Lemon Hart 151 is coming back ... AGAIN!

Note: I know there are quite a few Lemon Hart threads already, but it seemed appropriate to start a new topic with this big news. For further reading on the previous versions of Lemon Hart, check out these threads:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=49099&forum=10&start=60
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=47455&forum=10&start=240

Now, on to the news ...

Robert A. Burr (Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, Rob's Rum Guide, Rum Minute) posted this on the Global Rum Club group on Facebook:

First Look: New Lemon Hart 151, now dubbed Original 1804 Black Rum, along with a Blackpool spiced rum at 43%, are soon to arrive in USA.

Demerara USA is importing, same as El Dorado. Part of a movement by the distiller to take more control their finest expressions.

Looks like there is both 151 and 80 proof coming ...

For a bit more background, I go into the Lemon Hart saga in depth on my blog, including a recent comparison of Lemon Hart 151 red label, yellow label and Hamilton 151.
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/08/rums-of-the-mai-kai-legendary-lemon-hart-returns-to-the-promised-land/#151-compare

Looking forward to putting the new version to the test. Considering it's coming through Demerara USA, one would hope it will be widely available.

That Original 1804 label only shows as 80 proof, so that's not the 151.

Great news, thanks for sharing with us.

With the recent re-naming of St. James, Appleton, and others, and now Lemon Hart too, there will come a time when we will all have to visit liquor stores with a translation guide. How else are we going to read our recipes and know which re-named rum they're referring to?

I know, there are worse problems to have, like who's buying my next drink?

:drink:

On 2016-03-25 09:55, Swanky wrote:
That Original 1804 label only shows as 80 proof, so that's not the 151.

Josh Miller of Inu a Kena subsequently posted the 151 label. Of course, they could decide to distribute it only in Europe, but that would be cruel :>(

This news just made my weekend. Will be celebrating tonight with a 151 Swizzle.

This is certainly interesting news!

Yeah I'll believe it when I see it...

The thought of LH 151 showing up at my local Total Wine store is almost more than I can take..... Regardless where is shows up I hope it is close to the old yellow label in smokiness. I am very thankful that we now have Hamilton 151, but having both will be very nice.

Lemon Hart Rum posted this on Facebook on March 1, 2016.

"Meet our new brand ambassador, Shea Hogan:
"Getting an opportunity to join the team of one of the most historically significant rum brands in the world was one I couldn’t pass up. With a history of over 200 years, Lemon Hart has withstood the test of time by maintaining a high level of excellence, and celebrating its traditions. A single estate rum, owned by Canadians, it is our nations bridge to the Caribbean and to the past, which is something other rum brands, or any spirit brand for that matter, would kill for! I’m thrilled to be a new part of Lemon Hart’s story, and to do what I can to ensure this piece of living history is shared with and enjoyed by everyone, so it can continue to live on."
When Shea isn't dressed up in a dapper suit, you can find him mixing vintage, exotic cocktails at one of Vancouver BC's finest Tiki bar's, The Shameful Tiki Room. And if you ask nice enough, he may even mix you up a Lemon Hart Perfect Stormy."

Awesome, I met Shea when I visited Shameful Tiki Room on my honeymoon. Good guy with a real passion for tiki. He made me some great drinks. Of course Lemon Hart never stopped being available in Canada so they use it in several things on their menu. I hope we get the 80 and 151 back in America and it's the same as before. Quite honestly, the Hamilton 86 doesn't do it for me and while his 151 is solid, I still prefer LH. Theoir spiced is actually quite good. I got a mini of it in Vancouver.

Thanks for the post Hurricane Hayward! It's amusing to think that it'll be possible to do a side-by-side-by-side taste test of 3 versions of the same product.

