Posted on by Tiare

BRING BACK LEMON HART 151!

lh1512

Something is brewing…i can sense it – or is this only my own imagination?

But in a while i believe we might have LH151 available for the US to start with..(hoping Europe will follow)

LH151 was for a while believed of being discontinued – but that`s not what happened. Instead what actually happened was that Pernod were looking to sell the brand..and so eventually it was sold – as many of you already know – and is now being produced in Canada by Mosaiq who bought the formula and rights to the Lemon Hart brand from Pernod Ricard in feb 2010.

Pernod had been blending and bottling Lemon Hart 151 at their Corby Distillers plant in Windsor, Ontario since they bought Allied Domecq on July 26, 2005. This actually was one of the places where prohibition spirits once were manufactured before being smuggled to the US. Mosaiq now has a new bottle and label which is close to how the old one look like, you can find a picture of the new here and on their website – http://www.mosaiqinc.com

After a few trademark disputes over use of the ‘Demerara’ name, Demerara Distillers Limited has agreed to not only supply Mosaiq rum but has also licensed them to use the Demerara Rum name of the new Lemon Hart labels.

I find the new bottle and labels to be quite nice, not too different from the ones we are used to, so that`s ok with me – or really – they could use any label and bottle as long this rum continues to be produced..

So LH151 will continue to be produced as was before Mosaiq bought the brand, but now it will be blended and bottled – from the same Demerara Rum as before – but at a facility in Newfoundland.

Well..the US is waiting to be able to buy it..and not only in the US are people waiting..hoping…dying of thirst for LH151..

Lemon Hart 80 proof is widely available in Canada, but Lemon Hart 151 isn’t sold anywhere as far i`ve heard, due to a lack of demand. Considering the lack of attention paid to the brand by Pernod,that might change. In the meantime there are only a few pallets of Lemon Hart 151 quietly waiting in a Windsor, Ontario warehouse for the dust to settle from the acquisition of the Lemon Hart brand.

So what’s the problem? Windsor Ontario is just across the river from Detroit and you can see the US from the warehouse. Well, in order for the last cases of Lemon Hart 151 that Pernod bottled to be sold, Mosaiq has to make a deal with a US importer to import and market this rum.

Then in addition to paying for the rum, there is the Federal Tax that has to be paid when the rum is carried across the border. The old labels say ‘Imported by Pernod.’ This isn’t a big deal but it takes time to get a letter of exception for the rum to be imported by a third party or a sticker has to be added to the bottle, and Mosaiq has yet to appoint an importer.

THE LEMON HART BRAND

This brand was established in 1804 by Mr. (Lehmynn) Lemon Hart who also became one of the first rum suppliers to the Brittish Navy, so this rum has some history…and rum were brought over the seas to be blended at his Lemon Hart Rum Company in London.

Actually there are two 80 proof rums, but in the US and Canada there is no Jamaican Lemon Hart which is sold in Europe and also exists in an overproof (73%) version and then we have the 151 demerara – so there´s four different Lemon Hart rums in the world.

In Canada the Demerara rums will be bottled at 80 and 151 proof. Probably the Jamaican Lemon Hart rums are going to go away. The Canadian label only shows 80 proof since that is the only label that is currently sold in Canada. According to Mosaiq there has never been any demand for Lemon Hart 151 in Canada – but i`m sure there must be some fans of this rum there…?

The 151 demerara is a jewel of rum and which really is irreplacable and the reason we can`t let this rum go.. This is a rum so perfectly suited for real full flavored rum drinks and absolutely necessary for many exotic tiki drinks.

LH151 really got that flavor..its absolutely full bodied, strong and so satisfying and makes for perfect floats – really its the ideal floating rum..and as its a highproof rum it should of course be used in moderation but it defenetily makes cocktails kick ass.

At one session at the Tales this summer (Full Sail) the message was clear – Bring back LH151!

I sit here with my one bottle of the precious stuff which i`m gonna try to really pace with..but that´s not so easy, neither is it fun, i wanna be able to enjoy this rum whenever i want without having to worry about not being able to find it again once its finished.

