Post #532325 by Kahuna Tiki on Wed, May 26, 2010 7:47 AM

Thought I'd chime in with my experiences with Lemon Hart rum.

I've often seen references to Lemon Hart rum in the past, but had never seen or tried it until a friend of mine went out to BC awhile ago. I did some surfing and found that they carry Lemon Hart at some of the liquor stores in BC, so I had her bring me back a bottle. She brought me back a litre. It was love at first sip.

Before going any further, I have to say that I've NEVER seen or heard of Lemon Hart 151 in Canada. The stuff I've had was 80 proof.

Now, there are a couple of interesting facts about Lemon Hart in Canada. First, if you look at the back label, you'll notice it says (in fine print) something like "a delicious blend of Guyanese and Canadian rum". What this means is that it is bottled in Canada, not imported into Canada. El Dorado is bottled in Guyana and imported into Canada. Lemon Hart is shipped in bulk and blended (under Canadian law) with "10% Canadian spirits". What exactly that is, I couldn't tell you. Canadian rum? Grain alcohol? If anyone knows, please enlighten me. Whatever it is, it doesn't affect the flavor at all, let me tell you.

The second thing that is interesting is that, up until Mosaiq purchased the brand, Corby's blended Lemon Hart right here in Ontario. In Windsor. And yet, the LCBO (the Ontario liquor nazis, as I like to think of them) don't carry the brand. Instead, Corby's ships it to other provinces in Canada. Is this fair? Hell no! But at least we do have the El Dorado brand on the shelves, so that's some consolation.

And now a short anecdote: after having tried Lemon Hart and enjoying it immensely, I contacted Corby's and found out that their Canadian head office is right here in Toronto. Fantastic. I told the rep there that I wanted to purchase a case of Lemon Hart and he was very helpful in coordinating the purchase through the LCBO. I paid a deposit with my credit card and was told that the shipment would arrive in about two weeks. About two weeks later, I received notification from the LCBO that my shipment was in, and to contact them. I did so, paid the balance with my credit card and arranged for shipment to my nearest LCBO outlet. The next day, I received another call from the LCBO that they could not find my shipment, and would have to refund the cost to my credit card. I was livid. I contacted the Corby's rep and asked if he could help. He knew the manager at the LCBO main warehouse and told me he would contact him. Later that day, he called back and said that not only had the LCBO lost my shipment, but had lost two others from Corby's as well. But, as consolation, the Corby's rep sent me a free bottle of Lemon Hart. He did say that the brand had just been sold to a Quebec company, Mosaiq, and wished me well trying to deal with them.

I have since sent emails to Mosaiq, including the four main 'partners', requesting assistance trying to order a case of Lemon Hart. I have yet to get a response.

Sorry for being long-winded. I hope this sheds some light on the subject.