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. 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! This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.

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. Wood’s Old Navy Rum is one of those Demerara rums which “react” with cola giving a frothy “head” on a rum and coke a bit like in an ice cream float. It’s a fantastically rich and sweet rum to combine with cola. Rich raisin and sultana flavour cuts beautifully across the drink. It also delivers a nice spiciness and a certain “menace”. Wood’s is pretty boozy but all the better for it in my opinion.The rum has been bottled at 42.9% ABV or 75 proof (note this is old style UK proof, not the US, where it is just double the ABV that is commonly used now). There is no rear label on this bottle and thus no real information on the rum other than it is from Guyana. To be fair this was pretty inexpensive rum which will have been sold alongside the likes of Lambs, OVD, Woods etc. 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. 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. In the glass we have a dark brown liquid with an orange hue. It is not quite as dark as I was expecting from the bottle. Four Bells Finest Old Navy Rum lightens a touch in the glass. It is undoubtedly coloured but I was quite surprised to find when I ran the hydrometer test the hydrometer bobbed nicely at 43% ABV. So no sugary additives. Good start.

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. 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. The rum comes in normal bar style bottle with a label which is old fashioned and in similar ilk to that of Skipper. The makers of these rum’s certainly don’t seem to be going for the younger sexy end of the market. Rodger, N. A. M. (1986). The wooden world: an anatomy of the Georgian navy. Collins. ISBN 0002165481. OCLC 469658582.

REV – 69.7% ABV. Produced on the Wooden Versailles Pot Still. Although this is the smallest portion of the blend it is the rum which contributes most to the overall flavour of the final blend.

Which is one of the reasons why the brand has been given a new appearance. Wood’s Old Navy Rum has been given an overhaul – without losing the very essence of what the brand is all about. It is the only Navy rum that you will find in UK supermarkets, that comes in at Navy Strength. Wood’s Old Navy Rum is bottled at 57% ABV. Yet another Demerara rum with a very British twist to it. Along with brands such as Lambs, OVD and Skipper us Brit’s certainly do seem to enjoy importing dark Guyanese rums and bottling them up for public consumption.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. 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!). Peake, Rob (29 July 2010). "Ceremony to mark ending of rum tot at HMS Victory". Yachting Monthly . Retrieved 3 July 2012.

The proof of the rum was very important, as the rum casks were often stored in close proximity to the gunpowder. Rough weather at sea could lead to rum-soaked gunpowder which would still ignite if needed. The Daily Tot

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While the Royal Australian Navy never issued the rum ration, their sailors were entitled to the rum ration when they were on Royal Navy ships until 1921. [15] 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] van der Vat, Dan (20 May 2004). "Obituary: Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hill-Norton". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 3 July 2012. 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. The Royal Canadian Navy abolished the rum ration in 1972, [15] and the last navy to issue the rum ration regularly, the Royal New Zealand Navy, abolished the practice on 28 February 1990. [18] See also [ edit ]