Lemon Hart 151 is coming back ... AGAIN!

Just the 151, or is there the 80 or spiced as well?? Pretty cool to see!

Just the 151. No word on the others.

Congrats, Mike, on being the first!!!

On 2016-08-04 12:56, AceExplorer wrote:
Congrats, Mike, on being the first!!!

I'm fortunate to have a shop near me with owners that really cater to the needs of their clientele. They've been able to stock countless "hard to find" items for me and my friends including Lemon Hart, Stiggins, Pusser's Gunpowder proof, various Clement's, BG syrups and more. I get text messages as stuff arrives. Talk about customer service!

I plan to do some taste comparisons between the new Lemon Hart bottling and the red label bottles of which I still have I think seven remaining from my '14 hoard to see if it's safe to work my way through the rest of the stash. Will do tests neat and in mixed drinks, either Swizzles and/or Kapu Kai's. I very much look forward to this. Will report my results in a day or two.

I took the liberty of copying Mike's review from Facebook, along with my response. I hope he doesn't mind ...

Mike Hooker:

Sorry for the delay. Finally sober. I mean have a minute to sit down and share my thoughts I think the differences between new and old LH go beyond batch nuances. There is a distinctly different flavor between them when tried neat and in cocktails. Granted, we used a previously opened bottle of red label, so some evaporation or characteristic changes may have occurred over the last few months but I don't think enough to make a drastic difference. Trying them and Hamilton neat didn't prove a whole lot. I started with Hamilton, which burned and was unpleasant. Then the new label which was better and finally old label that seemed smooth and drinkable on it's own. I think that had more to do with tongue fatigue than quality of product. My friend Trey tried them in reverse order and felt the old LH the harshest and Hamilton the tastiest. In hindsight we should have diluted them a bit.

Moving on, we made three Swizzles with identical proportions of all ingredients. Blind taste testing, we both agreed the Hamilton was the best drink, followed by new label, then old label. That surprised me quite a bit. I'm not a fan of Hamilton's 86 proof but think his 151 is a quality product. I make Swizzles a lot and usually use the LH. I recently made a bunch of Swizzles at a party using the Hamilton all night and it was a hit. I also used a different falernum than normal and altered some of the other proportions for streamlining. It made a great drink but wasn't an equal challenge to the LH ones I'm used to so didn't think much of it. In the future I'l be using Hamilton for that drink.

We decided to continue the experiments in a Kapu Kai, essentially a 151 proof Daiquiri, which is probably the best test of the products as their flavors are highlighted only by lime and sugar and not mixed with 10 other ingredients that all have their own bold flavors such as pernod, falernum, cinnamon and bitters in the Swizzles. In this drink I picked red label LH as the winner, followed by new label and Hamilton in last place. Trey and others who now joined the taste testing all agreed Hamilton was the least good of the three and they differed in opinion on whether new or old label was better.

So it appears there's a need to stock all three and try them all in different drinks to see which works best in which application. We ended up moving on to Navy Grog's and Mai Tai's after all that 151 so things are a bit blurry but this is how I recall it going down the other night.

Jim Hayward:

Mike, your results sort of follow the same pattern that I've noticed in the past. The common wisdom is that Hamilton doesn't add as much sugar to his rum as Lemon Hart. It's a slightly more raw and bold rum, which makes it work well in complex cocktails. At The Mai-Kai, it seems to cut through the sweeter drinks better. However, in a simple drink like the Daiquiri (or Shrunken Skull, etc.), the sweeter Lemon Hart shines. Did you notice any significant differences between the two Lemon Hart releases? Martin Cate seemed to think that the new blend would be similar to the old. It's possible they adjusted the sugar content slightly one way or the other.

I am confused. Are you comparing the new (2016) Lemon Hart to the Red Label?

If so, there's no point to that. The Red Label is not the real thing. We hope that the new (2016) is like or better than the original yellow label, no?

Jack

This is the photo that accompanied the FB post Hayward shared above where I decided to compare red label LH, their brand new bottling and Hamilton 151. I didn't have old yellow label 151 to compare.

I definitely recommend picking up the new Lemon Hart. Has anyone else spotted it yet?

