Bad news about the old Lemon Hart 151

[saltgrassbear]

After reading on the forum about Lemon Hart 151 being in wharehouses I decided to talk to my local liquor store about finding me some. He stated that the reason it was pulled and discontinued was that a certain RED DIE was being used in the rum and that it was proven to cause cancer and other medical problems. That the new blend did not have the die.

Has anybody heard about this?


SGB

[Edward Hamilton]

I can say absolutely that I have not heard that from anyone associated with the brand and I have done considerable research on the brand. On the other hand, every one has a story, some are just more believable than others.

The reason there has been a disruption in the supply of Lemon Hart is that the brand was sold to a Canadian company and to this date there isn't an agreement in place with a US importer though there are serious discussions going on and hopefully the last inventory in the warehouse will be imported shortly.

[saltgrassbear]

That's good news Ed. The story sounded a little shaky but this man is a third generation owner so I was concerned and thought I would bring it to this forums attention with hopes of you clearing up the matter. It would be hard to understand why any coloring agent would be added to rum in the first place.


SGB

[saltgrassbear]

Another concern I have is that spirits these days, not limited to rum, is chemically aged. Maybe somebody knows about this also.

SGB

[D.B.Cooper]

After reading on the forum about Lemon Hart 151 being in wharehouses I decided to talk to my local liquor store about finding me some. He stated that the reason it was pulled and discontinued was that a certain RED DIE was being used in the rum and that it was proven to cause cancer and other medical problems. That the new blend did not have the die.

Has anybody heard about this?


SGB
Yeah and I bet that guy never ate red M&M's either.

[mac]

Red Die #7, are we time warped back to the 80's

[Edward Hamilton]

Another concern I have is that spirits these days, not limited to rum, is chemically aged. Maybe somebody knows about this also.

SGB

There are more than a few companies that sell additives that claim to age spirits but most leave a chemical taste. There are also companies working on ways to speed up the aging process. Some are better than others. For me, I drink rum from suppliers that are transparent and authentic. When a new company tells me they now have rums that are much older than their company I do everything I can to sort out the facts, which isn't always easy.

[Edward Hamilton]

It would be hard to understand why any coloring agent would be added to rum in the first place.
SGB
Caramel coloring is a harmless coloring agent used by some producers to enhance the color of many spirits including cognac, whiskey and rum. Caramel is simply burnt sugar. But you can't simply burn some sugar in a frying pan and get consistent results so most caramel coloring is made in a lab and then sold to spirits producers. Caramel coloring ranges from light brown through dark brown and black. Small quantities don't affect the taste but since it is sugar, large quantities will take the edge off young distillates.