Lemon Hart 151

If the wording on the label isn't changed then it is no longer available. What ever is on the shelves is the last of it. Supposedly "demerara rum" can't be used on the bottle.
Not sure why.

Mosaiq Inc. (Canada) owns the brand. Not terrible news.

http://www.houndsavers.org http://vivakate.org/

[ Edited by: Mr. NoNaMe 2013-02-10 21:10 ]

To what do you refer to, sir?

Maybe this:

http://www.just-drinks.com/ia.aspx?id=1361

Is that good or bad news?

The linked article simply mentions a change of ownership, which really only changes who signs the paychecks for the Lemon Hart employees.

Rum Renaissance is in Miami this weekend and I think pretty much all of the great Rum Drinkers and Rum Makers will be in town. I'll send out scouting parties to find out what can be found out and report back some time next week after the hangover lifts.

Hmm... hording time?

By all accounts, what LH is in stores and warehouses now is it. My sources say it will no longer be available, and if it is, it may well be changed, for the worse.

I think Demerara Distillers Ltd. (El Dorado) owns the rights to use "Demerara Rum" on bottles of rum in the US. LH/Mosaiq would have to remove the phrase from the label.

Start hoarding? :) I started last year when I heard of the production slow down. You only slow production for a few reasons. A corporate sale, too much stock (who here has wondered why their local stockist had wayyy too much Lemon Hart on the shelf?? :roll: ) or closing up.

Going with positive vibes here, maybe it's a sign that LH's JAMAICAN RUM could once again appear on shelves in the 50 states...Oh please! And if that's possible, why not a grass roots effort to have W&N produce DAGGER RUM for consumption again!

It's always good to be a dreamer...

On 2010-05-05 17:16, A frame wrote:
Going with positive vibes here, maybe it's a sign that LH's JAMAICAN RUM could once again appear on shelves in the 50 states...Oh please! And if that's possible, why not a grass roots effort to have W&N produce DAGGER RUM for consumption again!

It's always good to be a dreamer...

I second that!

Chris

who here has wondered why their local stockist had wayyy too much Lemon Hart on the shelf??

Actually a store near me had 12 bottles of LH 151 (I bought 4 when I heard the 151 might disappear), and another one must have 20+ bottles of LH 80 (a few months ago, I don't go there often).

Well now I know what I'm buying every time I see it.

kevin

On 2010-05-05 10:20, Mr. NoNaMe wrote:
I think Demerara Distillers Ltd. (El Dorado) owns the rights to use "Demerara Rum" on bottles of rum in the US. LH/Mosaiq would have to remove the phrase from the label.

That's actually not possible.

It seems unlikely that Mosaiq would purchase the brand just to remove it from the market, that is not really a good way to make a return on their investment.

That's actually not possible.

It seems unlikely that Mosaiq would purchase the brand just to remove it from the market, that is not really a good way to make a return on their investment.

From the conversation going on at the Ministry of Rum that would appear to be the case.

http://www.ministryofrum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4157

Mosaiq is a Canadian importer and presumably it will be sold in Canada, but sadly not in the US.

For the 80 it won't be the end of the world as El Dorado will be available, but for the 151 it's going to be a big problem.

Didn't we go through all of this before a couple of years ago -- Lemon Hart is going away, get it while you can, etc. etc. Then lo and behold it's available again with little lag time. If I had to guess, I would say it's most likely that a deal will soon be struck with an American distributor and it will be as available as ever. I think the American market is too valuable for a beverage handler not to tap into it. Mi dos centavos.

it may not be intentional, but it would seem one way to inspire sales of anything is for people to think that it's going away!

Just to clarify, why is it that Pernod Ricard was allowed to use the Demerara name but Mosaiq is not? I know Mosaiq is a Canadian company and Pernod Ricard has a USA LLC, but how does that affect one being able to use the name but not the other?

