🥃 Navy strength gin

Navy strength gin is gin bottled at about 57% ABV, which is 100 degrees proof on the British scale. The name comes from the naval test: the spirit was meant to be strong enough to light gunpowder. There is no separate category in the EU: it is an ordinary gin in which juniper is the dominant flavour, with a strength of at least 37.5% ABV.

The gunpowder test. According to The Gin Guild, gunpowder ignites at a minimum strength of 100 proof (57% ABV), so the fleet's pursers, known as "pussers", used the test to confirm that the spirit met the order. The same guide says gin first went to sea with the Royal Navy in 1793.

How many degrees. Sikes's hydrometer of 1816 equated 100 proof with about 57.14% ABV; the scale became law in 1818. Difford's Guide gives a legend that the true naval strength was 54.5% ABV, and that 57% came from confusion with the English proof; the author found no written evidence. Britain replaced the scale with percentage by volume on 1 January 1980.

Taste. High strength holds the aromas of juniper, peel and spices well, which is why this gin is valued in cocktails. Aromatic oils dissolve better in strong alcohol, but the drink is noticeably hotter.

Why it matters to you. The gunpowder test is not a modern criterion: distilleries no longer carry it out, and "Navy strength" on a label only means a strength of about 57% ABV. Such a serving is easy to underestimate. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.