I know there`s many that, like me, sit with their last bottles..or their last three bottles, and wonder if they will ever see another bottle. And there are even more that wish they even had a bottle of Lemon Hart 151. Those of you who managed to stock up – you are lucky!

It still seems to be available in some remote places and a few of the good tikibars still pour it, but only because they were able to buy it up as the supply dried up in the US. There are many more bars that have pulled drinks from their menu because they can’t get LH 151 at all. To complicate the problem, in the US, state rules prohibit bars from buying alcohol from out of state and pouring it in the bar so even if a bartender can find the odd bottle or even rarer case of Lemon Hart, they can’t legally pour it.

But for most of us, we all had the same questions, when will it come back and if so, to WHERE? – well folks..now we know..the new questions are: When and where will it be available to the US? and then – internationally? There is a Lemon Hart 151 Facebook fan page where you can check for the latest news.

In the meantime while i´m waiting to get an answer i`ll swizzle up something that needs a little LH151 in it because rum is supposed to be enjoyed right?

CHERRY SWIZZLE

cherry-swizzle

1 oz El Dorado 8 yo

0.5 oz LH151

0.5 Smith & Cross

0.5 oz fresh lime

0.5 oz Cherry Heering

1/4 oz Sugarcane syrup (Petit Canne)

Dash Cherry bitters

Dash Xocolatl Mole bitters

Top with lemon soda

Crushed ice

Swizzle everything except lemon soda in a tall glass until it frost, top with the lemon soda and garnish with mint.

 

Sugarcane bar

 

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47 Replies to “BRING BACK LEMON HART 151!”

  2. I have never Heard of it but I would like to try it since I am a Bacardi 151 fan and heard it is being discontinued whether there is any truth to that i would like to know. Really enjoy the ( sauce)

  3. @Boxy and @Brian – what’s with Ontarians? Do they not know about this stuff? Here’s three of us who do, there must be more! I live in Toronto and stumbled upon LH151 years ago when my brother happened to bring some back from South Carolina. We loved it and since then had to go to the US to buy it – not exactly convenient, not to mention stupid since it was bottled here. Then it disappeared entirely for years, and I’m thrilled it’s back but really disappointed the LCBO doesn’t list it – especially given that it’s still bottled in Canada. I called them today to request it…maybe if more people do this they’ll look into listing it? Buying a full case and having it shipped is expensive and not feasible…LCBO should at least try to stock it and promote it with in-store tastings and in their magazine/flyers…get the word out about it and create demand!

  4. LH80 used to be sold in Ontario but was discontinued many years ago due to lack of demand. It is not available in Quebec, either. However, it is available in most other Canadian provinces. I stock up when travelling to these locations. So sad that it is no longer here in Ontario. Nothing else has the same smooth taste as LH.

    bd in Ottawa

  5. I would check in with Ed Hamilton. He is the one responsible for the return from what I understand. He is I believe distributing it. There is a video on YouTube of him and Martin Cate doing a aside by side comparison and they graded them indistinguishable more or less for what that is worth. I would not bet the rhum is adulterated honestly. This is a classic spirit with history not Malibu.

  6. Question: as much as is trumpeted about the return of the Lemon Hart 151, what I can’t seem to find is anything about the raw materials, fermentation, distillation and aging – nor about the use of either labeled or unlabeled additives.

    Of course these are all terribly relevent to serious tasters, yet somehow the mythology of this rum is so entrenched that either noone knows, or cares, or both.

    Anyone know?

  7. LH151 New vs Old?

    I have a bottle of the new LH151 (with it’s wicked ugly brown label) from a US distributor, and I have my last 1/3 of a bottle of my old LH151.

    I was talking to Mike (RumConnection) when I was in Key West and he told me the contents of my new bottle are not going to match the contents of my old bottle, does anyone have any thoughts on this possible travesty?

    I don’t sip it, it is mostly for cocktail usage. but I am concerned that my Demerara Dry Float will no longer be what it once was.

