Woods Old Navy Rum, 70 cl

Product Information

The rum ration (also called the tot) was a daily amount of rum given to sailors on Royal Navy ships. It was abolished in 1970 after concerns that the intake of strong alcohol would lead to unsteady hands when working machinery. This Four Bells Finest Old Navy Rum was bottled and distributed by Challis, Stern & Co Ltd. A London based alcohol wholesaler which began trading in 1924 and which was dissolved as a company in 2005. They seemed more concerned with whisky than rum as they only bottled Four Bells from what I can see. When trying these old Demerara and Navy Rums, I am aware that as I bought these things at auction or acquired them from generous friends, I don’t know how well they were “looked after”. Certainly condition wise this one is much better than the Lamb’s Navy Rum I reviewed last year. Whilst the nose is lighter than say Wood’s or OVD, it still has a good weight of oak spice and a touch of tobacco. It’s actually more complex in many ways. Quite which still or stills it might have come from, I wouldn’t like to guess. It doesn’t feel as molasses or caramel heavy as many of todays Demerara’s and Navy rums. There is some presence of caramel, a very slight bitter note but its dialled right down. Overall, the nose is pretty impressive for what is likely to be a 2-3 year old rum at best!

Recently, a new Panamanian rum aged for 18 years appeared on the scene, drawing howls of protest on the Ministry of Rum Facebook forum. The reason was two little words on the label: “Navy Rum.” To rum purists, this is akin to saying Guy Fieri promotes haute cuisine. The issue of the Panamanian bottle isn’t the quality of the rum; rather, it doesn’t fit any of the criteria associated with navy rum. If you’re momentarily experiencing panic, not knowing exactly what navy-style means, that’s okay. There is no official definition, and it’s unfortunately not taught in schools. But that doesn’t mean you can dub any old rum as navy rum and expect folks to go along with it. Not all sailors necessarily drew their rum: each had the option to be marked in the ship's books as "G" (for Grog) or "T" (for Temperance). Sailors who opted to be "T" were given threepence (3d) a day instead of the rum ration, although most preferred the rum. [3] Sailors under 20 were not permitted a rum ration, and were marked on the ship's books as "UA" (Under Age). [4] The Metrication Board was set up in 1969 and whilst by 1980 using Metrication was optional (in 1978 the government tried again to make it mandatory) most alcohol producers had removed the proof in favour of ABV only. In all honesty the UK still exists on a mixture of metric and imperial measures, depending on what is being quantified. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.I’ve done a bit of research on these bottlings and with the use of the old style UK proof and the newer metric ABV on the bottle, I have worked out this is likely to be from the 1970’s. Though sadly I can’t be much more exact. SVW – Which is distilled to 92.9% ABV. This is produced on the French Savalle column still. This is the rum in the blend comprising the largest part. In the United States Navy, the daily ration was one-half US pint (240ml) of distilled spirits until 1842, when it was reduced to one gill (120ml). It was abolished in 1862. [17] SV – Which is distlled to 82.4% ABV . This is the second largest part of the blend again it comes from the Savalle Column still.

Since my last review of Wood’s I have bought probably around 10 bottles of this. I kept meaning to review it but I kept drinking it. As we are coming towards the end of the review, I may as well reveal that I rank Wood’s as one of the best “rum and coke” rums. The rum is a very “English” style of Demerara. El Dorado or Banks it certainly isn’t. Nor is it (in my opinion) a substitute for Pussers. It has little in common with these rums other than demographic. Four Bells is actually quite a fondly remembered rum and you will find a fair bit of discussion about it online. I’ve not spent hours researching this rum but I easily could have disappeared down a bit of a rabbit hole. For the record whilst this rum is a “Navy” rum I can see no record or any claims from the producer as to it ever being drank by the British Navy or any Navy for that matter as part of their ration. I believe “Navy Rum” at the time (and still is) is seen more as a style to describe these type of dark rums.Peake, Rob (29 July 2010). "Ceremony to mark ending of rum tot at HMS Victory". Yachting Monthly . Retrieved 3 July 2012.

Lavery, Brian, ed. (23 May 2019), "Regulations and Instructions Relating to His Majesty's Service at Sea", Publications of the Navy Records Society Vol. 138: Shipboard Life and Organisation, 1731–1815, Routledge, pp.9–44, doi: 10.4324/9780429437373-2, hdl: 2027/mdp.39015024493135, ISBN 978-0429437373, S2CID 240903518 , retrieved 24 November 2021 Smith & Cross is beloved by Jamaican funk aficionados. It’s bottled at 57 percent ABV, and the label accurately states navy strength. However, it doesn’t qualify as navy style, since it’s not a multi-country blend. Macdonald, Janet W. (2014). Feeding Nelson's navy: the true story of food at sea in the Georgian era. Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1473835160. OCLC 893910278.

The Story of Pusser's Rum

But what exactly makes Pusser's navy-strenth rum navy-strength? Read on to learn a little history behind this favorite drink of sailors and bar patrons alike. What Is Navy Strength Rum? If you’re after a Lambs style navy rum with a bit extra oomph then Woods will fit the bill. However, if you are after a cheaper substitute for Pussers then I would look elsewhere (if you find one let me know!).

Navy strength rum got its start after the Royal Navy's successful invasion of Jamaica in 1655. After the invasion, the Royal Navy started giving a daily ration of Jamaican produced rum to its sailors. The ration of rum replaced their daily ration of French brandy, or beer, which would often spoil onboard long ship voyages. Completely orthogonal to where a rum is made is its alcohol-by-volume, or ABV. Rum in the ship’s holds might inadvertently spill on the all-important gunpowder, so the navy required rums to be of sufficient ABV that rum-soaked gunpowder would still ignite. A popularly cited (if slightly misinformed) value is 57.15 percent ABV, or 114.3 U.S. proof; it may not be coincidental that this is almost exactly the fraction 4/7—making for easier shipboard math. In reality, navy strength is 54.5 percent, or 109 U.S. proof, which the British navy established after a thorough study. In general practice, 57.15% ABV still qualifies as navy strength.

Rodger, N. A. M. (1986). The wooden world: an anatomy of the Georgian navy. Collins. ISBN 0002165481. OCLC 469658582. In terms of the full size bottle. It is a standard bar style bottle with a gold screw cap. The gaudy orange label is different in that their are no sailing ships or British flags. There is just a picture of Four Bells. Bells were used aboard Navy ships to let the sailors no what time of day it was. Plantation Rum O.F.T.D. Overproof hits the right navy style notes—a rum blend from Barbados, Guyana, and Jamaica. However, at 69 percent ABV, it’s well beyond navy strength. A proper description instead is “navy style overproof.”