If you find a Kapu Kai made with red label Lemon Hart better than one made with Hamilton 151, we are living in different universes. :wink:

On 2016-08-09 12:26, tabuzak wrote:
I am confused. Are you comparing the new (2016) Lemon Hart to the Red Label?
If so, there's no point to that. The Red Label is not the real thing. We hope that the new (2016) is like or better than the original yellow label, no?
Jack

Jack, I'm sure that was discussed elsewhere on this thread, or perhaps another. There's pretty much no chance of the yellow label blend ever coming back. That was blended in Canada by the previous owners of Lemon Hart. Starting with the red label, blending is being handled in Guyana at DDL. Therefore, Martin Cate and others expect the new blend to be similar.

I had heard that, yes. I am hoping that the new Lemon Hart will be better than the red label, but yes, it is probably just on par.

I am thankful for the Hamilton 151 then and the fact that I still have a bit of the yellow label still around.

Looking forward to trying it on my own anyway, of course.

Jack

I had heard that, yes. I am hoping that the new Lemon Hart will be better than the red label, but yes, it is probably just on par.

I am thankful for the Hamilton 151 then and the fact that I still have a bit of the yellow label still around.

Looking forward to trying it on my own anyway, of course.

Jack

New LH 151 showed up at Pogo's today in Dallas. Was driving by but I already blew my liquor budget for the month so I'll pick some up on the next pass.

From Facebook: Lemon Hart 151 sighted in Florida at a Mexican restaurant in Dunedin, of all places ...

FYI: The Florida distributor is International Wine & Spirits.

Someone also commented that this month's national distribution is in "limited amounts."

Since my budget was jacked anyway I picked some up.

I'd agree with mikehooker, they all three have different profiles. IMO, The new LH 151 is a lot lighter in body than either Hamilton or Red Label. Red Label has the most gunpowdery taste out of all three whereas I get more spiciness out of Hamilton. The new LH is light with a burn on top.

I don't think anyone is better or worse off if they can't get their hands on one or the other, they're all going to work great in tiki cocktails requiring that exceptional guyana rum profile. It's up to the experts to declare which one is "authentic" enough but for my tastes they're all equally good - in slightly different ways.

Spotted yesterday by a friend in Miami ...

Also available at Coral Way Liquors, 11865 S.W. 26th St., Miami.

I don't have one in my grubby hands yet, but hope to soon.

On 2016-08-10 11:15, tabuzak wrote:

I still have a bit of the yellow label still around.

I'll help you get rid of it :wink:

It's in at DrinkupNY.

https://www.drinkupny.com/Who-Sells-Lemon-Hart-151-Proof-p/s0375.htm

For that price I think I'll wait for a few more reviews, and they had better be glowing!

Oh, for the days when I could walk down the street and pick up the genuine article for $14.

I just picked up a bottle at Astor for $32.99.

Bummer they can't ship to Washington. :(

I know the reviews are still out, but I have heard enough to make the jump. Just ordered 4 bottles from drinkupny. When they come in I will do a comparison using one of Hurricane's Mai Kai Jet Pilot tributes and probably a heads-on taste test. I will be able to use all 4 contenders: Yellow Label, Red Label, Hamilton and of course the new label. I will probably invite some neighbors and make a party out of it since I wont be going anywhere else that night. Plus I need to show off my new gigantic pufferfish light hanging in the Tonga Lounge.

On 2016-08-27 05:05, Tonga Tiki wrote:
I know the reviews are still out, but I have heard enough to make the jump. Just ordered 4 bottles from drinkupny. When they come in I will do a comparison using one of Hurricane's Mai Kai Jet Pilot tributes and probably a heads-on taste test. I will be able to use all 4 contenders: Yellow Label, Red Label, Hamilton and of course the new label. I will probably invite some neighbors and make a party out of it since I wont be going anywhere else that night. Plus I need to show off my new gigantic pufferfish light hanging in the Tonga Lounge.

Please do report your findings. Quite a few of my friends here in Austin have picked up the new stuff and have been enjoying it. I still have 7 bottles of red label that I'm finally content working my way through with reckless abandon. And I even picked up another bottle of Hamilton cuz it was on sale for $22.

Lemon Hart 151 touches down at Hidden Harbor in Pittsburgh ...

Comparison taste testing at Tacoma Cabana... my gums are numb.

