British Navy Pussers Rum Admiral Lord Nelson Porcelain Ships Decanter (1000ml)

One bottle only to sell.

Rum and the sea are inseparable, and no rum is more akin to the sea and the sailor than Pusser's Rum–the Original Navy Rum. For more than 300 years, from the earliest days of wooden ships and iron men, sailors of Great Britain's Royal Navy were issued a daily ration–or "tot"–of rum by the ship's "Purser" (corrupted by the sailors to Pusser's). Prior to 1740, the men's daily tot of Pusser's Rum was a pint a day, which they drank neat, that is without water! Before battle, they were issued a double 'tot', and always after victory for a job well done! From 1655 to the 19th century, Pusser's Rum was one of the few daily comforts afforded those early seamen of Britain's Navy as they fought around the globe to keep the Empire intact and its sea lanes open. It was not until July 31st, 1970 that the Admiralty Board abolished the daily issue of Pusser's Rum. "Times had changed", they said as they concluded that "in a highly sophisticated navy no risk for margin or error which might be attributable to rum could be allowed". And so it was that the daily issue of Pusser's Rum, which had stood the test of time as the Navy's longest serving tradition for over 300 years, was cast aside like a piece of flotsam and jetsam where it lay quietly until 1979. In 1979, Charles Tobias–entrepreneur, global sailor, raconteur–sought to resurrect the Pusser's Rum tradition. He obtained the rights and all the blending information from the Admiralty, and formed Pusser's Ltd. on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and began bottling and selling this storied spirit in 1980 to the public for the first time. (Prior to then, it was restricted to the Royal Navy). British Navy Pusser's Rum is the same Admiralty blend of five West Indian rums as issued on board British warships, and it is with the Admiralty's blessing and approval that Pusser's is now available to the consumer.

Today's Pusser's Rum, known as "the single malt of rum" is still produced in exact accordance with the Admiralty's specifications for rum. Unlike most rums, Pusser's uses no flavoring agents. It is 100% natural. In 2001, Pusser's was awarded the "Gold Medal - World's Premier Dark Rum" at the International Wine & Spirits Festival. In 2003, Pusser's Rum won a "Double Gold Medal" at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a Gold Medal at the same festival in 2005.

This special hand cast porcelain ships decanter is laden with the imagery and symbolism of the Royal Navy. Reproduced in detail, the decanters decorative feautures include: The Admiral Lord Nelson Cameo, The Royal Navy Traditional Toasts Cameo, The Rule Britannia Cameo, the Seven Seas Cameo around the base – even the stopper bears designs and insignas which will be familiar to any navy enthusiast. The Traditional Royal Navy Toasts Cameo can be found on the back of the decanter – (In the early days, up until about 1900, the officers also received rum. In the Ward Room of the Officers Quarters, the daily dinner ritual (at noon) was to toast the reigning monarch, which was then followed by the toast of the day. This ritual is still in effect.) The toasts are:

Monday: Our ships at sea.
Tuesday: Our men.
Wednesday: Ourselves.
Thursday: A bloody war and quick promotion.
Friday: A willing soul and sea room.
Saturday: Sweethearts and wives, may they never meet.
Sunday: Absent friends and those at sea.

A note on Ships Decanters…Ships decanters had their beginnings in the early naval sailing ships of the Royal Navy, and it would have been an exception to have found a captain's cabin without one- from the smallest to the largest vessel. The general shape began to develop sometime in the second half of the 18th century, and nothing much is heard of them until a well known British Admiral by the name of Rodney introduced one at a victory celebration on board his flagship following the famous Moonlight Battle and the Battle of the Saints in 1780 and 1782. His decanters had an especially broad base, some of them up to 12-inches in diameter, to ensure stability when used at sea in wardrooms or officers' cabins. It's said that the true test of a ship's decanter is when the shortest distance from the outer edge of the pouring lip to the edge of the base be equal to or greater than the outer circumference of the pouring lip. This was the "Rodney" test.

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