The clash…

Here are two rums that have been the subject of debate since their release: both from Damoiseau but one was bottled by the Italian Velier while the other comes from Damoiseau himself. A few months of difference... but are they the same rums? Or is it a calculated marketing ploy? In any case, same year and same strength (60.3°), enough to confuse the amateur who wants to acquire one of the two bottles... cross-tasting of these two monsters from 1980.

Price : the Damoiseau bottling is significantly less expensive (€145) than that of Velier (€165) for the same capacity (70cl) and more surprisingly the same strength of 60.3°.

Age : the Damoiseau displays 18 years, the Velier also with the particularity of displaying on its bottle a placing in lightning after 18 years (in 1998) before bottling in June 2002.

For the record, it was Luca Gragano (Velier) who, during a visit to Damoiseau, decided to buy the entire stock of this Damoiseau 1980; At the time, this rum did not really have a designated place since it contained a small quantity of molasses and did not meet the standards of the INAO (National Institute of Appellation of Origin). A sort of ugly duckling not so easy to place on the market... Luca Gargano therefore decided to release it without diluting it to the natural degree of 60.3°, thereby opening the door to foolproof rum and the success that we know today. Is it following this success or not, in any case Damoiseau decided to release a rum from the same year and at the same degree. Enough to confuse the consumer who would hesitate between the two bottles... Questioned on the subject last year, Hervé Damoiseau (CEO of Damoiseau) told me that the two bottlings contain the same rum, but from different cellars. He would have found this rum aged in another cellar shortly after Luca Gargano's visit. There were 3 aging cellars at the time and rums could be put in barrels in different places and therefore found as needed...

The aspect: zero math

The color and appearance of the two rums are identical: a deep amber, similar legs, no notable difference between the two at this level, but already a strong impression of being faced with exceptional rums.

The Nose: two beautiful profiles

The Damoiseau seems more expressive at first attempt, more fruity (dried fruits) and vanilla, where the rum released by Velier takes longer to take off and offers a much more melted and airy nose. After a few minutes, the trend reverses and the latter takes over again and this seems to repeat itself and evolve as the tasting progresses. A different nose which already suggests at this moment that we are not dealing with the same rum…

The noses are noticeably different, on similar notes certainly, but in opposite profiles: the Damoiseau is woodier and heavier, with much more dried fruits; it is more structured, let's say, while the bottling proposed by Velier offers a softer and more melted aromatic palette, even airy with more candied fruits, less wood and more citrus than the Damoiseau. The nose is much warmer on the Velier, better balanced and more complex. And the more time passes, the more the profiles seem to oppose each other, without ambiguity.

I personally like rums that give off this heavy and concentrated smell of the Damoiseau, much more talkative, even if the Velier is much more charming and worked. Enough to satisfy everyone on this point, and already marked differences between the two.

The Mouth/Finish: big advantage to Velier

The mouths of these two 60.3° monsters will finally separate them and prove once again that despite the similarities on the two labels we have here two very distinct individuals.

Both offer a powerful and aromatic mouth but big advantage to Velier whose attack is softer, and especially more complex and concentrated. The rum evolves constantly in the mouth on candied fruits, dried fruits, spices and liquorice, with a finale of the fire of god and a beautiful return of citrus fruits on the end. A very beautiful example of balance, all in power and with a breathtaking length that seems never to want to end.

Damoiseau is not left behind and also offers a very nice power but the entry in the mouth is much more marked by spices and tannins, liquorice too and citrus fruits but more on the bitterness (zest). As for its nose, the Damoiseau offers a more raw profile and necessarily less complex and balanced than the Velier. Quite a few dried fruits too and a very nice finish, but less long and especially less persistent than the Velier rum, with a dominance of wood.

Result of the 'clash'? The Velier is much more complex in the mouth and leaves a more persistent trace of its passage, more flavors and a taste that lasts. The Damoiseau is less complete and seems less well shaped, more tannic and mean. The same rum? No, there are similarities certainly, but the nose, and more particularly the mouth do not deceive, we have two different products, sold under the same name, coming from the same year, but very different.

The Velier bottling explodes in the mouth where the Damoiseau struggles in comparison. Two good rums but big advantage to the Velier, enough to amply justify the price difference…

So how can we explain so many similarities?

Well, without wanting to get into speculation, we must nevertheless remember that historically Velier released its version many years before that of Damoiseau, who strangely ceased its commercial relations with Velier a few months before releasing its own Damoiseau 1980... Even though Velier had bought the entire stock, strange, isn't it?

And supposedly releasing the same rum with exactly the same alcohol content is an impossible thing. So indeed we are likely to feel cheated and once again it is the amateur who suffers. There would therefore only be one Damoiseau 1980, the one released by Velier.

Velier – rating: 88

Damoiseau – rating: 85

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

From the folks behind DuRhum, Velier, and more, comes a premium online marketplace for rum enthusiasts by rum enthusiasts! Do check out www.rowspirits.fr for more great content and iconic rums!