Lemon Hart 151

Wow. I really wasn't expecting the new LH 151 to be as flavorful as it is. I really enjoy it, and in a shoot-out with the classic LH 151, it's smoother, less harsh, and while it has a bit less of the demerara note, it has a really consistent flavor that lasts. Tremendous.

Picked up @TheAustinShaker - sipping at full strength the 75.5% ETOH is a bit overwhelming but the caramel, dry fruit and dark molasses are all there and fantastic.

My go-to Demerara rum for my Three Dots and a Dash. The wonderful rich molasses flavors really cut through and make the ...- shine.

Whoowee. This stuff will really knock your socks off! The only rum to use when 151 is called for. So much flavor packed in to every punch.

Vraiment très fort en alcool, 75.5%
Préférable avec de la glace. Très astringent et inflammable selon l'étiquette! Ne pas fumer avec un verre de Lemon Hart 151 Overproof

Look, you must know this is not a sipping rum, I use it for many Don the Beachcomber classic tiki mixes. It is meant to stand out amongst the many fruit syrups and juices and is a must have for any self respecting Polynesian mixologist! I sipped it and almost went blind, haha, but I digress, this is a special legendary and useful rum in use to this day at such tiki temples like the Mai Kai in Ft. lauderdale, Aloha!

Lemon Hart 151 yellow label (current) - 75.5% ABV. Review forthcoming. 7+

Lemon Hart 151 red label (previous) - 75.5% ABV. N: Deep caramel and Demerara sugar. Tickles nose, but doesn't smell like alcohol. P: Huge. Explodes with molasses and oak. Semisweet chocolate chips. Rich chocolate chip cookie dough. With water: spice; anise? Pineapple!? Finish: medium-short. 8-

Ah, the venerable Lemon Hart 151. Unmistakable in cocktails. And strangely, while I don't get a chance to use it often, it is one of the few things that I've actually experienced cravings for as a long afternoon at the office draws on. "Oooh, you know what sounds good right now—something with that rich, deep, demerara profile you can only get from a certain kind of rum..." Cobra's Fang, 151 Swizzle, Jet Pilot, Trader Vic's Myrtle Bank Punch, Don the Beachcomber's Zombie... any Guyana 151 will work beautifully these. My favorite is probably Hamilton's, followed closely by the red label (which he had a hand in). The current yellow label is fine, but my least favorite of the bunch. How fortunate are we, now, to have more than one option to choose from, compared to just a few years ago when you would be hard-pressed to find any?

I have to say I only use this in small doses. It certainly adds a kick a Zombie. Having a rum that makes a fire extinguisher a bar tool can be intimidating. If you are having only one drink and you want it to be a kicker this will do the job. Don't think this makes for a wise choice as a sippe. Dilution is the key in using this one.

We are tough, I told myself and decided to try this on straight up. In the nose it did not betray the overproof, it has a faint smell of toffee. In the mouth, there is first - nothing. Then the heat sets in - in a very pleasant way, though. Once the heat ist gone, you have again toffee, a bit of some wood, even some fruit (apple?).

I still have to try it in mixed drinks - but maybe I'll stick to my custom of drinking my rum straight up even with this overproof. It can be done!