    Mahalo!
    Gil

  9. n0ir – I got it now with chrome. I`m amazed that it didin´t take much longer to get to Europe.

    Well, as for where i get my booze..some i get as a cocktailblogger from various places, some i buy online from German EBay vendors, and maybe 5% i buy from Systembolaget. The reason its such small percentage is that i find the selection poor and the prices too high.

    So we may be able to get the LH151 in Europe then! that`s very good news. Let´s just hope now it can be ordered to us as well.

  10. I get the press release with Chrome: “Lemon Hart Rum wieder in Deutschland erhältlich / Kammer-Kirsch exklusiver Importeur”.

  11. @paleiko,are you sure? this is what i get when i click the link –

    The page you want to access does not exist.
    Please select a page from the main menu.

    If this is true it`s great news.

  12. paleiko: Do you know any online stores that carries Kammer-Kirsch products? I am trying to find a alternative to Spirituosen that will ship to Sweden and is located inside the EU.

    Tiare: Where do you buy your spirits? I assume you do not buy everything at Systembolaget?

  14. Oh that was some great news! a surprise that Spirituosen will sell them. I guess it will take some time though before we see them in there online shop.

    As for sweden i really doubt such a high proof rum would be sold here. But if Germany will have it, we´re fine.

    And it´s true that there´s nothing really that can sub LH151 properly, you`d get great drinks but never the same thing.

  15. Contacted Mosaiq (www.mosaiqinc.com) and asked if and when the LH151 is going to be available in Europe. Received an answer about that they “will begin to ship Lemon Hart 151 back into Germany this summer. No plans yet for Sweden in 2011, but perhaps in 2012.”.

    Also wrote and asked my German rum distributor Spirituosen Superbillig (www.spirituosen-superbillig.de) about when they would stock up on LH151 and was pleasantly surprised about that they “will sell the new Lemon Hart 151”.

    So there seem to be a good chance that even us Europeans will be able to mix up a genuine Zombie! I have never tasted the LH151 and there is a LOT of cocktails in my copy of Remixed! that I really want to mix up proper…

  16. Michael – thanks for your comment! unf LH151 is not available anywhere but in Canada and in the US. It has just started to be sold in various states and i don`t know when it will be sold in Europe.

    What i`ve read..is that whisky-exchange are trying to get it to their shop and online shop but that`s rumours..so we don´t know.

    The silence on TC is most likely due to the fact that the problem is solved in the US..but we will have to wait.

    So if you can´t get a bottle what do you do?

    Well..my best tip is to use high proof demerara rums from Robero`s shop – http://www.r2m.it/en/categoria.asp?codCAT=18&offerta=&ordine=&marca=281&tipologia=0&provenienza=0

    They are very expensive but as far as flavor goes and such your best bet still.

    If you can´t get those..well try Pusser´s overproof mixed with some El Dorado 15 yo..

    I used to buy mine years ago from an online shop from Germany before they disappeared.

  17. Just de-lurking for a moment to ask about the current availability of LH151 in Europe. This situation/lack of information is driving me mad!

    I actually went through the entire order process at two online shops in the US last week – Binny’s and DrinkupNY (both of which let me complete an international order) only to be told by email the order couldn’t be sent. Actually Binny’s said they could send it but with a postage charge for two bottles of $115.00 (!).

    After all the fuss about LH’s availability I can’t understand the sudden silence on places like Tiki Central – maybe it’s because there is no longer a problem in the US.

    However here in Europe I can’t find a single source for this rum, and buying one on holiday is definitely a no-go (having read the ‘hazardous materials’ rules for air travel!). Just what the hell are we in Europe to do now?

    Absolutely *brilliant* website by the way Tiare. Unmatched.

  18. Well, Stephan told me he didn`t have that rum in stock so..i guess its hard to find.

    As for the Angostura 5yo compared to 1919, to give you a good reply on that its needed more than one rum tasting (which i did on TikiRoom so i don`t have these rums at home) But a quick impression is that 1919 is of course very good, flavorful and complex but the 5yo has that little “extra bite” if you wish, it was the one that stood out. The 7yo was also very good, its in our state controlled shop now as you surely have seen. But the 5yo..get it if you can.

