Full Proof

A comparison I've been looking forward to for a long time. The famous Velier bottling versus the direct bottling from Damoiseau. ABV of 60.3 is identical for both. Damoiseau is much darker in color. Damoiseau 1980 - direct bottling from the distillery Intense and dark on the nose, with plum, spicy wet wood, pome fruit, yellow fruit, vanilla and fine perfume notes of violets. There is also tropical fruit and a hint of cinnamon. The density and complexity are partly reminiscent of older Guyana bottlings, especially REV. The palate is warm, syrupy and oily with mint, some eucalyptus, cinnamon and plum again, accompanied by perfumed cedar wood. A firework of yellow fruits, apricot and chocolate. The long finish brings peach, chocolate and some apple, with a noticeable but pleasant tannin structure. Overall, an incredibly great rhum, sweeter and more syrupy than the Velier, with plenty to discover. Velier Damoiseau 1980 - Full Proof At the beginning, the alcohol is a little sharper on the nose, yet with beautiful plum and chocolate notes, combined with wet wood. With time, the rum opens up and brings more mango, passion fruit and tropical fruit fullness, plus pipe tobacco and a refreshing, tropical iced tea that takes you to Trinidad. Powerful but perfectly balanced on the palate, with notes of apricot, plum and an abundance of tropical fruit, underpinned by a very light association with cheese. The tannins are considerably lighter than in the direct bottling. The finish is very long and harmonious. Comparison Both rhums are at the highest level and offer enormous complexity and complexity that can be explored over the course of an entire evening. The direct bottling from Damoiseau comes across as an elegant, fruit-driven Guyana bottling with more sweetness, depth and tannin. The Velier bottling, on the other hand, shows its strengths in a tropical-fruity excellence, lighter in the tannins and with a brilliant balance. I would say in the end it is probably personal preference, there is no real winner for me. If I had to decide, Velier would be a tick ahead for me.

Absolute plank with impressive intensity and astonishing roundness at the same time. Fruit, spice, floral notes and wood are balanced and multi-layered. The alcohol is very well integrated and supports the powerful profile. I have stored the Damoiseau bottling in my memory almost identically - but a direct comparison is still pending.

You will smell a lot of lovely notes of leather, banana, pineapple, prunes, prunes… all of them you‘ll find in the mouth too. The alcohol and also the wood is integrated very well! The finish is long, dry with a dominant taste o mocha.. lie behind and enjoy! Update: After ca. 30 minutes of rest the rum open up completely. A bit more smell of the barrel, honey, cedar wood. It mouth there is less spice and more fruity/floral. There are so many different tastes 😍 Amazing experience. Unfortunately it’s to expensive now…

On the nose, honey, vanilla, licorice, fused with a beautiful floral note.Really gets going in the mouth. Caramel, lots of wood, spices. Fat and oily.An epic finish follows...A great rum!

Concentrated, creamy, delicious. Exceptional!

Fantastic nose, complex spectrum that constantly offers new nuances, but at the same time has a recognizable punch. Opulent dark fruitiness, wood, spices, extreme depth. Excellent.

The bottle that marked the transition to the decision to try to bottle more and more high grade rums! This damoiseau is an explosion of flavor! It is rich, intense and super concentrated! It literally sticks to your palate and you could taste it for hours! A gem given to you by this distillery!

Again in blind tasting: still an absolute grenade with unearthly complexity and insane alcohol integration. Oh yes, really very tasty. It's amazing how concentrated it tastes. It's really worth sampling ... even if it's not the cheapest. A bit like a REV that speaks French.

The most amazing thing about this rum is how well they have integrated the ABV. You barely feel the ABV at all, wonder how they managed to do that :-) The nose is nice with fruit, oak and vanilla trailed by caramel, honey and nuts. I also get a very light note of grass. The palate extremely well balanced and complex. A very full bodied rum indeed. Fruit, oak and vanilla take the front trailed by caramel and honey. The finish is very long and intense with charred oak, spices, tobacco and dried fruit. A truly magnificent rum.

A rum with intense woodiness and fruit! Yet very balanced ... The alcohol is perfectly integrated.... A real pleasure!!!!!

comes along almost oily, incredibly concentrated! On the nose, many spices, Maggi and nutmeg, also dried fruit, leather and wood barrel. The impression continues seamlessly on the palate, spices, dried fruit, toasty notes, mocha and clove on the finish. Guadeloupe at its best!

An der Nase tolle Noten von getrockneten Früchten, Dörroflaume, hin zu würzig-holzigen Noten. Gepaart mit Honig, Vanille und einer rauchigen Note. Am Gaumen auch extraklasse. Hier noch stärker in Richtung Gewürze, Leder, Vanille und Lakritze. Ein echtes Highlight. Leider extrem rar und extrem teuer - Schade!

Simply, as of today, in my personal top 3 of rums I tried. Besides historical value (1st rum ever bottled full proof by Gargano,) this is an amazing rum, complexity and plenty of taste make this damoiseau almost perfect

1980 ist schon mal eine Ansage. Bisher hatte ich noch nichts vergleichbares im Glas. Eine Mischung aus Zuckerrohrsaft und Melasse. Super cremig, ausgewogen und komplex. Man kann immer wieder neue Komponenten wahrnehmen. Der Abgang ist lang und warm. Ich finde ihn grossartig. Vielen Dank Jakob für das Sample. Update: großartiger Rum. Noch besser als in meiner Erinnerung. Es geht nochmal 2 Punkte nach oben.

Slightly tamer and lighter compared to the original bottling. As a result, a little less volume and horniness.