On 2010-05-06 16:59, congawa wrote:
Just to clarify, why is it that Pernod Ricard was allowed to use the Demerara name but Mosaiq is not? I know Mosaiq is a Canadian company and Pernod Ricard has a USA LLC, but how does that affect one being able to use the name but not the other?

It shouldn't matter.

I looked in the US PTO trademark database and no one has a trademark for "Demerara Rum" and I am not sure anyone could file one since Demerara Rum is a specific example of a geographic name for a spirit in the United States Standards of Identity.

On 2010-05-06 10:26, arriano wrote:
Didn't we go through all of this before a couple of years ago -- Lemon Hart is going away, get it while you can, etc. etc. Then lo and behold it's available again with little lag time. If I had to guess, I would say it's most likely that a deal will soon be struck with an American distributor and it will be as available as ever. I think the American market is too valuable for a beverage handler not to tap into it. Mi dos centavos.

"I certainly hope that is the case", he says, making plans to start hoarding bottles. :)

kevin

There is only one distillery of rum in Guyana that I know of. Demerara Distilley Ltd. (El Dorado). They provide/sell to Mosaiq/Lemon Hart I suppose. If Lemon Hart wants to continue being Lemon Hart then they will abide by their supplier.
All guesses. :)

On 2010-05-06 18:58, rev_thumper wrote:

"I looked in the US PTO trademark database and no one has a trademark for "Demerara Rum" and I am not sure anyone could file one since Demerara Rum is a specific example of a geographic name for a spirit in the United States Standards of Identity."

Search the trademark database for "Demerara", or registration number 2381130. Demerara Distillers Limited renewed the trademark for the word "Demerara", used in connection to 'Goods and Services: Rum', on 4-29-2010. They also have registered the trademarks, "Demerara Reserve", and "Demerara Gold" - seems unnecessary, though, if they all ready have a lock on any use of "Demerara" for rum.

Hmmm,... does this mean I could secure a trademark for the term "Puerto Rican", when used for rum? Take that, Bacardi!

Considering how long Lemon Hart Demerara Rum, so labeled, has been sold in the U.S. - longer than El Dorado? - there is probably a good common law case against them being forced to stop using the word "Demerara". Especially, since - as Rev_Thumper pointed out - one shouldn't be able to enforce a trademark of a long-used regionally descriptive term. Maybe the reason Demerara Distillers LTD was able to get 'Demerara' trademarked is because Lemon Hart, et. al., never bothered even trying. They assumed that it would have been like trying to trademark "Caribbean" or "Jamaican", in reference to rum.
Of course, if LH is no longer being produced in Demerara, Guyana, they can't argue that their use of the term is geographically descriptive, can they?

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2010-05-07 08:28 ]

Well, ther eis an older beer maker named Budweiser, and they can't import into the US with their name, so, age is not an excuse when it comes to trademark.

On 2010-05-07 09:31, Swanky wrote:
Well, there is an older beer maker named Budweiser, and they can't import into the US with their name, so, age is not an excuse when it comes to trademark.

I don't think that's the same situation, though. If 'old' Budweiser had been sold across the U.S. for decades, before 'new' Budweiser entered the U.S. market; and, the name Budweiser was historically associated with the older brand, in more peoples minds... then, the older one could make a case that they had an earlier common law trademark, by long use, even if it wasn't registered with the USPTO. I don't believe it quite works the same as with a patent, where the one who registers it first, owns it, regardless of whether someone else had been manufacturing it for years, without patent. There is a common law component, with trademarks. That's why they warn you that, just because a trademark isn't registered with the USPTO, doesn't mean you can register and use it, without fear of legal action by someone who has been using it for years, perhaps registered with a state, or perhaps simply with "TM" next to it, on the label. Trademark attorneys specialize in this kind of research, checking state and municipal records, phone books, etc.

