Rum Wonk with Matt Pietrek

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The Myth of Royal Navy Rum and the Gunpowder Test
www.rumwonk.com

The Myth of Royal Navy Rum and the Gunpowder…

Matt Pietrek
Nov 21, 2022
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The Myth of Royal Navy Rum and the Gunpowder Test
www.rumwonk.com

One of the oft-told, erroneous tales about Royal Navy rum is that Britain’s navy used the “gunpowder test” to test a rum’s strength before the invention of the Sikes Hydrometer in 1816. As the story goes, if rum-soaked gunpowder would “flash” after it was exposed to a flame, it was at least proof strength, i.e., 57% ABV in modern units. This allegedly ensured that sailors weren’t given rum at less than official issuing strength.

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