For fifty years, the rums that the British Royal Navy blended for its sailors has fascinated enthusiasts and historians. Most stories about navy rum endlessly recycle prior conjecture that's both vague and not particularly accurate. Ponder this conventional wisdom about the navy’s rums: Navy rum was a blend of rums from Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and... Continue Reading →
Stories about the British Navy’s daily rum ration inevitably include imagery of sailors lined up at the grog tub, emblazoned with “God Save the Queen” - or “King”, if you go back far enough. It suggests that sailors were anxiously awaiting their mix of rum and water (“grog”), eager to consume it straightaway. However, sailors... Continue Reading →
July 31st, 1970 -- a day that lives in infamy as Black Tot day. It was on this day that British navy sailors received their final daily rum ration, something dear since its 1731 establishment. These days, every July 31st is an annual occasion for enthusiasts and marketers to tell the remarkable story of British... Continue Reading →
What follows is part two of my interview with Charles Tobias, the U.S. marine aviator, technology CEO, and globe-crossing sailor who created the Pusser’s Rum brand in 1979, based on the British Royal Navy’s rum recipe. Part One of the interview delves into Charles’ background and his approach to the British navy to get the... Continue Reading →
The narrative most rum enthusiasts know about British navy rum usually starts around 1731, when the British Navy declared that (in certain parts of the globe) a daily ration of rum was to be issued to their sailors. Alternately, they might know that in 1740 Admiral Edward Vernon decreed that the sailors’ daily rum ration... Continue Reading →
For students of spirits history who pour over countless dry pages to glean precious tiny nuggets of information, coming face-to-face with living, breathing history that can be queried is as close to professional nirvana as one gets. Such was the case when my phone rang one morning, displaying a mysterious 284 area code. Not immediately... Continue Reading →
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