Not that anyone asked, but my 2 cents: while I'm certainly interested in trying the non-spiced versions when/if they're available in the US, I've moved past chasing Lemon Hart as it has frequently faded in and out of availability over the past 10 years (the threads here on TC attest to that). And hoarding old rum stock only works until the next earthquake hits. So as long as Ed Hamilton is willing to bottle and ship his 86 and 151 demerara rums with regularity, I'm willing to buy his rums.

kevin

I'll see if I can find out anything new at the Miami Rum Festival later this week. Here's the most recent info from Robert A. Burr (via Facebook) ...

Soon to come to many liquor stores in the USA, and online.

The official line is that Lemon Hart 151 has not changed from the original formula.

The official line is that Lemon Hart 151 has not changed from the original formula.

Original formula, or red label formula?

On 2016-04-11 10:12, JenTiki wrote:
Original formula, or red label formula?

I'd wager on red label. But, even this I question - why cut production if you aren't changing anything? Something stinks around here.

On 2016-04-11 15:57, kkocka wrote:

On 2016-04-11 10:12, JenTiki wrote:
Original formula, or red label formula?

I'd wager on red label. But, even this I question - why cut production if you aren't changing anything? Something stinks around here.

Sounds like we may get a return to the yellow label formula, but only time will tell ...

Robert A. Burr: "The official line is that Lemon Hart 151 has not changed from the original formula, but clearly, to me, the Hamilton (red label) version was inferior. That may be related to the fact that my original bottles have aged in glass for a few years. In any case, the company insists that the new Lemon Hart 151 is the same as the previous versions. Tasters will voice their own opinions when they (have) product is in hand."

Steve Leukanech: "My whiskey crew here in Tallahassee has identified the older yellow label LH 151 as a favorite sipper with the Hamilton a close second. The last version of LH 151 was not popular at all. Here's hoping this new version is more like the much older yellow label than the later versions."

According to what I was told several years ago, the "red label" was a blend that was made specifically for that bottling. It was not the yellow label original formula, but an attempt to duplicate it. One would hope Lemon Hart and/or Demerara Distillers still have the original formula and will be using it again considering the label they're using.

Robert A. Burr: "The official line is that Lemon Hart 151 has not changed from the original formula, but clearly, to me, the Hamilton (red label) version was inferior. That may be related to the fact that my original bottles have aged in glass for a few years. In any case, the company insists that the new Lemon Hart 151 is the same as the previous versions. Tasters will voice their own opinions when they (have) product is in hand."

Hamilton is not the same as the Red Label Lemon Hart. Yes, they were made by the same distillers, but the formula, labels, etc were quite different. They even made Ed Hamilton take the word "Demerara" off his labels. LH yellow label, LH red label, and Hamilton are all significantly different in flavor. And saying the "new Lemon Hart 151 is the same as the previous versions" makes no sense since there were different versions. My question is ... which previous version?

On 2016-04-12 08:41, JenTiki wrote:

Robert A. Burr: "The official line is that Lemon Hart 151 has not changed from the original formula, but clearly, to me, the Hamilton (red label) version was inferior. That may be related to the fact that my original bottles have aged in glass for a few years. In any case, the company insists that the new Lemon Hart 151 is the same as the previous versions. Tasters will voice their own opinions when they (have) product is in hand."

Hamilton is not the same as the Red Label Lemon Hart. Yes, they were made by the same distillers, but the formula, labels, etc were quite different. They even made Ed Hamilton take the word "Demerara" off his labels. LH yellow label, LH red label, and Hamilton are all significantly different in flavor. And saying the "new Lemon Hart 151 is the same as the previous versions" makes no sense since there were different versions. My question is ... which previous version?

There's a bit of confusion. The reference to "Hamilton," I think, was a reference to the red label Lemon Hart (imported by Ed Hamilton). The Hamilton 151 rum from Guyana is a different product (though very similar) and not part of the discussion. I'm not surprised that the Lemon Hart company line denies any differences in the previous versions, but we know better.

The worry is that the new Lemon Hart 151 that's about to be released will be more like the "red label" version (which is considered the inferior of all the recent bottlings) and less like the old "yellow label" product (which tends to be most people's favorite).

