Pusser's Launches Limited Edition Nelson Trafalgar Bicentenary Decanter
Pusser's Rum, the original navy rum and the rum of Great Britain's Royal Navy for 330 years, has produced 18,000 limited edition Nelson Trafalgar Bicentenary Decanters to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Nelson's colossal victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21st, 1805. On that day, Great Britain's Royal Navy won its greatest victory and lost its greatest hero, Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. His colorful story and a full description of the decanter and the significance of each of its decorative panels are recounted in a 16-page booklet that accompanies the decanter.
Tortola, British Virgin Islands (PRWEB) April 22, 2005 -- Pusser's Rum, the
original navy rum and the rum of Great Britain's Royal Navy for 330 years, has
produced 18,000 limited edition Nelson Trafalgar Bicentenary Decanters to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Nelson's colossal victory at the Battle of
Trafalgar, October 21st, 1805. On that day, Great Britain's Royal Navy won its
greatest victory and lost its greatest hero, Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson.
His colorful story and a full description of the decanter and the significance
of each of its decorative panels are recounted in a 16-page booklet that
accompanies the decanter.
Each decanter is hand decorated using coloured
glass inks that have been permanently fired into the porcelain. The aged
Pusser's Rum in the Bicentenary Decanter comes from a limited number of
specially selected barrels. These were set aside to age in oak casks more than
15 years ago for this auspicious occasion that is being widely celebrated in
many of the English speaking nations around the world. Each decanter has been
numbered on its bottom.
There are four major designs around the body of
the decanter. The first is the Pusser's Navy Rum logo with its reference to
"Nelson's Blood". Pusser's Rum is also known to the Navy as "Nelson's Blood". In
the heat of battle at Trafalgar, Nelson was mortally wounded by a French
sharpshooter. As he lay dying, he requested that his body not be thrown
overboard as was the custom in those days. At the end of the battle, legend has
it that they placed his body in a large puncheon (cask) of Admiralty rum to
preserve it for the long trip home. Upon arrival at Portsmouth, his pickled body
was removed, but most of the rum was gone. The sailors had drilled a small hole
at the base of the cask, and drank all the rum, thereby drinking of "Nelson's
Blood" which became synonymous with the name Pusser's Rum. The expression is
still popular in the Royal Navy today when alluding to Pusser's Rum.
The
remaining three intricate designs depict scenes from the three greatest naval
victories that Nelson led or in which he played the major role: the Nile 1785,
Copenhagen 1801, and, of course, Trafalgar 1805.
There are three smaller
cameos on the shoulder: Nelson, H.M.S. Victory, his flagship at Trafalgar, and
Victory's coat-of-arms figurehead.
The Killick's Anchor, the official
anchor of the Royal Navy, is countersunk in gold on the top of the stopper. The
flags around the edge of the stopper are a reproduction of the famed flag signal
that Nelson flew from his flagship for his fleet just before entering battle:
"England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty"
The Rope Bumper around
the decanter's base is Victory rope and was produced in Chatham, England, at the
ropery, and on the same machinery, that made all the original rope for H.M.S.
Victory when and after she was launched in 1775.
"I'm an avid Nelson
historian and we have developed this decanter to truly pay tribute to this great
leader and sailor. He was certainly the greatest fighting admiral the world has
ever known, a brilliant tactician, a leader loved and respected by his men, and
courageous to a fault. The world today would have been a very different place
today if Nelson had no prevailed at Trafalgar," said Charles Tobias, founder of
Pusser's Rum Ltd.
"Pusser's Rum is proud of its Naval roots. We don't
just play lip service to our maritime heritage, Pusser's Rum is the real thing.
And to date, more than half of this company's profits have gone to support naval
charities and projects that are restoring and protecting the maritime heritage
of the free world."
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).
On July 31st, 1970, the Admiralty Board abolished the daily
issue of Pusser's Rum. In 1979, entrepreneur Charles Tobias resurrected the
Pusser's Rum tradition. He obtained the rights and all the blending information
from the Admiralty and formed Pusser's Rum Ltd. on Tortola in the British Virgin
Islands. He began bottling and selling Pusser's Rum to the public for the first
time in 1980. Prior to then, it was restricted to the Royal Navy.
Today's
Pusser's Rum is still produced with the blend of five West Indian rums in exact
accordance with the Admiralty's specifications. Unlike most rums, it is
predominantly a "pot-stilled" rum. The distillation process is similar to that
used for single malt scotches, which produces greatly enhanced flavour. It is
100% natural, and yet without any flavoring agents or additives, it is known for
its full, rich flavour that is unsurpassed.
To back this up, this
Pusser's Rum, the father of all navy rums, has gained recognition as a world
quality premium spirit. In the only two prestigious competitions it has ever
entered, Pusser's won a gold medal at the International Wine & Spirits
Festival, London, 2001; and the Double Gold at the San Francisco World's Spirits
Competition, 2003, both testimony to its quality.
If you are unable to
find Pusser's Rum near you, ask your local spirits dealer to special order it
for you. If you wish to know more about the colorful history of Pusser's Rum
visit the Pusser's web site at: http://www.pussers.com.
For a high resolution photos of
the Nelson Trafalgar Bicentenary Decanter please visit:
http://www.broadswordcommunications.com/pussers/index.htm
For
further information on Pusser's Rum contact:
Charles Tobias Pusser's Rum Ltd.
Tel: (284) 494 3184
E-mail: e-mail protected from spam
bots
Alastair Abrehart
Broadsword Communications
Tel: (284) 495
1090
E-mail: e-mail protected from spam bots
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb231903.htm