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Lemon Hart 151 |
Brandomoai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 05, 2008
Posts: 311
From: Edmonton, AB, Canada
|  Posted: 2010-06-07 09:31 am Permalink
I can't find a lot of info on it, but it seems that Caribbean countries who, like Canada, are part of the Commonwealth have the right to ship their rums in bulk to Canada to bottle and distribute them here. At that time, they may blend their rums with 1-1.5% Canadian rum. This would certainly make distribution in Canada less expensive. I can't find a specific reason for the blending or anything that states all rums bottled in Canada must be blended. At some point, legislation was passed that stated only rum from Commonwealth Caribbean countries and Cuba (not part of the Commonwealth, but a good trade partner of ours) could be labeled "Caribbean Rum". I don't think all rums from these countries are blended and bottled in Canada, but most of the big ones are: Bacardi, Capt Morgan, Malibu, Lambs, Myers, etc. I read something about Lemon Hart being produced in Windsor, Ontario, so I think the LH we've been getting here is blended as well. Maybe that's why I don't think it's anything special. I'm not likely to change my mind after NLC takes over, either. LH151 has never been available here, so I doubt very much that NLC will produce it.
As for other rums, we get lots of pure, unblended rums from South and Central America and the Caribbean, Commonwealth or otherwise. It's probably a regulation for distributors who want to do their bottling in Canada. Cuban rums aren't allowed to do the bulk ship, bottle, and blend in Canada thing, luckily! Here are some links for more info about our strange rum laws, not specifically pertaining to Lemon Hart.
http://www.legalalcohol.com/?p=5
http://www.rumproject.com/WIRSPA.html
The fact that so-called authentic, Caribbean rum in Canada could be something distilled from molasses from anywhere in the world and be blended with 1-1.5% Canadian rum is a joke. But that's a topic for another thread.
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Sweet Daddy Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 20, 2003
Posts: 1027
From: Edmonton
| Posted: 2010-06-07 11:51 am Permalink
An excellent summary of the data, Brandomoai. I read the same information and found it very confusing.
I just wanted to add some info about the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Commission. As the name suggests, it's a provincial crown corporation - the same one that runs the province's liquor stores. Oddly, they're the only such provincial body in Canada that is also a producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages. Their most famous product is Newfoundland Screech, which is a Jamaican rum bottled in Newfoundland. Historically, Screech was made from residue cleaned from wooden barrels used to ship molasses and/or rum from Jamaica to Newfoundland. "Real" Newfoundland screech was much stronger and less smooth than the product now being sold under that name. Essentially it was illegal rotgut. The stuff you get in stores now is actually quite a nice rum.
Hopefully they do a nice job producing the LH.
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GentleHangman
Grand Member (4 years) 
Joined: Jun 23, 2006
Posts: 354
From: Stuart, Florida
| Posted: 2010-06-07 3:34 pm Permalink
Am I missing something here?
I can't believe that Lemon Hart would just kiss their entire US market 'goodbye' when a simple change in labeling would seem to solve the problem!
You see familiar products with new labels all the time . . . they usually have a temporary sticker on with something like, "New Label - Same Great Taste" or something along those lines. What would be the difficulty in Lemon Hart doing something like that?
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2010-06-07 9:07 pm Permalink
Just bought several bottles of Lemon Hart 80 and several more of 151 from two different on-line retailers, all at a fair price.
Both retailers are shipping rather large boxes of booze from California to Illinois as we speak.
It is still out there.
Stock up.
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rangda
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Mar 13, 2010
Posts: 31
From: MA USA
| Posted: 2010-06-07 11:40 pm Permalink
Quote:
| Am I missing something here? |
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I think part of what you are missing is that there is no "Lemon Hart". It was Pernod Richard, it is now Mosaiq. The brand name was bought up by Mosaiq, but the distribution and rum itself was not. Indeed Demerara Distillers (the company that actually made the rum in the bottles) has confirmed that they are no longer making the 151 rum that was being sold to Pernod Richard to be bottled as LH 151. So no matter what happens, unless DD starts making that rum the stuff that was in LH 151 bottles will never be available again. This is a done deal, it's already happened. You could hope that Mosaiq makes a LH 151 product sourcing the rum from somebody else but who knows what it will taste like. And as a Canadian poster has indicated that LH 151 isn't available in Canada it would seem to make little sense for them to try to pursue making such a niche product.
The best bet is to write nice letters/emails to DD asking them to re-release this rum under the El Dorado brand, short of that happening I don't think we will ever see it again.