    As for MGXO it deserves another try.

  19. Lemon Hart have not replied yet, unless they snail mailed the info. If they haven’t replied in the first week since I wrote, I don’t think they will at all.

    Thank you for your recommendations. I never heard about Elements before but I am curious about Zaya since I love the Z23. How is the Angostura 5yo compared to 1919? I was considering buying the 1824 in January when I get my vacation together with 4-6 other rums. I have to admit that i disliked the MGXO despite everybody loving it, tasted like a bad whisky to me. It was the 4th rum I tried that evening so I will give it another chance some other day.

    I live in Sweden too so some of them are hard to get. I will have to rely on the internet alternatives to our “dear” old monopoly.

  20. I`m very interested in this 73% LH navy rum from Guyana. I have written to Stephan and asked him if this is the same rum as that navy label and if this is a pure demerara. But on the webpage it says from Guyana so..it should be..

    If it is i order a bottle right away! then you can expect to see it here in a while..;-)

    Stefan, i sip rum all the time;-) El Dorado 15 is a fav..the 12 is good for sipping too of course but even more for mixing i think.

    A few other sippping (and mixing as well) favorites:

    Zacapa23
    Zaya
    Angostura 5
    Mount gay XO
    Appleton Extra
    Havana Club 7
    El Dorado 3 year old cask aged white
    Elements Eight white
    Banks XM10 demerara
    Coruba 12 yo

    Harder to get unless you live in the US:

    Old new Orleans Cajun Spiced (pairs so well with ED12 or other demerara)
    Oronoco

    I think i have not remembered them all..but at least these are a few.

  21. I think the navy one is available, I suspect that is the one I saw one the website. The white one I don’t know, I just saw the label on the collectors site. I will write to them and ask what rums they have sold and are currently selling. I need to start doing more original research for my own site anyway. If they reply I will post it here.

    A bit OT: I know you are primarily a mixer but which would you recommend as a sipping rum, the Eldorado 12 or 15 year? I prefer my rums, or any booze for that matter, smooth.

  22. Pingback: Swig & Swill: Allspice Dram | Westervin

  23. When i think about it, i think i´ve actually seen a pic of the white rum label at somepoint, but not the navy.

    Lemon Hart is definetily a rum for mixing and as such and especially for tiki drinks its good – i think.

  24. That was really interesting! these two i have never even heard of –

    Lemon Hart Royal Navy Demerara Rum – 73% Alc
    Lemon Hart White Rum – 40% Alc (Trinidad & Guyana)

    I wonder if they are discontinued? do you know? especially the navy one amazes me.

    That web page where the pic of the navy rum label comes from is – if i`m not wrong, a site that has many pics also of old labels from the past.

    The pic of the 73% Jamaican is the one i recognize.

  25. I got a bit confused about your comment since the site stated that the 73% was a rum from Guyana and tried to find out more. It’s difficult to find info about their product range since the Lemon Hart home page provides so little info. That might of course be because of the locked down company computer I used. Some web pages don’t work at all, this might have been one of them.

    As far as I can tell Lemon Hart sells or have sold two different 73% rums. One from Jamaica and the other a Demerara Navy Blend. Even if it is from Guyana the navy strength rum is probably a very different blend compared to the 151 proof. Isn’t it the Guyana distillery that have so many different kinds of stills?

    Here are label pictures of the two 73% rums.
    http://www.rum.cz/galery/eur/uk/hart/img/uk332.jpg
    http://www.rarusnet.com/images/DSD_1808.jpg

    Here are all the varieties of Lemon Hart I found, do you know of any more?

    Varieties
    Guyana
    Lemon Hart Demerara Rum 151 Proof – 75,5% Alc
    Lemon Hart Demerara Rum – 40% Alc
    Lemon Hart Royal Navy Demerara Rum – 73% Alc
    Lemon Hart White Rum – 40% Alc (Trinidad & Guyana)

    Jamaica
    Lemon Hart – 40% Alc
    Lemon Hart – 73%

    I have never tried Lemon Hart myself. I read a few reviews while searching for this info and they were not so enthusiastic (except as a cocktail ingredient)so I suppose Lemon Hart is for mixing only.

