In 1842, the spirit ration was reduced to one gill or four ounces. In 1862, during the Civil War, the U.S. Navy abolished the daily spirit ration. The Confederate Navy, however, continued the tradition; in large part because many British sailors served in the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. Bundaberg is very dear to the Australian heart I think. Every Aussie has tried it, many have grown up with it. It is a colossus of the Australian industry and doth bestride their rum history (for over 125 years). Of course such a titanic producer has a certain inertia and so has taken some while to recognise the changing expectations of many rum drinkers. On the palate, the rum is sweet, more cotton candy like, and peppery. Although it’s less peppery then the Gunpowder Proof version, there are also cooked, tropical fruit notes and a creamy custard-like quality. The finish is long, initially dry and peppery, with tropical spice notes, followed by lingering dried fruit sweetness and a bit of bitterness.

Various half-finished projects sit on my desk which, by stages, creep towards completion as time allows. There are a handful of benefits to be had in being a boutique rum company, one is the flexibility to experiment and do short production runs. Something that the larger companies can not do as freely. One such is an annual release begun last October and timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, an important date in the history of the Royal Navy. This tiny test run of only 50 bottles was matured over a year in a cask of French oak and bottled at 60%abv. Fine dark rum with a rich bouquet and a full, complex flavour. Pussers Rum Gunpowder Proof is the original Admiralty Rum at issue strength. The company behind this all is Smoke & Oakum with BH Simpson at the helm. Alongside Gunpowder Rum they are also delving into history to re-create other long lost creations.The original ration or “tot” was a half pint of rum per day. The rum would vary in strength, but generally averaged around 55% alcohol or 110 proof. The rum would be distributed around 4 bells during the forenoon watch—10:00 am in modern parlance. Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof is an authentic recreation of the high proof rum served on Royal Navy ships for more than three centuries. It is a blend of rums from Trinidad and Guyana. The expression is blended in Barbados, although it does not appear to contain any rums from that island. The rum carries no age statement (NAS).

Initially the U.S. Navy also continued the tradition of a daily rum ration. Starting in 1794, when the U.S. Navy was officially established listed, sailors were given “one half-pint of distilled spirits” per day. The Navy encouraged sailors to drink American made whiskey since it was cheaper than imported rums. American sailors also had the option of forgoing their spirit ration and receiving an additional three to six cents a day in wages. Pusser’s rums consist of rums sourced from Guyana. Each of the rums in the core range are different blends of rums in accordance with the Admiralty’s specifications. These are all, rich, powerful, full-bodied, robust rums with a substantial palate weight and texture. Below are tasting notes on the core range of Pusser’s rum offerings. The finish is long, with a lingering caramel sweetness, some prune, a touch of bitterness and a slight pepperiness. On the nose, there are pronounced molasses and dark sugar notes, followed by a creamy, almost buttery aroma, vanilla and dried fruits notes of dates, prunes and figs, along with tropical spices of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, pepper and just a touch of clove and a hint of furniture wax.

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. Rum is easily obtained in quantity in NZ, and some of it is of a certain degree of quality, but as rum has long been considered a holiday and party beverage, the average Kiwi is not prepared to pay terribly much for a bottle of the stuff. Scotch is a luxury brand, rum is not. When the mainbrace was cut, sailors would have to climb up the rigging and splice together the ends of the mainbrace that had been cut. Tying together two ropes the size of a man’s arm while perched in the ships rigging during a naval battle was no easy task. 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.

The Royal Canadian Navy followed suit on March 31, 1972, and the New Zealand Navy carried on the tradition until February 28, 1990. The Australian Navy had done away with the rum ration in 1921. It’s sweeter on the palate, with more pronounced brown sugar rather than molasses notes. There are tropical fruit notes of melon and mango, along with prune, caramel and milk chocolate. The rum is smoother, with a more pronounced palate weight, and is less peppery than its brethren. The extended aging is evident in the more noticeable oak notes.

From the home of rum history, lore, and expertise – the Caribbean and South America. Hundreds of years of sugar cane cultivation and rum distillation saturate the landscape and its peoples, and I can’t help but feel that by bringing my base rum from this source I am maintaining a historical link between S&O’s Gunpowder Rum and the Golden Age of Piracy (and the quality is hard to beat)