Aroma visualization from community tastings
Roots Damoiseau Bellevue 1998
You'd expect 24 years and cask strength to bite, but tasters keep landing on the opposite: thick, syrupy body, red fruits and cherry up front, then dark chocolate, coffee, leather and a light varnish edge. The 51.5% sits so well integrated that several call it a gentle Bellevue. One reviewer who "hate[s] sour rums" still called this one round and full.
The community says- Well-integrated alcohol
- Thick, syrupy body
- But: Finish a bit short
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The look inside the bottle
How does Roots Damoiseau Bellevue 1998 taste?
Aggregated from 39 community reviews.
Thick, balanced, red-fruit-and-cocoa Guadeloupe sipper Warmly liked across the board — dense, balanced, with red fruit, wood spice and roasted notes and beautifully integrated alcohol. A couple wish the finish ran longer; one found it a touch one-dimensionally fruity.
Fans of aged molasses Bellevue with red-fruit density
Anyone wanting a long, evolving finish
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
16 of 39 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
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How is Roots Damoiseau Bellevue 1998 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.8 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 →
Community voices
What does the community say?
92% rate it 8 or higher. 20 selected write-ups from 39 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by cigares
Most helpful positive review
A discovery! A nose of varnished wood, banana, carambola, cinnamon stick and spices. A frank attack on the palate, but the alcohol never takes over. The aromas develop harmoniously: applesauce/banana, yellow fruit, pink grapefruit with a hint of herbs. A very complex wine. The finish is long, with all the aromas present. A delicious, expressive and complex rum with perfectly integrated alcohol. It's noted as being made from cane juice, but I think it must be made from molasses too. Tasted again and still as good, balance being the key here.
Review by Filip Heimerle
Most helpful mixed review
kvetinova vune, chut je pak kremovita tezsi hutny,
Review by zabo
Once again a very good 1998 bottling from this country. I have already tasted several of this vintage and have always found them to be very successful. The alcohol is well integrated. A very smooth drop.
Review by Thunderbird
Damoiseau... the expectation is high: The nose is very pleasant and somewhat restrained. I perceive light yellow fruit, some sweetness and spices. The palate is light and smooth. The alcohol strength is well chosen and aromas of coffee, wood, dark chocolate and again yellow fruits are perceptible. The finish is initially dominated by darker aromas until dried fruit takes over very late on. A great rum, but not the top of Damoiseau
Review by Mirco
Nicely balanced, has a bit of everything. Great fun! For me, it's a little ahead of The Rum Cask Bellevue 1998, which is slightly more complex, but not by much, so it only gets 1 point more.
Review by Rowald Sweet Empire
Bellevue 1998 is a classic. Molasses based Damoisseau rum. In my book better than most Caroni. This was bottled by the Belgium bottler Roots. Nose: red fruits. Cherry. Menthol. Port + a somewhat dirty/tarry edge. Excellent. Taste: very thick and syropy. Heavy yet balanced. Dry. Still lots of red fruits. This is not unlike TDL or New Grove. Lot's of flavours densely packed. Go big or go home. Loving it. As far as Bellevue 1998s go, this is a gentle one. But I really love it.
Review by Johannes
Wow, really good! Very similar in direct comparison to the TRC Bellevue. But this one is a bit more complex with more depth.
Review by Alex1981
Superb rum! Great balance between dark, roasted notes, red fruits, bit of wood and a slight farminess. Nothing is overpowering the other things, alcohol well integrated. Only downside is the medium long finish, would love for it to stay a bit longer on the tongue to bring it over the 90 points mark
Review by Tschusikowsky
A crisp peach-passion fruit bomb. In itself a Bellvue as you might expect. The finish is a little too one-dimensional and fruity for me, with little variety. I know it differently. The gummy frogs are too dominant for me.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#7025 11.07.2026 Relaxing in the heat after bike riding and a small wlak downtown. Also celebrating that I passsed 100 km of walking this week, which is a big thing for me. This is a very nice Bellevue and the price tag is OK. Intense proile with fruits, spice, rubber, tar, tea, roasted wood and some chocolate.
Review by Timo Groeger
Und dann einen super Bellevuue, finde der Alkohol ist hier super integriert. Kommt recht dunkel daher, Holz und Würze sind hier erkennbar, wir haben aber auch Karamell, dunkle Schokolade, Leder und etwas Kaffee.
Review by Mentalo
Bislang der am längsten gereifte 98er Bellevue den ich im Glas hatte. Nach 24 Jahren Reifung bringt er deutlich mehr Holznoten mit ohne jetzt bitter zu sein. Ansonsten die typischen 98er Bellevue Noten aus roten Früchte (Johannisbeeren) und Gewürzen. An die Kill Devil kommt er zwar nicht ran, ist aber trotzdem eine sehr schöne Abfüllung.
Review by Schnubbii
Toller Agricole! Holz, Würze und eine leichte grasige Frische bzw. Minze, alles sehr harmonisch. Alkohol sehr gut integriert, sehr mild, lässt sich ganz entspannt sippen. Abgang mittellang, viel passiert hier nicht mehr, aber das muss es auch nicht. Gute Abfüllung, für die ich aber auch nicht mehr als 160 Euro ausgeben würde.
Review by Philip M. 🇧🇪
14/01/2026: tasting at home. What a beauty of a rum! Complex, great balance and the alcohol is integrated beautifully. Happy to have a bottle of this and I will enjoy it for many coming years. Bellevue at it's best in my opinion.
Review by Johnny Rumcask
Leider geil: sehr guter Vertreter der eh schon guten 89iger Abfüllungen. Am Anfang das klassische Profil mit Kräutern, Leder und etwas Leder. Hinten raus dann zur Abrundung eine leichte Schokoladennote.
Review by Stijn Zino
Buds and Barrels 16/02/2025 What a rum. Unbelievable nice balance. Perfect drinking strength. Endless finish... We went back for a second glass and finished the bottle 🤤
Review by Pavel Spacek
I hate sour rums, but this one - tasty, mild, full, integrated, round.. Amazing!
Review by PRV
Cane sugar with cinnamon, sweet tropical fruits, but not fresh, laid back, overripe bananas. The second wave is a cocktail based on rum and pineapple juice, a little lemon juice. General background of nail polish remover. The body is very dense. The flavor has more spicy and woody notes, dried bananas, oak bitterness. The aftertaste is lingering, spicy and varnishy. In an empty glass, warm pineapple and cinnamon. This is a cool rum, but in the light of recent discoveries it seems ordinary, although with elements of funk.
Review by Alex Kunath
Sehr lecker. Schöne typische und lang anhaltende Guadeloupe Noten in der Nase und auf der Zunge. Alkohol ist perfekt eingebunden.
Review by jems5
A little nail polish at first, then develops into banana stewed with grapes. Slight woodiness, very mellow but with tannin and a slight astringency that lingers. Luscious, warm and very pleasant.
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Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
Avg. community purchase price 220 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Roots Damoiseau Bellevue 1998
A rum from Guadeloupe, bottled by Roots, at 51,5%.
Community purchases
19 bottles logged by 12 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
36% opened, 0 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Roots Damoiseau Bellevue 1998?
Community paid 193–215 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
19 purchased · 40 tasted · 17 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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