  26. Yes, i`ve seen these. That website is really good with their selection and he ships fast. These two you mention are the Jamaican Lemon Harts and they might – (just might)- be taken out of production later on or that`s what i hear but its a big uncertainty there, rumours are always rumours..

    In any case, its not a bad thing to stock up on these.As i think you know the Jamaican Lemon Hart is a very different rum from the LH 151 which is a demerara from Guyana.

  27. I saw this on a german website while looking for other rums:

    http://www.macha-weine.de/
    Rum Lemon Hart 40 % Allied Walker 19.00€
    Rum Lemon Hart 73 % Guyana 29.00€

    I think it’s 70cl bottles. Don’t know if it is of any interest for you.

  29. I was at the event today in Portland and yes, he did say that he’s going to be importing LH151 into the US. He also mentioned that there are a few hundred cases sitting in Ontario waiting to be shipped once all of the import paperwork gets sorted out, so there should be more on the market by the end of the year.

  30. I need to get this verified by Ed himself but today i heard that Ed Hamilton will now be importing Lemon Hart 151 to the US.

  31. “State controlled liquor systems can be a right pain”

    I hear ya..i happen to live in a country where the alcohol is state controled and we have such poor variety in selection and expensive prices that its ridiculous.

  32. State controlled liquor systems can be a right pain. There are a couple of initiatives in Washington right now to sell off the state monopoly and hopefully at least one of them will pass. I’m hoping that would edge Oregon into doing the same. Right now the liquor stores are technically independent, but the OLCC sets prices and what’s available, to a degree. It’d be great if the stores could actually compete on price and selection more effectively. I’d rather buy from local stores than online, but sometimes the price differential is just too great to justify. ED12 and ED15 are great, but I’m not willing to shell out an extra $20 just to get them from a store instead of online.

  33. Tiare – I’ve actually done shots of J.Wray with friends from Jamaica and St. Vincent. (not something I’d typically recommend) They wanted to see the white boi choke. Boy were they surprised….

    Yeah…about the LCBO: I’m *not* a big fan. They make some very…questionable decisions. For example, they had Elements 8 rum on sale recently and marked as discontinued, even though it hadn’t been listed with them before (at least, not that I had ever seen and I’m on their website at least twice a week). They arbitrarily decided not to carry Crystal Head vodka because they felt the bottle would temp teenagers to start drinking at an early age. From personal experience, I’ve tried to get a case of Lemon Hart rum on special order (it’s sold just about everywhere else BUT at the LCBO) when it was still distilled by Corby’s, only to have the case ‘disappear’ when it got to their main distribution warehouse in Toronto. No explanation, no followup, just “Sorry, we misplaced the case. Here’s your money back.” The problem, as I see it, is that they are a government-run organization with very little, if any, accountability. So Dagreb, I’m not surprised Old Tom Gin was discontinued. Unless, there’s a *strong* demand for a product, the LCBO will discontinue it faster than they stocked it.

    Sorry if I’m being long-winded. It’s just a pet peeve. And by all means, if you want to respond, please do. I’d love to hear your point of view.

  34. Uh oh, that’s how rumours get started!! It’s discontinued/delisted by the LCBO. I should have been more clear.

  35. Boxy, thers probably no rum more popular in jamaica than the JWray..;-) Jwray and Ting is one of my fav personal combos!

    Dagreg, dare you saying the Hayman’s Old Tom Gin is discontinued???

