Swell de Spirits

The Swell de Spirits adventure officially began in 2021 with Michael Barbaria and his partner Kelly. An aeronautical engineer from Ariège, Michael has traveled the world, including Australia and Germany. From an Italian family, he was brought up to enjoy good food and spirits through grappa. Later, he developed a love for scotch whisky, then Japanese whiskies.

The idea of turning his passion into a profession was born during visits to his in-laws in Scotland. He bought his first casks, then turned his attention to rum after the breathtaking discovery of a HERR from the Savanna distillery. Later, he fell in love with cognac, armagnac, calvados and rye whisky.

As an independent bottler, Swell de Spirits' aim is to buy casks and then refine them to their best potential. Aging and bottling take place in Scotland. This enables the whiskies to benefit from the Scotch appellation. The spirit of the brand is also to offer affordable discoveries, even if a few more prestigious cuvées may also see the light of day.

Careful label design is one of the brand's strong points. It's handled by Bastien Renard, under the name The Emotion Distillers. He is behind the various Swell de Spirits ranges, including Wonders of the World, Field Trip and Flashback. There are also some excellent collaborations (notably with Grosperrin Cognacs ). Of particular note is a Mexican range based on agave and sugar cane.

To find out more, visit our blog, where you can read our interview with Michael. Read less