Of course, "Budweiser" is a brand name, like "Lemon Hart". In the case we're talking about, it would be as if Budweiser trademarked the word, "Lager" or "German-style", and insisted no one else could use it to describe their beer. To me, "Demerara" is both a geographic origin and a category or type of rum, with distinct characteristics. Even if Lemon Hart isn't actually made in Guyana, anymore, it still (presumably) would have the taste profile associated with the type, "Demerara Rum". Hey, we now call it 'Cognac', even if it's from California, right?

Well, Barcardi has the rights to Havana Club name in the US and what they're selling could not be farther from Cuban Havana Club. If this Canadian company has the bought the "brand" rights but does not have any contract with the current distillery we could see a reformulated LH151 which will bear little to no resemblance to what we enjoy today.

The first informal reports are back from 'those in the know' at Rum Renaissance.....

The general opinion can be summed up thusly: grab a few extra bottles next time your out shopping. There will be some kind of shortage while new contracts and pricing and similar things are worked out with distributors. After a while all the things get worked out and will be back to normal.

Here's hoping that's exactly what will go down. I've scored a half dozen bottles just in case the future version doesn't quite measure up.

On 2010-05-08 05:10, Chip and Andy wrote:
The first informal reports are back from 'those in the know' at Rum Renaissance.....

The general opinion can be summed up thusly: grab a few extra bottles next time your out shopping. There will be some kind of shortage while new contracts and pricing and similar things are worked out with distributors. After a while all the things get worked out and will be back to normal.

That's certainly welcome news. I've got my couple of extra bottles on standby. :)

[ Edited by: heylownine 2010-05-08 12:24 ]

jesus christ- I'm already hoarding St. James...what next?

On 2010-05-06 22:18, Mr. NoNaMe wrote:
There is only one distillery of rum in Guyana that I know of. Demerara Distilley Ltd. (El Dorado). They provide/sell to Mosaiq/Lemon Hart I suppose. If Lemon Hart wants to continue being Lemon Hart then they will abide by their supplier.
All guesses. :)

Here's another one:

Found it in Prague. Delish! It's from Georgetown...is that close to Jonestown?

Well then, that's some tasty Kool-aid. Either way I'm with Anders, Dagger, ahhh, the smell, St. James, Lemon Hart just shuffle
some away for a very rainy day.... Just don't let it rain, that's all..... Were gonna be ok!

I went to Hi Time cellars today and they're 100% out of Lemon Hart 151. They don't even have the tag on the shelf for it anymore. There's a big, empty space next to the regular Lemon Hart, so I hope that doesn't disappear soon also. I asked someone working, and he said somebody came in and bought the last case a few days ago! At least I know someone in So-cal has 12 bottles of the stuff somewhere...

Such a huge bummer.

I've never been able to get Lemon Hart at all in Fresno (had to mail order). Perhaps if the distribution gets shaken up, some will show up locally and save me some shipping costs...

Just got the last bottle of 151 in Kalamazoo.

I (and others) have written directly to Demerara Distillers, which has confirmed the demise of LH. Those of us who have written have requested that they consider releasing the LH 151 rum under the El Dorado branding. I would encourage anyone interested in seeing it become available again to write a polite request:

For those in the US:

[email protected]

If you're not in the US, here's the contact info:

http://www.demrum.com/contact/ddl.cfm

A sales rep was kind enough to reply to my email, and indicated that there had been some industry pressure to continue making the product available. But obviously, the more voices there are, the more likely we are to be heard.

For those interested in following the discussion at Ministry of Rum:

http://www.ministryofrum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4157

I emailed and got this reponse:

Thank you for your correspondence on the Lemon Hart 151 and we note your suggestion regarding continuing it's production which will be forwarded for consideration to the distillery in Guyana. You may be interested to learn that we have received other similar sentiments from consumers and bar owners which have all been passed on and you may even want to try our El Dorado High Strength Rum (151) which however is white.

Thanks again for your comprehensive email and please be assured that in the event this product becomes available again we will certainly keep you advised.

Must be nice to get a response. I emailed them about a week and a half ago asking what the plans were for LH in the U.S. and got a whole lotta nuthin'.