  36. Boxy, speaking of the LCBO… Just the other day I bought Hayman’s Old Tom Gin at a store here in London. I’d never noticed it in an LCBO before (though I can be less than observant sometimes)and was excited to see it. It’s now listed as discontinued. Oh well…

  37. Lemon Hart 80, to the best of my knowledge, has never been available in Ontario. Or at least, has not been available as long as I’ve been enjoying rum. 🙂 This is interesting, since the previous owner of the label – Corbys – had a distillery in Windsor, ON. However, the LCBO has not seen fit to carry LH 80 or LH 151. I’ve had personal dealings with both Corby’s and Mosaiq, and it’s not easy to get LH 80 here in Toronto. Since Mosaiq has gotten the Newfoundland Liquor Board to bottle LH, placing a private order for LH 80 has become ridiculously expensive – the price per bottle has jumped from $22CAN to over $40CAN! Will we ever see the LH brand offered in Ontario? Stranger things have happened, but considering the way the LCBO operates, I wouldn’t bet money on it. Oh, and the J.Wray and Bacardi 151 brands? Yes, they are enjoyed by some people in Ontario. A lot of people of West Indian descent prefer this over the average 80 proof rums. This I’ve learned first hand. 🙂

  38. Very interesting news! To think that just the other day I was driving past pallets of LH151…

    Anyway, I must point out that Lemon Hart 80 is not currently available in Ontario. I can’t recall how long it’s been since I’ve seen it on the shelf and it is not currently listed as an available product on http://www.lcbo.ca Hopefully things change in the near future!

    It will also be interesting to see if 151 shows up on shelves here. “Never been any demand” , eh? Nearly every lcbo carries J.Wray and most carry Bacardi 151, obviously some people are buying overproof rum.

    Perhaps some petitioning is in order….

  39. @James

    I believe Pearl Specialty Spirits on NW Lovejoy and the Portland Center location on SW Lincoln have LH151. I think there are also a few locations a bit further afield that might have it. Check out http://www.oregonliquorsearch.com for more precise info. Unfortunately they’re not the best at staying updated, so it’s best to call ahead to confirm that a store actually has what the website says it does.

  40. Hi Jordan. Would you please list a few of the stores that do have the LH 151 on their shelves? Thanks in advance!

  41. Jordan, i like the new bottle too and i envy you who can go out and just buy a bottle..you are so %&%¤#¤” lucky!

    Ed, if the LH151 will be sold in the US which i believe it will you don´t need to worry..but until then..you may pace one of your bottles and keep the others..

    S&R – try to get a bottle if you can. Any contacts in Portland maybe? or is it difficult to get it crossing states?

    Randy, i have never tried..I used to buy my LH151 from a vendor in Germany until it suddenly was dried up and he got no more of it. Now i luckily have a bottle and i hope i can pace it until next summer and then i`ll try to get me another.LUCKILY its 151..easier to pace with.

    i just say this – more LH151 to the people – worldwide!

  42. @Randy

    Yup. There are probably half a dozen stores in Portland with LH151 on their shelves. I have a spare bottle in my cupboard just in case they ever do disappear, but it’s been months since the rumbles started and they don’t seem to be moving very fast.

  43. This is probably going to sound crazy, but has anyone tried subbing with the 80-proof and adding some amount of 190-proof neutral spirits? I know, it’s like taking a fine whiskey and turning it into a Canadian blend! If I had a bottle of LH 151 I would try a little taste test with this technique. As silly as this sounds, might it not still be better than using Cruzan or Bacardi 151?

  44. What a great job you did sleuthing all of this out! Now at least I stand some chance of one day acquiring this mythical beast!

  45. Wow, great news! Thanks for the scoop. I’ve got a few bottles stashed away but it pains me to use them knowing I may never get more.

  46. Jordan,
    When you say it seems to be readily available to anyone who wants it, are you saying you can actually walk into a store in Portland and buy LH151?

  47. Interestingly, I keep getting mixed messages about the availability of LH151. There have been plenty of stories on the internet about it’s potential disappearance, but neither bartenders nor liquor stores around here have heard anything of the sort. Maybe Portland just has a magical hookup, but it seems to be readily available for anyone who wants it.

    Either way, the new bottle looks pretty classy. I love that classic shape and hopefully the new packaging will help sales. While obviously solid stuff, the old packaging wasn’t exactly confidence-inspiring for the uninitiated.

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