I did a taste test of both Lemon Hart labels and the new Hamilton rum, and I tend to agree. Though to my palate the differences aren't that great:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/08/rums-of-the-mai-kai-legendary-lemon-hart-returns-to-the-promised-land/#151-compare

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2016-04-12 10:20 ]

I spoke to Martin Cate at The Mai-Kai on Tuesday during the Miami Rum Festival party, and he helped clarify what's going on as far as the blending goes. Here's the explanation:

Pernod Ricard bought the Lemon Hart brand as part of the Seagrams purchase in 2000 and continued to produce the 151 rum as it had been for decades. Bulk rum from Demerara Distillers (DDL) was shipped to Canada, where it was aged, blended and bottled. This is the beloved "yellow label" blend that we all know and love. This document from Ed Hamilton provides some great details on the history: http://www.caribbean-spirits.com/prodsheet/LemonHart151.pdf

This all changed in March 2010, when Pernod sold the Lemon Hart brand to Mosaiq of Montreal. This is when Hamilton came aboard as the U.S. importer. After exhausting a large supply of yellow label that was found in a warehouse, production began on the new "red label" Lemon Hart. Introduced in 2011, this rum was reputed to use the same formula as the yellow label but with one major change: It was now being aged and blended in Guyana at DDL by a different blender. Martin thinks that even though the blend may be technically the same specs, things like climate and water can have a great effect on the end product. Hence, the different taste of the red label rum.

Fast forward to May 2014, and Mosaiq decides to stop production of Lemon Hart 151, supposedly because it thought it was a niche product for a small group of Tikiphiles and not worth the effort. Hamilton took matters into his own hands in early 2015, bringing his Hamilton 86 and 151 rums from DDL to market. http://caribbean-spirits.com/page.php?typ=91
His rum is also blended and aged at DDL, but using a different formula than LH151. According to Martin, Ed took the red label Lemon Hart rum and had it decoded to produce a similar product.

So now apparently Mosaiq thinks differently about the U.S. market and plans to bring back LH151. Martin says it will almost certainly be produced in a similar manner than before (aged and blended in Guyana at DDL). The old yellow label blending process went away with Pernod. So pending any tweaks to the blend, Martin believes we'll be getting something more like the red label than the yellow label from the next generation of LH151 from Mosaiq. So while it's true that LH151 will still use the same formula as it always has, the blending and aging location has some impact on that.

Apparently U.S. distribution is already set up, and Florida will be one of the first states to get it. No word yet on the Mosaiq site: http://www.mosaiqinc.com/en/producer/lemon-hart-rum

[ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2018-05-31 11:15 ]

Thanks, Hurricane, GREAT update! It's interesting that in the future, if you count Ed Hamilton's product, there will be FOUR different variations of Guyanese 151 rum in the short space of 10 years. (I think there are some other minor brands of Demerara 151's, but they don't get much attention.) This is how life is sometimes...

About Pernod-Ricard: I know they own one of the two Havana Club brands, and possibly both Cuban and non-Cuban, but I'm not sure. But in any case they have much bigger fish to sell if and when the Cuban market opens up again. So Lemon Hart is something they can afford to let go to another company.

It's going to be interesting to see how near-future developments impact the Hamilton rum brand. Hamilton has to stay profitable, or it will also disappear.

My dilemma: What to do with the last INCH of yellow-label LH151 I have at home.

Thanks for the update Hayward! I was thinking of bugging Martin Cate since I saw he was in FL but had completely forgotten, given he probably wouldn't have responded to me anyway. :}

On 2016-04-14 11:47, AceExplorer wrote:
It's going to be interesting to see how near-future developments impact the Hamilton rum brand. Hamilton has to stay profitable, or it will also disappear.

For what it's worth, The Mai-Kai plans to stick with Hamilton, according to owner Dave Levy. In addition to the personal relationship with Ed, that may also be due to the fact that many of the cocktails have benefited from the switch.