My response said essentially the same thing Swanky's did, but interestingly the wording is slightly different. Which implies some poor soul is hand typing this response each time. Flood him with requests and make his fingers sore. :)

I got the last bottle off the shelf at Argonaut today.
I think I'll go hunt for a couple more tomorrow.

I saw quite a bit of the regular unleaded version in a liquor store the other day up here in Canada, but I've NEVER seen the 151 version up here. Perhaps that will change soon.

On 2010-05-24 18:38, Slacks Ferret wrote:
I saw quite a bit of the regular unleaded version in a liquor store the other day up here in Canada, but I've NEVER seen the 151 version up here. Perhaps that will change soon.

THAT would be great! As far as I know, it's not available anywhere in Canada. I still see LH on the shelves here, with no indication that availability is going to be a problem. I have to say, it seems wrong to let this company trademark "Demerara rum". We have lots of rums here still using that label, although El Dorado only hit the shelves within the last year around these parts.

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.

While it's not listed on their website, DrinkUpNY also can get Lemon Hart for a reasonable price.

Both the 80 & the 151.

Because they do not normally carry it in their inventory, prices are higher (not sure how high) for not ordering a full case.
& they ship anywhere in the lower 48.

A group of us just ordered a case of each to split-up amongst us & all went perfectly with the order - arrived yesterday :)

AND - the website also includes 90 different rums, so you may find some other things of interest, too!
http://www.DrinkUpNY.com

But you've got to call them on the Lemon Hart if you're interested, since it's not normally something they stock (but maybe we can get them to stock it!) it's not on the website.

:D

I just got back from Beltramo's in Menlo Park, Ca (they have a web site and do mail order) and they have Lemon Hart 151 in stock. They got one case when I clued them in to the rumors 3 weeks ago, and in the following weeks picked up 5 cases. Two are already gone. That kind of concern for their customers is why they get all of my business. All three colors of Senior Curacao, a fantastic rum selection that is numerous and well considered, fresh limes, and a huge aisle of mixers and syrups make me feel blessed to have them one town over. And this is at a place that is primarily a wine shop. Folks on the peninsula, you better pay them a visit. They are hoarding the 151 for your benefit.

I was just thinking: What are all the tiki bars and restaurants planning to do that use Lemon Hart 151 on a regular basis - seems to me that Trader Vic's, Tiki Ti, Mai Kai, Don the Beachcomber, etc etc would have better knowledge of the situation.

Ed Hamilton who runs the Ministry of Rum website, and is one of the most informed rum professionals in the industry today has more about the issues regarding Lemon Hart in this thread:

http://www.ministryofrum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4157

I've already given up on LH 151 and I'm substituting Gosling's 151 as it's far and away the most flavourful 151 on the market aside from LH.

As mentioned in page 2 of the Ministry of Rum thread, there is plenty of LH 151 on the shelves around Oregon. The 80 proof is harder to find, but I did score a few bottles over the weekend, and more were on the shelf. PM me if you want to know where that store is.

I just picked up the last bottles of 80 on the shelf at Beverage Warehouse in Playa del Rey, apparently just missing someone who bought the remaining bottles of 151 by a few hours. The guys at the register say they may be getting more tomorrow (6/2), but they didn't sound to confident and suggested anyone I referred to call them first to check. (310) 306-2822 Good luck!

Ugh....I'm gonna hoard...I'm going to go to a couple of places that still have LH 151 and LH 80.

Okole Maluna!

[ Edited by: CheekyGirl 2010-06-01 23:32 ]

I love Lemon Hart. We use it a couple times a week, 80 and the 151. I ran out at lunch and and bought the last 8 bottles of Lemon Hart 80. That vendor said they couldn't get anymore and that the rumors were true--no more Lemon Hart.

My other supplier has 4 bottles of the 151 on hold for me, which I'm picking up after work. They also said, they haven't been able to get any Lemon Hart in as well.

Damn.