Aroma visualization from community tastings
Swell de Spirits T.D.L Private Garden #4 2005
Vanilla, dark chocolate and ripe banana lead, with the classic TDL mint tucked into a woody, patisserie-like frame. This 18-year Trinidad column-still leans softer and more dessert-driven than the mint-forward modern releases — several tasters even mistook it for Barbados. The 62.1% is remarkably well hidden. A few felt it stays a touch one-dimensional with a short finish.
The community says- Superb alcohol integration
- Vanilla-chocolate-fruit gourmand
- Can feel one-dimensional
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The look inside the bottle
How does Swell de Spirits T.D.L Private Garden #4 2005 taste?
Aggregated from 72 community reviews.
Soft, dessert-leaning aged Trinidad, mint in back Most find it elegant and gourmand — vanilla, chocolate, tropical fruit and mild menthol, with alcohol integration that drinks well below 62%. A few wanted more depth and a longer finish.
Fans of aged Trinidad who like a softer, patisserie-style profile
Anyone chasing bold minty TDL markers or a long finish
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
35 of 72 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Swell de Spirits T.D.L Private Garden #4 2005 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 sits in the “Very good” band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Community voices
What does the community say?
11% rate it between 6 and 8. 20 selected write-ups from 72 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Most helpful positive review
Incredibly beautiful successor to the already grandiose swell private garden #1. Red fruit jelly, mint jelly and mint tea meet dark chocolate-caramel mousse, plus caramelized banana, some tart-fresh eucalyptus tea, fresh vanilla pulp and dried fig, as well as subtly dirty and smoky after tar and smoke. The slight sweetness is really pleasant and in general the alcohol is perfectly integrated here and virtually imperceptible. Grandiose bottling! As if the best of the rather chocolaty TDL's meet the rather fresh, dirty TDL's and make a perfect baby.😃🙈😍 Has a subtle caroni or caroni finish. Still a super TDL bottling under the radar!🇹🇹💣🌺
Review by Nivius
Most helpful mixed review
Delicious and round TDL, which goes in the fruity direction (orange), but lacks depth and complexity overall. The finish is very short. All in all, I expected more and fortunately only got a sample.
Review by Thunderbird
This is a special TDL, not as classic as I was used to, but very tasty. The nose is very fruity and soft, I also perceive a slightly nutty, savory aroma. On the palate it is very creamy and initially exudes a heavy sweetness, followed by fruit, chocolate and later slightly dirty nuances... very pleasing, the whole thing, The finish is characterized by light wood, vanilla, roasted nuts and sweet fig. I like it very much
Review by zabo
Edit the second: It still doesn't convince me, sorry. I'm glad the bottle is empty now. After splitting this one and only sipped it briefly, I tasted it again today together with Jarek. I gave it a good half hour in the glass before my co-taster arrived. It developed steadily on the nose during this time. As Jarek aptly put it, in a blind tasting we would probably both have categorized it as a Barbados. For me, it is too well-behaved and the typical T.D.L markers are not clearly recognizable. Nice for sipping. It's not bad, but it didn't really blow me away or trigger any euphoria. The alcohol is well integrated, but it's a little too one-dimensional for me and the finish is too short. In contrast, I find the 2006 Bristol that I had in my glass afterwards much better.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4804 09.08.2024 Relaxing with some samples. Nose Fresh, fruity, light wood, vanilla, faint caramel, faint nutts, balanced, cherry. Palate Medium intense, wood, fruits, vanilla, light coconut, cherry, light roasted, faint caramel, faint varnish. Finish Medium long, round, fruits, cherry, faint medicinal, wood, faint caramel, faint mint. The empty glass has light metallic and some fruit candy.
Review by mto75
very balanced TDL. Here, the dirty-mentholy notes are less present, rather the fruity and floral (and a bit of butter cake).
Review by TheRhumhoe
Swell de Spirits explore TDL sous ce Millésime 2005, qui débute sur un nez très doux, arrondi par les arômes caramélisés et pâtissiers. Le fût de chêne a fait son travail, en incorporant des épices douces mais marquées (piment doux, vanille, poivre), et surtout des notes chocolatées, caféinées et des traces de fruits à coque. Après aération, les fruits tropicaux sont plus distincts, notamment la banane et la mangue, mais c’est l’orange qui occupe une bonne partie du verre. Un profil plus classique de chez TDL, qui perturbe presque par cette douceur et presque « monotonie ». En bouche, on retrouve davantage de caractère avec un fruité qui vient en attaque (pêche, mangue, banane, fruits rouges, agrumes). Le bois, les épices et les notes rôties viennent en soutien, appuyées par des notes beurrées et pâtissières toujours aussi gourmandes. Si on décèle un soupçon de menthol et d’eucalyptus, c’est surtout le côté mielleux et sirupeux du jus qui l’emporte. L’alcool est très bien intégré. La finale est de longueur correcte, laissant transparaître les saveurs décrites précédemment, les fruits exotiques et l’eucalyptus donnant le pas, avant que le chocolat noir, les épices et le bois viennent contrebalancer le profil avec un côté légèrement amer, sur le rôti et le cuir. Un TDL bien exécuté, qui souffre néanmoins d’une comparaison avec d’autres TDL plus pêchus en faisant passer la gourmandise avant la complexité.
Review by Timo Groeger
Shopbesuch Rhum Attitude Brüssel Mai 2025. Als Sample mitgenommen. Als nächstes gibt es zwei Swells. Also das dies ein T.D.L ist, da wäre ich auch drauf gekommen. In der Nase zwar holzig, nussig und Vanille, am Gaumen dafür aber wieder größtenteils Minze.
Review by DomM
Nice TDL. Well balanced with nice mango notes. However, even with very long time in the glas alcohol remains to present on the nose and palate for a better score.
