Damoiseau creates both aged and unaged rhum agricole in Guadeloupe. The brand is named after its founder Roger Damoiseau, a former engineering graduate of the Institut Electrotechnique de Grenoble and the Institut Catholique d’Arts et Métiers who took a chance on the Bellevue estate. The derelict site was saddled with debt and the ruins of a sugar production site where jams and sweets were made. Damoiseau, however, turned the focus to rhum. Guadeloupe is one of the homes of rhum agricole and its sunny microclimate and naturally lime-rich soil mean that quality sugar cane grows plentifully.
By 1968, his son (Roger Junior) took over and developed the business to such a point where he was able to pay off the company’s debt through bulk rum sales. He ran the distillery along with his sons, who took over in 1995 when Hervé Damoiseau became the chairman and Jean-Luc assumed control of production. Their sister Sandrine Damoiseau is also involved in the marketing side of things, promoting the brand through events.
Usually, we love recommending the raw, unfiltered joy of rhum agricole to people, but Damoiseau are masters of maturing this bold spirit and its range includes very impressive VSOP, XO, and 5 Year Old expressions.