The gunpowder method of determining strength was also used by sailors. The Navy used to hand out rations of rum, also called tots, to their sailors. These rations were about a half pint and would be distributed by the ship’s purser or pusser, who would also test the strength of the rum. If the rum didn’t light, there may have been some angry sailors to deal with.

GUNPOWDER PROOF – Pussers-Rum

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).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. The proof system in the United States was established around 1848 and was based on percent alcohol rather than specific gravity. Fifty percent alcohol by volume was defined as 100 proof. [4] Note that this is different from 50% volume fraction (expressed as a percentage); the latter does not take into account change in volume on mixing, whereas the former does. To make 50% ABV from pure alcohol, one would take 50 parts of alcohol and dilute to 100 parts of solution with water, all the while mixing the solution. To make 50% alcohol by volume fraction, one would take 50 parts alcohol and 50 parts water, measured separately, and then mix them together. The resulting volume will not be 100 parts but between 96 and 97 parts, since the smaller water molecules can take up some of the space between the larger alcohol molecules (see volume change). Fine dark rum with a rich bouquet and a full, complex flavour. Pussers Rum Gunpowder Proof is the original Admiralty Rum at issue strength. Klein, H. Arthur (1974). The World of Measurements: Masterpieces, Mysteries and Muddles of Metrology. Simon and Schuster. p.564. ISBN 9780671215651. The concept of a standard or normative 'proof' strength was operative in Britain from the early days of the burn-or-no-burn tests. It paralleled the normative concepts of applied to brewing... The Royal Australian Navy never joined the practice, although its sailors were allowed to partake if serving on a Royal Navy ship, but only up until 1921 (other sources suggest that in reality this meant the Australian sailors got their tots up until 1921).

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

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. For the record, from 1850 until the practice was stopped in 1970 every sailor received his tot at midday. In reality, it happened between 11:00 am and noon, a period known as “up spirits.”a b c Section 6: Sale and Distribution. 1995 . Retrieved 3 October 2020. {{ cite book}}: |work= ignored ( help) 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. Sailors had a choice. They did not have to accept their tots and would be identified in the records as “G” or “T” – “Grog” or “Temperance. Ts, in lieu of their tots, received three pence. Sailors under the age of 20 were “UA” (“under age”) and not permitted a ration. The tot was one-eighth of an imperial pint, which equated to 71 ml of rum at 95.5 proof, which was 54.6 percent ABV. The toast was usually “Stand fast the Holy Ghost,” although others seem to have been used as well. Why 57 percent (or these days marginally below that)? This was a time prior to the invention of the hydrometer (which happened in 1816), and the only way of testing the strength of the rum was to mix it with gunpowder and set the resulting concoction alight. It was at this strength that the mixture would ignite, proving (“proof”) that the rum was of legitimate strength and not adulterated.

Pussers Rum Gunpowder Black Label 54.5 Percent ABV

Britain didn’t always use the alcohol-by-volume system to label spirits. It wasn’t until the 1980s that ABV became commonplace. Prior to this, the proof strength, or 100 proof which today equals 57.14% ABV, was the basis for the imperial proof system of measurement. The label would refer to degrees which is why the British Navy referenced Navy Strength as 4.5 degrees below proof. In degrees, this would be 95.5°. Converting ABV to degrees requires a bit of math. It can be determined by dividing ABV by 57.14 and then multiplying by 100 (ABV/57.14*100). This makes 40% ABV about 70°. Thankfully, this system has since been retired, so no hard mathematical equations are required to find out how strong a rum is. Proof in the U.S. In America, the rule of proof was somewhat simplified over time. Around the mid-1800’s, the US decided that 100 proof equaled 50% ABV. This made it simple to convert proof to ABV by just halving the proof to find the ABV or doubling the ABV to determine the proof. Although, this still causes some confusion and it’s somewhat common for people to call something 80% ABV, even though it’s only 40 percent. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau requires ABV to be present on the label, but not proof. The continued use of proof is optional and a holdover from past traditions. Overproof Rum Pusser is an excellent rum—an authentic representation of traditional Royal Navy rum. If you are a rum enthusiast it definitely one to add to your collection. If you are new to rum, it’s an excellent place to start your exploration.On the palate, the rum is sweet, with distinct molasses and caramel flavors, followed by tropical fruit notes of melon and banana, along with flavors of raisin, a bit of prune and date and some dried orange peel. There are also some licorice/anise notes and a hint of coffee. The rum is very peppery. The higher alcohol is evident. Think of a liquid ginger-molasses cookie. Prior to the Napoleonic Wars, each sailor in the Royal Navy was allocated a gallon of beer every day. Unfortunately, in those days beer would often spoil so it was regularly substituted by a pint of wine or a half pint of spirits (at least they split the half pint into two rations per day).

Gunpowder Proof - The Explosive Origin of the Alcohol Proof Gunpowder Proof - The Explosive Origin of the Alcohol Proof

What, you may be wondering, does any of this have to do with today’s topic, Pusser’s Rums? Pusser’s took the exact recipe used by the Royal Navy when it discontinued the daily ration on July 31, 1970 and used it to make its rums, the only producer in the world to do so. This Pusser’s 15 YO is the company’s only aged expression. Historically, it was a blend of rums from Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. Lately, it appears that the rums have been drawn entirely from the Demerara Distillery in Guyana. Around 50% of the blend is from the wooden pot, double distilled rums from the Port Mourant still, and the balance is from column stills at Demerara. The 15 YO is a different blend of rums than its siblings. a b Jensen, William B. (September 2004). "The Origin of Alcohol 'Proof' " (PDF). Journal of Chemical Education. 81 (9): 1258–1259. Bibcode: 2004JChEd..81.1258J. doi: 10.1021/ed081p1258. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2014 . Retrieved 17 July 2014. 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.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. The measurement of alcohol content and the statement of content on bottles of alcoholic beverages is regulated by law in many countries. In 1972, Canada phased out the use of "proof"; in 1973, the European Union followed suit; and the United Kingdom, where the concept originated, started using ABV instead in 1980. The United States Code mandates the use of ABV, but permits proof to be used also. The tots were served from a barrel dubbed “the Rum Tub” made of oak, highly decorated, and reinforced with brass bands with the saying “The Queen, God Bless Her.” Alcohol proof (usually termed simply "proof" in relation to a beverage) is a measure of the content of ethanol (alcohol) in an alcoholic beverage. The term was originally used in England and from 1816 was equal to about 1.75 times the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV). The United Kingdom today uses ABV instead of proof. In the United States, alcohol proof is defined as twice the percentage of ABV. The definition of proof in terms of ABV varies from country to country.