Review by Jakob
Rather classic TDL, i.e. without the present mint-menthol aroma that characterizes many post-2000 TDL releases. However, this does not mean that this release has to hide - what happens here between caramel, vanilla, chocolate, dried fruit, wood notes and spices is really fun. Smooth, but not at the expense of finesse and elegance. Great!
Review by Maxime Clr 🇫🇷
Nice selection from Swell, but a notch below the Clos des Spiritueux TDL in my opinion. We're not on the current markers of the TDLs coming out at the moment. Beautiful bottle, very marked by the bourbon. Very patissier side with red and tropical fruit and lots of vanilla. Superbly integrated alcohol.
Review by Mirco
Eleganter T.D.L. mit feiner Balance zwischen tropischer Frucht, Vanille und einem Hauch Minze. Die 18-jährige Reifung bringt Tiefe, ohne zu dominieren. Ein subtiler, aber ausdrucksstarker Rum, der durch seine harmonische Komposition überzeugt.
Review by Romain de L
Super nose : fresh, minty, but not too sugary, quite original and compelling. Taste is quite balanced - clear taste, smooth to the tongue, good alcohol integration - precise in a way. Long finish - very pleasant to enjoy
Review by CaRaph
I'm not an expert, but being the first to post a review, for what it's worth here's what I thought : The nose is delicious, soft and very balanced. Lots of flavours starting with wood, dark chocolate and vanilla. Then come many tropical fruits especially ripe banana. Tones of tar and smoke follow along with caramelized nuts. As the glass empties gradually came some flavours of orange, grape and funnily some slight tones of moka. In the mouth, it begins with wood, butter and dark chocolate. Vanilla is following with banana, mango and red fruits. A warm taste of copper accompagnies the whole thing. The finish is long, woody, with tropical fruits, chocolate and vanilla still there along tones of copper. The empty glass was pretty interesting and delicious too : mixed flavours of coffee, vanilla and unexpectedly incense, frangipane and pastries that I wouldn't have imagined to find there. This is a very good, balanced and complex rum with alcohol so perfectly integrated that it seemed to be pretty under the 62.1 % rate written on the bottle. Not comparable for example with Velier's Warren Khong 2010 Hampden Diamond , also very good but whose 62 % are really hot in the mouth. I had already had some very good Caronis, this was my first TDL and I'm glad to have bought this bottle.
Review by Filip Šikula
A very very special T.D.L, but once again it confirms to me that everything that swell de spirit fills is just good. Fruity and floral notes in the aroma. After sipping, first an intense sweet profile, later fruit.
Review by Basti
An der Nase nur ein Hauch Minze, dafür mehr Gewürze, Schokolade, Karamell, gestrickten Früchte und Holz. Im Mund nicht wirklich spektakulär und irgendwie nichtssagend. Auch hier etwas Minze, Holz und Gewürze. Nicht sonderlich intensiv. Relativ trocken.
Review by Julien Ries
Le nez demande une longue aération pour s'ouvrir, car il est très discret et léger au prime abord. Pour autant, il a des choses à raconter. Le cassis typique est bien là, mais noyé sous une puissance alcoolique qui pique les narines. On trouve du coing et de la pêche, mêlé à de la vanille discrète. Le tout est assez frais. Des élans de cacao amer, mais aussi (et curieusement) de plat en sauce (genre échalotes revenues dans du beurre et du miel) pointent par ci par là. C'est gourmand, complexe, mais discret. La bouche fait pschitt. Peu complexe, elle déçoit énormément. Passé une première brûlure, il ne se passe pas grand chose : du miel discret, un peu de mélasse, un peu de caramel et sucre vergeoise. Le cassis pointe le bout de son nez en apportant un peu d'astringence à cette rondeur. La finale est courte pour un TDL lourd. On est sur du vanillé et un peu de piment végétarien. Rien de sensationnel dans ce rhum, alors que j'en attendais beaucoup. Les TDL font partie de mes rhums préférés avec les Foursquares et les Hampdens. Ici je suis déçu : 72/100.
Review by V. Chbrd
Un rhum très surprenant par son intégration de l'alcool! Une gourmandise fruitée et pâtissière que l'on aurait tendance à l'évaluer autour des 50 degrés (voire même moins!). Très belle surprise qui vaut le détour 😍
Review by Pavel Spacek
Incredibly soft but tasty TDL ... Krasne matovy na lahev pod 100e. Sice je citit alkohol, ale velmi dobre pitelny. Doporucuju i zacinajicim rumarum pro objeveni novych chuto. Mata z TDL je nezamenitelna chut, ktera se vam nikdy neomrzi.
Review by alex
Je le trouve très bon , Au nez Je lui trouve une petite odeur de framboises en plus de la figue, Avec le caramel, la vanille, est-ce que j’apprécie c’est qu’on se sent un peu moins le côté mentol ou eucalyptus On bouche, c’est à peu près les mêmes sensations avec un petit côté beurré C’est plutôt gourmand Longueur moyenne et l’alcool est bien intégré
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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 Tasting Bro's
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Details about Swell de Spirits T.D.L Private Garden #4 2005
A Column Still Rum from Trinidad, bottled by Swell de Spirits, at 62,1%.
Community purchases
67 bottles logged by 59 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
19% opened, 6 emptied and repurchased.
What does Swell de Spirits T.D.L Private Garden #4 2005 cost?
Community paid 133–152 €.
Current best price: 147.76 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
67 purchased · 76 tasted · 37 wishlist · as of
About the T.D.L distillery
The T.D.L distillery is located in Trinidad. Rums from T.D.L have been reviewed 8,223 times with an average of 8.3/10.
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