Lemon Hart 151 Rum is an iconic rum in the Tiki world. Called out by many great cocktail books (including Trader Vic himself and Death & Co.) I went into this one with high hopes. Coming out of it, I’m not sure I can say Lemon Hart 151 isn’t great, but rather might be a case of never meet your heroes.
On Its Own: Lemon Hart 151
It would be remiss to call this anything other than pungent. The dark caramel color does not suggest a nose that can be detected from several feet away. You may want to approach slowly, as the fumes of alcohol can easily burn out your nose on this one. If you’re careful though, you can find a nose loaded with dark brown sugar, molasses, dark chocolate, and hints of leather, tobacco, cloves, and exotic pepper. The palate is tongue numbing at full strength – but not without flavor. Condensed molasses, carob nibs, and cloves all come through with hints of other spices. The alcohol is so strong it feels as though it evaporates while it’s still on your tongue.
In Cocktails
As we couldn’t find this in the Northeast Ohio area, we picked up this bottle to enjoy with my parents in Florida. We didn’t have a full bar, so we played at tiki inspired drinks and things from the internet. While it might be a bit difficult to draw an accurate conclusion due to our limited time, we did reach a few key take aways:
- The spice and sugar flavors are powerful – use it in moderation or as the base to prevent it overwhelming other components (or allowing it to shine).
- The flavor profile is darker than some overproof rums – so unlike Plantation O.F.T.D. – don’t expect fruity caramel notes. Dark sugar and burnt caramel are going to be the leads.
The Final Word: Lemon Hart 151
Lemon Hart 151 is aggressive but flavorful. While it’s not my go-to, I can understand the infatuation with this classic overproof dark rum. If you happen to get a chance to try it, or like a more burnt sugar / brown sugar note in your rum – then Lemon Hart 151 is worth a try.
Other Takes on Lemon Hart 151:
- The Fat Rum Pirate carries it home from holiday
- The Rum Howler calls it out
- Lemon Hart loads a very slow website (on shared internet connections)
Raw Tasting Notes:
Nick: The nose can be alarmingly pungent if you’re not careful. The nose is loaded with dark brown sugar and molasses. Earthy leather and tobacco mix with a hint of butterscotch and herb. The palate is extremely hot, and has a condensed molasses, cocao nib, clove extra, and spice flavor – with a hint of green. It essentially instantly evaporates when it hits your tongue, and burns accordingly.
Ann Marie: Smell – Dark chocolate/carob, molasses, black pepper, and a hint of clove – definitely on the dark side. Taste – Concentrated clove/allspice, carob nibs, dark molasses, and a hint of orange zest. The alcohol content is so high that it evaporates quickly in small doses. Can easily be a bully in a mixed drink and overtake other flavors.