Having both in stock isn't such a bad idea either. As for the yellow label, I suppose I should conserve my remaining bottles a lot more carefully now.

HH - You are a true hero. Thanks for helping us decode the LH mystery.

I always assume when there is a label change, a product change is almost always definitive except in the case of product branding. With a 2+ year stop in production, I would think it would be nearly impossible to get back to the exact production quality. I am not surprised by this news.

I do like the red label 151, not as much as the tan of course but it is still my preferred choice in a Zombie. I know some prefer Hamilton's to the red label LH 151, but I am not one of those people. Hamilton's would be a good substitute if LH was no more, but I am excited to see if this new LH will hold a torch to the tan or the red label versions.

Hamilton's 151 is a good rum in my opinion. To me it doesn't have as big of a flavor profile as either of the Lemonhart variations. With the LH (red label even) I can taste many more flavors and is a much fuller rum than the Hamilton's 151. I really do like most of the Hamilton rums on the market quite a bit. I don't always see eye to eye with Ed, I am not a fan of Niessen but there are worse agricoles out there. I hate his Jamaican Dark, although I was surprised when I tried the Jamaican Gold and I liked it. Ed Hamilton has and will continue to great things for the rum community and I really appreciate his efforts.

The Lemon Hart website has a pretty long bit of history, on this page. Of course, It's not an impartial history, and I'm sure Marketing gets to have a go at it, too. The last three paragraphs tell the times the company has changed hands, over the years. Excerpting:

"Heavy bombing in World War II drove Alfred Lamb Ltd (creators of Lambs Rum) from their location in London, taking refuge in the offices of Lemon Hart & Son. In January 1948, United Rum Merchants (URM) was formed as a result of this union. In 1949, URM was sold to Booker Brothers, McConnell and Company, sugar planters from Demerara, Guyana.

"In 1984, Booker Brothers, McConnell and Company sold their rum business to Allied-Lyons. In June 1989, Allied-Lyons' rum business, which included Lemon Hart and Lamb's, was brought together with Tia Maria under one management structure to form Alfred Lamb International Limited, a division of Allied-Lyons. In 1994, Allied-Lyons merged with Pedro Domecq forming Allied Domecq which, in 2005, was acquired by their French-based rival Pernod Ricard ....

"In 2010, the Canadian-based company Mosaiq Inc. acquired the Lemon Hart brand from Pernod Ricard and implemented "A Return to Heritage" initiative for the brand starting with the reestablishment of the Lemon Hart & Son.... " (end of excerpt)

I have an empty LH151 bottle, saved from the early-to-mid 80s, that says
BOTTLED IN GT. BRITAIN BY
UNITED RUM MERCHANTS LTD.-HORSHAM-SUSSEX-RH12 1ST-ENGLAND

As Hurricane Hayward pointed out, the rum's aging and blending location can make a significant difference in the final result. I wonder how the conditions in Britain compared to where it was aged/blended/bottled, after the operation moved to Canada. Much more similar than Guyana, probably.

When the yellow label LH80 started to disappear, I started grabbing all I could find. I still have 2 cases, cobbled together from buying 2 bottles here, several more there, until finally it was all gone. Some of the labels say, IMPORTED BY ALLIED DOMECQ SPIRITS, U.S.A., and some say IMPORTED BY PERNOD RICARD U.S.A. Based on that timeline, above, I guess the bottles from Allied Domecq had already been kicking around for a number of years, by the time I got them.

Limbo Lizard, that's quite a stash of LH80 you're sitting on. Mine ran out long ago. Here's hoping the latest version (they're calling it "Original 1804") makes it to the U.S. as well. I've wanted to try some of the Demerara rums from the U.K. but never have had a chance. A friend promises to bring some back the next time he's there.

