Velier Damoiseau Full Proof 1980
For seasoned enthusiasts only: a legendary 60.3% Damoiseau that drinks silky, not savage. RumX members rave about its dense dried fruits, leather, coffee and noble old wood with an endless finish.
- World‑class complexity
- Perfect alcohol integration
- Epic long finish
Details about Velier Damoiseau Full Proof 1980
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
How does Velier Damoiseau Full Proof 1980 taste?
Aggregated from 94 community reviews.
Iconic, dark, endlessly complex Damoiseau For seasoned enthusiasts only: a legendary 60.3% Damoiseau that drinks silky, not savage. RumX members rave about its dense dried fruits, leather, coffee and noble old wood with an endless finish.
Seasoned rum geeks who love powerful, wood‑driven, dark-fruity rums and want to experience an historic Velier full proof benchmark at its best.
Beginners, those sensitive to high ABV, or drinkers who dislike heavy oak, slight bitterness and very concentrated, non-everyday sippers.
How is Velier Damoiseau Full Proof 1980 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 9.2 lands squarely in the "Excellent" band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Rum reviews
A selection of the most popular reviews from our community. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Tschusikowsky
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.
Review by Mirco
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.
Review by Galli33
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…
Review by Joachim Guger
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!
Review by Oliver
Concentrated, creamy, delicious. Exceptional!
Review by Jakob
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.
Review by Giorgio Garotti
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!
Review by Serge
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.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
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.
Review by Thunderbird
A rum with intense woodiness and fruit! Yet very balanced ... The alcohol is perfectly integrated.... A real pleasure!!!!!
Review by mto75
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!
Review by tojo
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!
Review by Righrum
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
Review by Beach-and-Rum 🏖️🌴
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.
Review by Leo Krüper
Slightly tamer and lighter compared to the original bottling. As a result, a little less volume and horniness.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by Who Rhum The World
Read full review →
Expert review by Préférence Rhum
Read full review →
Expert review by Tasting Bro's
Read full review →
Community purchases
119 bottles logged by 52,000+ RumX members. The ratio of closed / opened / emptied, indicates whether this rum is meant to be drunk or is a collector's item.
Also on the wishlist of 57 members.
About the Damoiseau distillery
The Damoiseau distillery is located in Guadeloupe. Rums from Damoiseau have been reviewed 1,281 times with an average of 8.0/10.
To Damoiseau →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Velier Diamond S<W> 1981
Velier Diamond S<W> 1981Bucket‑list old Velier Diamond
Enmore RA Guyana Rum REV 1994
Enmore RA Guyana Rum REV 1994World‑class dark, woody Demerara
Velier Diamond <S> 1999
Velier Diamond <S> 1999Dark, heavy Demerara benchmark
Velier Diamond & Versailles SVSG 1996
Velier Diamond & Versailles SVSG 1996Dark, complex Demerara powerhouse
Gardel Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 16 Treasure Cask GMG 1983
Gardel Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 16 Treasure Cask GMG 1983Historic, extreme, nose-driven Gardel relic
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992Benchmark dirty‑fruity Caroni bomb
Don't miss out on any more deals on Velier Damoiseau Full Proof 1980.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver — together with Jakob, Robert and Lukas, we started RumX in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as a digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence — without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →
