Post #682888 by TropicDrinkBoy on Wed, Jun 19, 2013 10:27 PM

I have the old label Lemon Hart 151, Lemon Hart 80, El Dorado 5 year, El Dorado 12 year (just finished the 15 year) and Bacardi Select (among many others) in stock so I did a comparison of the others to Lemon Hart 80. I diluted the Lemon Hart 151 to 80 proof to compare apples to apples. The diluted LH 151 tastes very similar to LH 80 although it has a more prevalent spicy smell. That will be my choice once my supply of LH 80 runs out. Surprisingly the Bacardi Select is a close substitute for LH 80, closer than the El Dorado 5 year but the LH 80 has a slightly wider flavor spectrum. The El Dorado 5 year tastes great but is not as close in flavor to LH 80 as the others. It is mellower but not sweet like the El Dorado 12 year which isn't even close to LH 80.

I would have never thought of Bacardi Select as a substitute for LH 80 but a few years ago "Registered Astronaut" posted on Tiki Central about the similarity and I agree: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=24303&forum=10 .

Martiki (a.k.a. Martin Cate) pointed out that Bacardi Select isn't nearly the rum that LH 80 is but I maintain that in a cocktail with several modifiers you would be very hard pressed to tell the difference. He writes:

"Bacardi Select is a molasses-based rum that is column distilled to 190 proof so that it is virtually vodka, then aged (as it is required by PR law) for 1 year. It is, however aged in stainless steel which imparts no character. It is then heavily colored, possibly flavored, and very lightly sweetened. It takes very little sugar to smooth out any spirit.

So what you are tasting with Lemon Hart is rum, and what you are tasting with Bacardi is sweetened flavored vodka. If you prefer it on your palate and in your drinks, then it's simply your taste preference, which is of course fine and up to you, but know that they are not particularly comparable."

By the way, the Lemon Hart is artificially colored as well so you can't hold that against Bacardi Select and while El Dorado 5 year is a fine rum it isn't the closest substitute flavor wise. Don't take this the wrong way as I always use top shelf rums when I make drinks at home but now that LH 80 is impossible to find one must be prepared to compromise. If the Bacardi label causes too much embarrassment one could fill an old LH 80 bottle but you are better off diluting LH 151 instead, if you can find it.