By the look of the website, they're getting ready to role out the 151 soon ... http://www.lemonhartrum.com/lh151.html

I'm gonna keep an eye on the Facebook page as well. Not much new since they announced the new brand ambassador in March ...
https://www.facebook.com/LemonHartRum

On 2016-04-14 11:47, AceExplorer wrote:

My dilemma: What to do with the last INCH of yellow-label LH151 I have at home.

put it in a sealed beaker and ship it to me, mate!

On 2016-04-14 11:47, AceExplorer wrote:
My dilemma: What to do with the last INCH of yellow-label LH151 I have at home.

Drink it!

http://www.ministryofrum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=455

First I hoarded yellow label 151. Back then I wasn't using too much, then I got into DtB drinks heavy and started to blow through it when red label came out. I drank it all up, foolishly. Should have kept a few bottles.

Then I hoarded red label 151. I am down to about 4-5 bottles now, and picked up a few Hamilton bottles. I have maybe 12 yellow label 80 proof. I need to stop using it so much and get some El Do or other to use instead.

At the peak, I guesstimated I had $1200 worth of back-stock rum in the basement... Don't tell my wife!

Now Lemon Hart is returning...

Word on the street is that it will be on the shelves in Nashville within a month. Hope to have some in hand to sample pretty soon. If it's as good as the original, maybe I'll start hoarding in advance...

On 2016-05-27 05:54, Swanky wrote:
At the peak, I guesstimated I had $1200 worth of back-stock rum in the basement... Don't tell my wife!

You are not alone my friend, mum's the word :wink:

You can add hoarding Hamilton 151 to the list too.

On 2016-05-27 10:31, Loki-Tiki wrote:

On 2016-05-27 05:54, Swanky wrote:
At the peak, I guesstimated I had $1200 worth of back-stock rum in the basement... Don't tell my wife!

You are not alone my friend, mum's the word :wink:

You can add hoarding Hamilton 151 to the list too.

Oh lord are we running out of that now too? My wallet can't handle buying that stuff up in bulk.

On 2016-05-27 05:54, Swanky wrote:
Now Lemon Hart is returning...

Word on the street is that it will be on the shelves in Nashville within a month. Hope to have some in hand to sample pretty soon. If it's as good as the original, maybe I'll start hoarding in advance...

Did the word on the street turn out to be accurate?

My friendly local booze slingers at the Austin Shaker notified me yesterday that LH 151, now being distributed through El Dorado, will be hitting their shelves next week. He made it sound as those his rep is giving him first crack at these before more markets get it but I'm sure it'll be plentifully available again everywhere before long. This is the most exciting and promising news I've heard about the return.

Mike, has he heard anything about the 80-proof Lemon Hart?

No word on the 80.

This is good news in one way, but definitely bad news in another. The return of Lemon Hart may negatively impact Ed Hamilton who has stepped up to put out a great product AND who has amazing passion and commitment to his mission. I will be watching closely for taste test results when Lemon Hart becomes available again.

I'm not settled on what I'm going to buy in the future -- I have both Lemon Hart red label and Hamilton 151 on hand.

On 2016-07-27 12:35, AceExplorer wrote:
This is good news in one way, but definitely bad news in another. The return of Lemon Hart may negatively impact Ed Hamilton who has stepped up to put out a great product AND who has amazing passion and commitment to his mission. I will be watching closely for taste test results when Lemon Hart becomes available again.

I'm not settled on what I'm going to buy in the future -- I have both Lemon Hart red label and Hamilton 151 on hand.

I'm not sure it will affect Ed's sales that much considering how unreliable the LH supply has been for a few years now. I can't imagine the people who like the Hamilton are going to abandon it completely for a product that seems to come and go without notice or reason so frequently. Bars need products they know they can get just to keep the drinks consistent. Why take the chance of switching to LH151 just to have it yanked again? My $.02.

