Lemon Hart is a rum brand which as intrigued me for some time.  Talked about regularly on websites devoted to rum, yet strangely absent from the country where it is blended and bottled.  I’ve never come across a bottle of Lemon Hart rum in any store in the UK – ever.  Only very recently I notice that The Whisky Exchange have recently begun stocking their Dark rum and the 151 proof.  These rum’s seem very popular over the pond.

Lemon Hart is the nickname of “Lehmann Hart” who first set up the brand back in the 18th century.  The rear of this bottle indicates that Lemon Hart were the first company to supply rum to the British Navy.  I’ve tried to research this rum but to no avail even the Lemon Hart website doesn’t mention this particular bottling http://www.lemonhartrum.com.  I could not find any reviews of this rum either.  I only hope its actually authentic!

I bought this bottle in Cyprus and it cost 11 Euros (probably around £8.50 at todays exchange rate).  By any standards that’s a pretty cheap rum.  Compare this to most Bacardi costing between 16-20 Euros.  I found this bottle in 2 supermarkets in Ayia Napa.  Both were quite prominent amongst the rum selection, so although the rum isn’t mentioned on the website I think this rum is still (or has fairly recently been) in production.  The rum is a 70cl and is bottled at 40% ABV.

The rum looks very old.  The presentation is pretty dated.  The screw top is white and to be honest if it hadn’t had Lemon Hart on the label I’d probably have passed upon buying this rum.  The label to the rear bottle gives a little background to the rum.  This adds a little distinction to the contents of the bottle.  The rum is bottled and blended in Great Britain and the rum is a product of Trinidad and Guyana.  There is nothing which indicates any prolonged ageing of the rum.  I assume that the rum is a young, unaged mixing rum.

I’ve never tried a Lemon Hart rum before, the dark rum and the overproof seem popular amongst mixologists and Americans seem to go crazy over the rum.  I was initially very excited when I saw the rum as I thought it would lead me to the dark or overproof rum.  Despite scouring Ayia Napa unfortunately I could find no such bottle.

I’m not a huge white rum drinker.  I have two Bacardi’s (Superior and Maestro De Ron) along with a Wray and Nephew’s Overproof.  I’m not really sure what other white rum’s I have tried over the years but I cannot think of any of note.  Quite a few supermarkets efforts.

In the glass the rum is crystal clear.  No signs of any colour having been removed which would suggest any amount of ageing.  As fitting with my experience of white rum thus far the rum is very sweet on the nose.  It gives a sweet nose of Apple candy floss (cotton candy).   There is a smell of sweet alcohol lurking beneath the fruit and sugar.  It is not as sweet on the nose as Bacardi Superior though.  With some of the blend being from Guyana and as a result Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) there is a little of that El Dorado nose.  Which is quite nice and a bit of a twist.

You cannot really sip this rum, which should not come as a surprise to anyone.  The young spirit whilst not giving a huge amount of burn gives the palate a nasty hit of raw alcohol and a chemical like bitter after taste.  I’m not even going to add and ice cube to this as I fear my insides may fall out if I try anymore of this “raw”.

Mixed with a little cola the Lemon Hart is relatively smooth, there is no burn.  The rum is sweet and the Demerara notes shine giving this white rum and almost dark rum like taste.  There is little by way of an aftertaste after swallowing the rum and cola.  The profile overall is nice, you can even taste a little Demerara there – brown sugar and stoned fruits,  a little plum and cherries.  It is more complex than Bacardi Superior.   Both spirits are quite smooth and don’t taste like the cheapest of cheap white rums but neither excels.  I don’t know much about White Rum but I do know the feel of a really cheap vodka.  Lemon Hart is a much better spirit than that.

This is a very decent White Rum and if you can find a bottle well worth trying.  Its very nice as a mixing rum.