of tea, rotting vegetables, burnt rubber and a bit of fruity esters. It's not for every day, but sometimes it's very cool. Today, a day after tasting Swell, I poured myself another dram of Mor 2014 as a comparison. The Swell has a lot more Fiji power, while the Dram Mor hides the bold aromas somewhat in wood and vanilla. In particular, the DM completely lacks smokiness. In the mouth, the Swell is super fruity and reminds me of the TCRL here too. The Dram Mor is much darker, it has a lot of wood and spices and also a little more alcoholic bite. The Swell has plenty of sour esters that are somewhat reminiscent of Hampden - but I wouldn't give the Fiji more than Wedderburn in terms of ester level. All in all, the Swell is an excellent Fiji of the wild variety and the difference in class to the Dram Mor is unfortunately clear to me."

"28.03.2024 Retasting at Swell de Spirits Masterclass and I stick to my score. ------------------------ #4524 14.12.2023 When looking at the price tag you get a lot for your money with this release. Very refreshing with fruit and a nice marzipan touch. On top of that a nice natural sweetness. The palate is oily and has a light herbal touch to it. The finish is long and warm with a light citrus note. ABV very well integrated. Don't leave for too long in the glass or it goes "bad"."

"The first impression on the nose is very fruity (unripe banana!), followed by spice and barrel notes, very intense! On the palate I clearly notice the approx. 66% alcohol and the spicy and woody aromas come more to the fore. The finish is dominated by barrel notes, slight bitterness, spice and only then the fruit. Very good rum, a little sharp-edged in my opinion, but it brings out the South Pacific profile well."

"Great nose! Massive chemistry, but of the beautiful kind, a basket of overripe tropical fruit, nutty and smoky. Powerful too. Oily in the mouth, spicy herbs and caramel. Chemistry is also there. Great rum, thanks to Bonn!"

"Nice fruity nose with sweetness & esters. Rather gentle. The palate gets mire punchy, but keeps the sweet fruityness. Goes vegetal, herbal, smoky after some time. Evolves with time in the glass, wonderful. Finish a bit too sharp/spicy //edit: dont let it sit too long, most of the unpleasentness only develops over time."

"Tasting it fresh is definitely better than letting it breathe for too long, thanks to Kevin s. I made the experience that you shouldn't let it breathe for too long, otherwise the burnt plastic notes become too dominant. If you taste it fresh, beautiful fruit and glue notes emerge, along with bitter medicinal, metallic, burnt bicycle inner tube, brine and burnt caramel... Personally, it's just too blatant for me... Unfortunately I don't get 100% warm with it. Sorry🙈😆"

"Second tasting of the day. This one has a medicinal, rubbery and a woody nose to me. Usually not for my liking, but in the notes I found coffee, estery hints, some spice and hints of marzipan. Long finish of dried fruits"

"Yes, we're almost through now. This rum is also fantastic. A beautiful nose of esters, vanilla and citrus fruits. The palate then has coconut, vanilla and a little caramel. The alcohol is also wonderfully integrated. Top."

"Fijis sind in Kennerkreisen schon seit jahren beliebt und begehrt. Meine Erfahrung zeigt trotzdem, dass man auch zuweilen die Katze im Sack am Gaumen finden kann, völlig unabhängig von den Eckdaten. So ist jeder Fiji für mich spannend. Heute ein Quertasting. 1. sbs 2009 11yo: langweilig. bisschen was von dreckigen fiji noten, zu gleichen teilen aber auch vanille und süssholz. 77 Pkt. (2. Verkostung: -4 Pkt) 2. Famillie Ricci 22yo: Lecker, sehr ausgewogen, Alkohol gut integriert, am Gaumen etwas pfeffrig, adstringierend und süss zugleich. Der Abgang ist kurz. Lecker 83 Pkt. 3. Swell de Spirits 9yo: Sehr geschmeidig ist der Antritt, das ändert sich sofort! xD eine schnell weggerauchte Zigarre wandelt sich natürlich aber unverzüglich in Rauch und Adche. Während dieser Veränderung liegt der Rum sehr adstringierend und mundfüllend am Gaumen, geil! Hier passier sehr viel(auch dreckige Noten) in ganz kurzer Zeit und am Ende bleibt Asche. Geschmeidig und wild und rauchig zugleich. Das einzige Manko ist der schlecht eingebundene Alkohol, der einen unangenehmen langen Abgang beschert. Immerhin haben wir hier aber auch 66% abv. Meine Erwartungen sind diesbezüglich vllt. einfach zu hoch. Interessant und ich würde sehr gerne wissen, wie der der einigen Monaten oder auch Jahren in der Fladchr schmeckt. 85-88 Pkt. 4. The whisky jury fiji 2012: tja, den hätte ich vor dem swell probieren müssen. mein mund ist noch voll swell fiji xD 10 Minuten Pause. Viel gefälliger, erinnert an die eleganz eines Neisson im Antritt und dann schlägt er wieder zu , wie ein Fiji. Dreckige Aromen mit Vanille garniert. lecker, komplex aber auch ziemlich scharf. der abgang ist angenehm trocken, junges Gras und Vanille, etwas Gewürz. Lecker. Habe das Gefühl, dass mein Gaumen noch vom krassen Swell inspiriert ist =D 85 Pkt. Chapeau an den Swell, der lässt mich nicht in Ruhe. Macht mich sehr neugierig. Diese Beziehung könnte ziemlich "Toxic" werden, sofern sie mir eine Chance gibt."

"This is a completely different house number than the TCRL 2014/5yr! I like the nose, with young oak barrel, yellow fruits, plastic, vanilla, burnt sugar. Spicy on the palate, coffee, caramel. The high ABV burns quite well, though, or rather makes for a warming throat 😅"

"Well… on the nose this is not really my cup of tea… chemical, rubber, glue… In the palate, however, very different animal! Sweetness, vanilla, fruitiness. Also quite creamy and smooth. This is good. Cheers to Mika and the RumX team for making the master class possible. Very nice line-up!"

"These slightly rotten fruits that remind me of Hampden, which I have already found in some Fijis, can also be found here. There is also an interesting note of burnt rubber, which the mountain bikers among you will love ;-)."

"Dégustation online RumX et Swell de Spirit, mars 2024. Un nez marqué par le bois, le fût et le chêne ! Des fruits apparaissent en se concentrant bien, de l’ananas surtout. La bouche ne se démarque naturellement pas, bois, chêne et fût. Ma limite du boisé est-elle atteinte ? Bizarrement je dirais non, et plus je le bois mieux je le trouve ce rhum atypique. Il n’est pas à exclure que beaucoup d’oxydation réveille les fruits et même un petit côté végétal. Ma note reflète cette possible amélioration future."

"Delicious! Very fruity nose, of red fruits. As expected and hoped for, plastic, rubber, burnt. Also on the palate and in the finish. Noticeable alcohol, but it somehow fits. Warms you up nicely..."