I'd like to see the Bum weigh in on this for his opinion on what to do once the supply (and everyone's hoards) dries up.
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GentleHangman
Grand Member (4 years)
Joined: Jun 23, 2006
Posts: 354
From: Stuart, Florida
| Posted: 2010-06-08 03:00 am Permalink
Ah! Now I see. That's a shame. The El Dorado overproof is no substitute.
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4814
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2010-06-08 08:55 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-06-07 23:40, rangda wrote:
Quote:
| Am I missing something here? |
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I think part of what you are missing is that there is no "Lemon Hart". It was Pernod Richard, it is now Mosaiq. The brand name was bought up by Mosaiq, but the distribution and rum itself was not. Indeed Demerara Distillers (the company that actually made the rum in the bottles) has confirmed that they are no longer making the 151 rum that was being sold to Pernod Richard to be bottled as LH 151. So no matter what happens, unless DD starts making that rum the stuff that was in LH 151 bottles will never be available again. This is a done deal, it's already happened. You could hope that Mosaiq makes a LH 151 product sourcing the rum from somebody else but who knows what it will taste like. And as a Canadian poster has indicated that LH 151 isn't available in Canada it would seem to make little sense for them to try to pursue making such a niche product.
The best bet is to write nice letters/emails to DD asking them to re-release this rum under the El Dorado brand, short of that happening I don't think we will ever see it again.
I'd like to see the Bum weigh in on this for his opinion on what to do once the supply (and everyone's hoards) dries up.
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I am delivering The Bum his bottles this weekend and I'll get his input. He said that he wanted these to be able to take to other distillers to try to replicate the taste. So he is thinking ahead.
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CucamongaChango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2008
Posts: 264
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2010-06-08 12:39 pm Permalink
The best, of course, would be for a domestic craft distiller to pick up the torch and run with it.
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phinz
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Dec 30, 2007
Posts: 195
From: Southeast of Disorder
| Posted: 2010-06-08 12:41 pm Permalink
Prichard's in Tennessee manufactures rum. Perhaps they could be convinced... There's also Rogue. They've been in the game even longer than Prichard's.
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rangda
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Mar 13, 2010
Posts: 31
From: MA USA
| Posted: 2010-06-08 1:25 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-06-08 12:39, CucamongaChango wrote:
The best, of course, would be for a domestic craft distiller to pick up the torch and run with it.
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This would be good in that they would be happy with smaller numbers and thus the product would be more likely to continue even in the face of low sales. It would be bad in that it would probably affect availability for those outside of the US.
One problem with this is all of the hoarding everyone is doing. I've got enough bottles of LH 151 at this point to last me at least 5 years, probably longer if I start rationing as I get low. If enough people do this, aside from buying one bottle just to give them business when someone makes a replacement how much would it sell?
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1767
From: 3 hrs 33 mins to paradise
| Posted: 2010-06-09 05:53 am Permalink
The sales numbers had to be low on LH. A particular retailer in California I called said his supply was gone. When he called his distributor, he was told their supply was gone too. But he also told me his store was the only one that bought LH from that distributor.
Also, be aware that though some retailer web sites out there still say they carry it, their supply may have already dried up. So call them first.
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WestADad
Grand Member (2 years) 
Joined: Mar 31, 2009
Posts: 734
From: Tornado Alley
| Posted: 2010-06-09 06:09 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-06-09 05:53, GatorRob wrote:
Also, be aware that though some retailer web sites out there still say they carry it, their supply may have already dried up. So call them first.
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Yep, my east coast supplier is now out so I orderd 5 bottles of LH151 from my west coast supplier.
Chris
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seabass
Member
Joined: May 16, 2010
Posts: 7 | Posted: 2010-06-10 11:49 am Permalink
What's a good price for a bottle? Want to make sure I don't overpay. Thanks.
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rangda
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Mar 13, 2010
Posts: 31
From: MA USA
| Posted: 2010-06-10 1:23 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-06-10 11:49, seabass wrote:
What's a good price for a bottle? Want to make sure I don't overpay. Thanks.
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I bet prices vary wildly due to local taxes, but here in MA the 151 generally goes for $22-$24/bottle. One place had it for $20 but they never had more than 1-2 bottles.
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arriano
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1136
From: Birdland - San Diego
| Posted: 2010-06-10 1:42 pm Permalink
I just got two bottles via mail order from San Francisco Wine Company. They still list it as in stock on their web site:
https://www.sfwtc.com/
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