Tiki Tastings: Lost Spirits Distillery Cuban-Inspired 151-Proof Rum

It’s difficult to find high quality 151 proof rums, now that Lemon Hart isn’t readily available in the US, so we always have our eyes out for bottles to try. The Lost Spirits Distillery Cuban-Inspired 151-Proof Rum isn’t a brand new release, however it is a rum that we don’t see regularly on our travels and we were glad to have the opportunity to pick up a bottle. The over-proof rum is made with a unique technology that allows it to attain the flavor of a very long-aged rum in a very short period of time. As any rum fan will tell you, aging can really smooth out a rum and allow its complexity – not just the burn of alcohol – to come through.

The Cuban-Inspired 151-Proof Rum is a deep caramel color and smells fantastic when you open the bottle. You’ll pick up a tropical banana note, as well as a butterscotch caramel aroma and a whiff of oak. It smells surprisingly smooth, for such a high proof spirit. The rum has a real bite to it – as is to be expected with something that is mostly alcohol – but it does pack in a lot of flavor. There are woodsy brown sugar notes, reminiscent of dried fruits, and tropical fruit notes of banana and coconut. There are some interesting grassy notes that work really well with all the fruit flavors. It’s complex and, while we wouldn’t recommend it for sipping neat (though you can, if you’re an experienced rum drinker!), it is excellent for mixing and will really improve any cocktail that calls for 151 – especially if you’ve been using something like Bacardi as an overproof.

At the time of writing this (actually, about 2 months ago), the distillery is sold out of this rum and has no current plans to produce more. As such, we recommend that you buy it if you see it, because it may be awhile before you’re able to stock up again and this is a 151 that is going to add some real flavor to your drinks when you use it.

UPDATE: Lost Spirits is back in production and is opening a shiny new distillery in 2017. Keep an eye out for improved availability of their products.

Rum Rating: 4/5

Rum Rating Scale:
0/5 – Is this even rum?
1/5 – Bad. Not worth buying and not worth drinking
2/5 – Not very good, but could be covered up with mixers.
3/5 – Good, versatile rum.
4/5 – Great rum, with complex flavors that is outstanding on its own or in cocktails (and this particular rum is probably best in cocktails).
5/5 – Amazing rum. Don’t even think about covering it up with mixers.