On 2016-07-27 13:43, JenTiki wrote:

On 2016-07-27 12:35, AceExplorer wrote:
This is good news in one way, but definitely bad news in another. The return of Lemon Hart may negatively impact Ed Hamilton who has stepped up to put out a great product AND who has amazing passion and commitment to his mission. I will be watching closely for taste test results when Lemon Hart becomes available again.

I'm not settled on what I'm going to buy in the future -- I have both Lemon Hart red label and Hamilton 151 on hand.

I'm not sure it will affect Ed's sales that much considering how unreliable the LH supply has been for a few years now. I can't imagine the people who like the Hamilton are going to abandon it completely for a product that seems to come and go without notice or reason so frequently. Bars need products they know they can get just to keep the drinks consistent. Why take the chance of switching to LH151 just to have it yanked again? My $.02.

I agree completely JT. Ed produces a high quality product too, I'm not switching. Though I'm sure I'll get a bottle (or two) of LH to have on-hand.

You and I are not the movers in the rum world. If LH comes in and sells cheaper than Ed, they'll get the business at the Mai-Kai and every other bar that's moving lots of the 151 product.

It's in the NJ warehouse now. Likely available on drinkupny very soon.

Hahaha! And if, as Martin predicts, the new Lemon Hart (can't wait to see what color the label is) will be like the red label, I am guessing we will have to start hoarding the Hamilton. I can live with that. I love the Hamilton (demerara river 151).

One does have to be careful and clear on this topic. We have yellow label and red label old Lemon Harts now and we have Ed (Hamilton) and ED (El Dorado). :wink:

Jack

On 2016-07-28 06:21, Swanky wrote:
You and I are not the movers in the rum world. If LH comes in and sells cheaper than Ed, they'll get the business at the Mai-Kai and every other bar that's moving lots of the 151 product.

It's in the NJ warehouse now. Likely available on drinkupny very soon.

Some very good points from several posters. I fully agree that Lemon Hart's producer has been very unreliable (and disrespectful) to their fans. I love the brand and the product, and dislike the mishandling of the brand and the product. Let's see how the tasting reports go when they start coming in.

Swanky's suggestion to watch drinkupny's web site is a good one since they are geographically close to New Jersey. It may be worth ordering just to be an early taster considering how long it can take for product to ship around the country.

My big question for today -- hasn't this new bottling appeared for sale in other countries (ahead of the US) yet? Given all the red tape in the US, this should be sitting on shelves in liquor stores in Botswana by now...

This is the bottle they're showing on their website:

On 2016-07-28 09:11, AceExplorer wrote:

My big question for today -- hasn't this new bottling appeared for sale in other countries (ahead of the US) yet?

No from Germany.

On 2016-07-28 09:11, AceExplorer wrote:

My big question for today -- hasn't this new bottling appeared for sale in other countries (ahead of the US) yet? Given all the red tape in the US, this should be sitting on shelves in liquor stores in Botswana by now...

Keep in mind, LH never went off the market in other countries. I'm wondering if the new labeling is reserved especially for the US market or if they're all changing over. The yellow label 80 proof I picked up in Vancouver last year was different than the yellow label that used to be in the US.

Visited my local Total Wine today, and no sign of Lemon Hart (or Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof, which I'm also really looking forward to). But I was surprised to see both Hamilton 151 and 86 from Guyana well-stocked and at decent prices ($27.99 and $19.99).

Looks like Ed's new Florida distributor is doing a bang-up job. To the points made above, there's definitely room on retail shelves for multiple Demerara rums. The high-volume bars may need to pick a preferred 151 to use, but I look forward to having both (as well as O.F.T.D.) at my disposal.

The Lemon Hart is supposed to be arriving at Austin Shaker tomorrow. I'll pop in to see. I've already asked them to keep an eye out for the new Plantation. I think that rum is gonna need its own thread.

Pushed back to Thursday.

Lemon Hart has finally landed. First sighting, The Austin Shaker, Austin, TX.

Sweet!

May I decree, August 4th shall henceforth be known as official National Swizzle Day? Hell, every other drink gets a special day.