The sailors’ daily ration was swapped from French brandy to rum. This decision was taken in 1688 by Samuel Pepys (1833-1703), secretary of the navy. Pepys is still famous today for a diary he kept in which we find the first mention of the wineries of Bordeaux, which were later to become famous as the First Growths, as any wine lover could tell you.

Alcohol proof - Wikipedia Alcohol proof - Wikipedia

Some commentators claim that high strength spirts were required for naval operations due to their storage in close proximity to the ships gunpowder supplies. Pusser’s ‘Gunpowder Proof’ is a traditional Royal Navy style rum produced at original Admiralty strength and in accordance with the Admiralty’s blending recipe last used when the Royal Navy discontinued its daily ration on 31 July 1970.The invention of hydrometers also allowed the British Navy to make adjustments to what they considered proof. They determined that 54.5% ABV or 4.5 degrees below proof was the minimum strength required for gunpowder to ignite. Thus, British Navy Strength became a designation and by 1866 this became the standard. Imperial Proof Complex, incredible length, the epitome of a sipping rum. Caramel, chocolate, cigar box, tropical notes. Wonderfully balanced. There does seem to be more oak influence here, but it is beautifully melded. Fifty-seven percent alcohol (ABV) came to be known as “Navy Strength” (a term often seen on gin bottles these days; “navy proof” is another description).

Rum - Forbes Pusser And The Story Of Navy Rum - Forbes

Other Commonwealth navies followed the tradition of issuing their sailors with daily rations of rum. The New Zealand Navy was the very last to issue a tot, stopping the practice on February 28, 1990. Regan, Gary (2003). The Joy of Mixology. New York: Clarkson Potter. pp.356–357. ISBN 0-609-60884-3.Spices galore: cinnamon, ginger, floral, and honey notes. Also a hint of butterscotch. Dried fruits and figs. Certainly more influenced by peppery notes than is the Original Admiralty Rum. Excellent balance and length, and that creamy texture is most appealing. Allegedly, members of the crew had drilled a hole in the base of the barrel and drained the rum. And from that time on, rum was known as “Nelson’s Blood” by members of the Royal Navy. The term “tapping the admiral,” meaning to sneak liquor from a cask by means of a straw, also comes from this moment. Alcohol Proof and Alcohol by Volume: Definitions and Explanations". alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org. 10 April 2017 . Retrieved 3 October 2020.

Gunpowder Proof Spiced Rum 70cl 54.5 Percent ABV Pussers Gunpowder Proof Spiced Rum 70cl 54.5 Percent ABV

It’s worth noting that those early rums might have resembled today’s best rums only in also being made from sugar cane. Fierce would have been an understatement. Rum, or versions thereof, were believed to have originated in Asia (in time, everywhere sugar cane grew rum or a similar drink was produced), but it was not made in the Caribbean until the seventeenth century when slaves realized that molasses, a byproduct of refining sugar cane, could be fermented into alcohol. Equipo Navazos La Bota 65 Ron ‘Bota NO’: No Additives, No Coloring, No Sweeteners, No Aromatics, Unchillfiltered, And 98/100. Cheers! Prior to this, the exact details of the rum and the blends (it was assumed to have various sources) had been a closely guarded secret. Tobias agreed to pay royalties, known as the “tot fund,” to the navy. Consequently, Pusser’s Rum Ltd. was set up in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, to both bottle and distribute the rum. A bronze-brown color. Tropical aromatics. Hints of caramel. Mango, frangipanis, white chocolate, dried fruit notes, and pineapple. Has a little fire on the finish but excellent length. A delicious tropical-influenced rum.Gunpowder Proof: Prior to the invention of the hydrometer, the Royal Navy ship’s “Pusser” shutdown claims of watering down sailors’ daily tots by dousing a bit of gunpowder in the rum and attempting to light. If the mixture ignited, the rum was “at proof.” If it didn’t, the Pusser might find himself tossed to sea. In the United States, alcohol content is legally mandated to be specified as an ABV percentage. For bottled spirits over 100ml (3.5impfloz; 3.4USfloz) containing no solids, actual alcohol content is allowed to vary by up to 0.15% of the ABV stated on the label. By contrast, bottled spirits which are less than 100 ml (as well as those which otherwise contain solids) may vary by up to 0.25%. [8] Proof (the term degrees proof is not used), defined as being twice the percentage of alcohol by volume, may be optionally stated in conjunction with the ABV. For example, whisky may be labeled as 50% ABV and as 100 proof; 86-proof whisky contains 43% ABV. [5] The most typical bottling proof for spirits in the United States is 80 US proof, and there is special legal recognition of 100-proof spirits in the bottled in bond category defined since 1897. Jessica Gleman is the managing editor of Rum Raiders. She received her Ph.D. at the University College of Dublin in Ireland, where she studied the archaeology of ancient alcohol. So at 57 percent rum was described as 100 proof. There are theories that the reverse was more important – the rum tested whether or not the gunpowder was of good quality (would not do to be caught at sea in a battle with the French and find your gunpowder was dodgy), but I like to think it was the rum that was the focus.