Its a bit of a rainy day here in Safety Harbor. But to brighten my day the UPS driver just delivered my 4 bottles of the new LH 151. This weekend I am planning my formal taste tests. I will use Hurricane's Mai Kai tribute Jet Pilots and likely 151 Swizzles as my comparison cocktails. Of course will do a head to head comparison also. I couldn't help myself and did a quick sniff and taste of the 3 LH's. I could sense some difference, but I will withhold most of my comments until this weekend. However, what I can say is that the new version is good and has the flavor that we are looking for.

*Side note... Yesterday I received my copy of Swanky's Mai Kai book. It looks great and is fun to read. He did a great job!

Gleaned from Facebook ...

According to Jason: "The new one tastes heavily of brown sugar. Really a one note wonder. Adds an odd apricot taste to a Zombie and there is absolutely no punch to it at all."

Meanwhile, I still haven't located a bottle. Hoping to track one down over the long weekend.

Part of the fun of this is that we are splitting hairs about cocktails and specifically..Demerara 151 Rum. If you want a Zombie that has an "in your face" attitude I would agree with Jason that the Hamilton accomplishes that. The jury is still out on the new LH151 and it to does come across a little lighter with less of an initial alcohol punch than the Hamilton. But it is a good rum with a smoky smooth and slightly sweet flavor. If you prefer a cocktail that is a little smoother and sneaks up on you. I think we have a new rum to work with. What I am happy about is that we get to argue/discuss/compare different options now. I remember a short time ago everyone scrambling to get the last bottles of LH red label. Then the Hamilton arrived.. and now a new LH 151. At the end of the day I don't think we are going to crown a winner between Hamilton and the new LH. But we may find that with certain cocktails one is preferable over the other. As I compare rums I am fortunate enough to have yellow label LH 151 to compare to. So when I taste these rums..it is the benchmark that I go by. Let the games begin....

[ Edited by: Tonga Tiki 2016-09-03 09:26 ]

Tonga Tiki: I wholeheartedly agree. I think I argued on TC or elsewhere when Hamilton arrived that I could easily find different uses for the two 151 Demerara rums. My analysis of the old red label vs. Hamilton really depended upon what cocktail it was featured in.

So here were are again, with Lemon Hart the new kid on the block. But it's really not a bad problem to have. Thanks to Roy's Liquors in Fort Pierce, I now have the new yellow label in hand ...

Extensive testing will commence soon. The 151 Swizzle will be my benchmark, but there are plenty of other ways to enjoy both rums.

Photos from a few more locations in South Florida, provided by one of my associates. I guess we can remove the "hard to find" designation.

Quick impressions from tasting the new LH151:

-Significantly sweeter than the Hamilton or Red Label LH151. This blend seems to have more in common with the El Dorado aged rums (8 year or 12 year), which feature the conspicuous addition of sugar.

-Holds up well in a cocktail. 151 Swizzle sings. Despite being sweeter, many of the tasty spicy and fruity Demerara notes remain present. Curious to see how the 80-proof mixes.

-Some of the woody and tobbacco-y notes are not as pronounced as the other Hamilton or LH151 bottling. Again, more in line with the El Dorado rums. Would not be surprised if this is basically barrel-strength El Dorado 8-year.

I will probably pick up an extra bottle or two. By no means a replacement for the excellent Hamilton bottling--and definitely not a resurrection of the classic yellow label Lemon Hart--it will however come in handy for certain cocktails and deserves a spot behind the bar.

Quince_at_Dannys, I think you're correct in many of those assessments. We just completed an extensive comparison tasting here at The Atomic Grog. Tasting notes to follow.

The first thing we noted was the color of the rums in the glass. The old red label was the darkest, followed by the new yellow label, the vintage yellow label and Hamilton last. Of course, this had nothing to do with the taste.

It's official: Lemon Hart 151 is back at The Mai-Kai. On Tuesday night in The Molokai bar, I had the opportunity compare the new yellow label and Hamilton 151, then taste them both in the 151 Swizzle ...

On The Atomic Grog, here's the latest news on the rums of The Mai-Kai, including the return of Lemon Hart plus Appleton replacing Kohala Bay. It includes lists of all the cocktails featuring these rums, plus lots of reviews and recommendations. Okole maluna!

