Swell de Spirits Easy Peasy No 7 High Ester Rum

Reviewer: Tashtego

Distillery: Blend of distilleries, including Hampden, Foursquare, Travellers, and more
Origin: Belize, Jamaica, Barbados, Venezuela
Bottle Size: 500 ml
Bottle Count: 800
ABV: 57%
Distilled: From rums distilled between 2006-2018
Base Material: Molasses (possibly some cane juice)
Still: Pot and column
Aging specs: Youngest rum is 6 years, oldest is 18 years
Bottled: Unstated; purchased September 2026

Nose: Butter, caramel, glue, pineapple, apple cider, Jamaican funk, sea air
Palate: Charred pineapple, Hampden-y funk, orchard fruits, smoke, crispy esters, crème brûlée
Finish: Butterscotch, some barrel

Swell de Spirits is an independent bottler established in 2021 and based in France. Unfortunately they don’t have distribution in the United States, so we had to have this shipped to us from a store in Paris. This is part of their Easy Peasy series which apparently has 9 different bottlings, not all of them rum. This particular bottle promises high esters, and it delivers. The breakout of rums, which you can see in the picture, is fascinating - no fewer than 9 different rums are involved. It could have been a mess, but instead it’s a delight.

It’s essentially one third Belize rum, one third high ester rum from Hampden (including some of their very highest marks like DOK), and one third other distillate. Hampden, being the powerhouse ester bomb that it is, is the primary flavor (aided by some New Yarmouth and Long Pond, also from Jamaica). And while I usually like my Hampden uncut, this manages to balance the overripe fruits and pineapple funk that’s unique to Hampden with the more prosaic Belize, Barbados and Venezuela rums. The result is something extremely approachable and fun. If you don’t love ester bombs but are curious about them, this would be a killer gateway rum.

The nose is so buttery and smooth, accented by the Hampden notes I love. I could smell this rum all day, if it were socially acceptable to do that. Using the caramelly Belize rum as a kind of canvas for the Hampden to express itself is just inspired. I don’t know if the folks at Swell de Spirits had that in mind with this blend, or if it was a happy accident, but it doesn’t matter - the rum is delicious.

This is rich, smooth (for 57%), and a remarkable balance of esters and sweeter, calmer rums. It’s the bold flavors of Hampden swinging in a hammock of butterscotch. For Taste, I’m giving it a 5. Possibly it’s a soft 5, but it’s up there. For Haste, I’ll give it a 4 - for those interested enough, you might consider having it shipped to you from abroad. Shipping is wildly expensive and there may be tariff costs, but if you made a larger order of bottles you can’t get here, it’s worth adding in.

Taste/Haste Scale: 5 / 4