Post #720400 by AdOrAdam on Wed, Jun 18, 2014 12:57 AM

So I got some LH80 :) for all those unable to obtain LH80, I thought I could post some thoughts:

FIRST OFF (first taste):

It's apparent LH80 is a good example of a demerara rum. It's got the 'woody / dark / burnt' flavours that myself & previous posters have mentioned but it is a well balanced & it's not sweet.

SECOND OFF (neat taste off):

I compared neat LH80 / my LH80 version watered down from LH151 / El Dorado 5 & El Dorado 8.

My diluted LH151 & LH80 might as well be equal - I did the taste test blind with the help of my girlfriend & picked out the diluted LH151, it lacked a very very little bit of 'richness'.

The flavour differences are subtle between actual LH80 & ED 8 - LH80 is a slightly drier, more cohesive flavour but I also like the slightly sweeter aftertaste in ED8. They have slightly different 'kick'.

I declare ED8 & LH80 equals - no mean feat, usually I can pick a favourite one way or the other. If El Dorado want to challenge Lemon Hart for the 151 crown, they should just put out a 151 version of El Dorado 8.

There are wider differences between LH80 & ED 5; LH80 is streets ahead. ED 5 is shown up like a much younger rum (like comparing Appleton Special & VX).

I also took a quick sip of El Dorado 12 & 15 to compare (although I consider these more sippers than mixers) ~ the subtle differences I tasted when comparing ED8 & LH80 are magnified.

THIRD OFF (a couple of drink reviews):

IMO LH80 makes a slightly better Queens Park Swizzle than ED8 (I did sweeten it a little extra) & a way better drink than ED5.

I made a Navy Grog with 3 shots of LH80 instead of the PR / Jamaican / Demerara. An earlier poster said it was 'the best Navy Grog they'd ever had'... it certainly is good but I prefer the normal 3 rum version by a smidgen (depending on the rums).

So all in all:

LH80 is a good rum, taste wise it equals El Dorado 8 as my 'go to' demerara rum & it is likely that either will work slightly better depending in the drink. They both came in around the same price point (LH80 was €3 more expensive) so it makes sense to have both handy.

Diluting LH151 to LH80 is a good easy way to get a barely perceivable difference to the 'official' product.

The main question for the future is will I be able to obtain Lemon Hart 80 or 151 at all...?