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/08/rums-of-the-mai-kai-legendary-lemon-hart-returns-to-the-promised-land/

Sorry for no taste test reporting... Work took me out of town more than expected. I am hoping to get back to the "real work" of checking out the new LH 151 tomorrow night and Saturday.

Still trying to have a "don't have to drive anywhere" Saturday to do a comparison taste test. But I have been able to make numerous Mai Kai Tribute Jet Pilots and they taste very good. That being said I have been on the hunt for a local provider of the new LH. I called B-21 Liquors in Tarpon Springs, FL (just north of Clearwater) They said they could order it and a case would cost so much etc.... I called them today ready to bite the bullet and order a case and wait. They said that they had 33 bottles in stock and that I could come by and pick up what I wanted. I had told them about the history of LH 151 and how it is a key ingredient for many Tiki cocktails etc.... That is they reason why they went ahead and ordered some. I went big today and bought a case of 12 at $29.95 each and also picked up 2 more bottles of Hamilton.

The Wine Wave in Delray Beach in South Florida is reported to have a case in stock:
http://thewinewave.com/

On 2016-09-08 15:17, Quince_at_Dannys wrote:
Quick impressions from tasting the new... Would not be surprised if this is basically barrel-strength El Dorado 8-year.

That sounds excellent, the El Dorado 8 is my favourite of their range :)

Does anyone have any ideas why Hi-Time in California hasn't begun to sell the new Lemon Hart? I called them to ask and the guy sounded totally uninterested. He even said that Lemon Hart is now called Hamilton, which made me think he had no idea how this aspect of the market was evolving. I was hoping to motivate them to start selling it, but again, the guy sounded totally uninterested:(

On 2016-09-30 14:17, arcadiandj wrote:
Does anyone have any ideas why Hi-Time in California hasn't begun to sell the new Lemon Hart? I called them to ask and the guy sounded totally uninterested. He even said that Lemon Hart is now called Hamilton, which made me think he had no idea how this aspect of the market was evolving. I was hoping to motivate them to start selling it, but again, the guy sounded totally uninterested:(

I'd be curious to know, too. I was there several weeks ago and stocked up on some Hamilton's when they seemed unaware of the Lemon hart return. I did, however, pick up some of the Hamilton's Allspice (I like!) and some Kronan (need to break into it!) so I still left happy.

Well, this escalated quickly: Lemon Hart 151 is now going head to head against Hamilton 151 at Total Wine in Florida.

Spotted today at the Boca Raton store ...

Note the $5 price difference.

anyone in the SF Bay area able to find this stuff? none of my usual places have it. i'm having someone in Florida grab me a couple, but something closer would be more ideal.

if not, does anyone know why California is a LH drought zone?

thanks!

[ Edited by: oroborean 2016-10-01 10:47 ]

if not, does anyone know why California is a LH drought zone?

id like to know also ... i would think that Hi-Time would have it for order by now.

Vegas dry too
:(

Let's all call Hi Time and tell them to get in the game!

Are any California bars using it? Tiki-Ti, Tonga Hut, Forbidden Island, Smuggler's Cove, etc.? I'd be interested to see if they adopt it as fast as The Mai-Kai did.

Some email dialogue:

Hello Daniel,
We will be trying to order the lemon hart when it becomes available to us. I will keep your email on file and let you know when this product returns.

Thank You and Cheers,
Katie K.
Customer Service Manager
Hi Time Wine Cellars
(800) 331-3005

Comment: Greetings to my main fine liquors distributor (and probably the number one, if not one of the number one distributors in the Southwest)! Thank you so much for all that you do to help so many live "the good life." FYI, there is a new rum that you might be interested in helping us to enjoy: Lemon Hart 151 is back on the market! Could you all see if you can sell it? Some info on what I'm talking about: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=51252&forum=10&90

The Total Wine website shows limited availability for both Hamilton 151 and LH 151 at every store in the greater Tampa Bay area. It is also new for them to stock the Hamilton. It is nice to finally be able to drive 5 mins and pick up either.

I went by the Total Wine in Viera yesterday. No Lemon Hart, no Hamilton.

Luckily The Mansion in Melbourne carries both!

Arcadiandj, good thinking. I'll drop them an email too to further the "popular demand". To be able to pick up BOTH LH and Hamilton's so close- a shmegeggie like me should be so lucky!