That 14 gallons number raised all kinds of questions for me:
What potency was this gin that could be consumed in this quantity but without killing so many more of its consumers?
How can they possibly produce gin this cheap? Slave labor from the Caribbean?
What would the logistics look like to move this much gin to a population consuming this much? This is the days before motor vehicles so everything would have had to be moved by human or horse/donkey/mule/cow pulled cart. Steam engines wouldn’t arrive for another 100 years. So it was likely animal cart the number of barrels of gin must have been a river of full carts moving into the city and a river of empty ones headed out all the time.
Public sanitation didn’t really exist. Public sewer systems wouldn’t arrive for another 100 years or so so the entire city must have smelled like urine all the time.
With the sheer number of gin containers needed for this volume, did they have a “deposit” on bottles like we have sometimes today? Did they have an underground economy of people collecting empties to trade back in?
Well your going to wish you weren’t so curious with this one. Source of this information: several museum visits around 30 years ago after a pint or three, so the info might be warped.
Gin is a double-distilled 40% or higher spirit flavored with juniper + other flavors.
The source of the alcohol was any carbohydrate or starch source. Whatever was cheapest. It was mostly wheat and barley at the time but just about anything else cheap could be used like rye, turnips, etc. For the cheapest rotgut the ingredients was stuff considered unfit for animal feed (rodent feces, insect damage, molds, water damage, etc).
Since their ingredients were highly questionable, their input cost was minimal. Heating was from coal. They also started making larger batches which further reduced down the cost.
Logistics - Canals at this time period was the most important logistic. One donkey pulling a barge could move as much as 50 wagons. Tons of goods were transported cheaply and efficiently on the barges. The gin was shipped in casks/barrels like beer/ale. Bottles were very expensive and reserved for the elite.
Public sanitation consisted of a gutter on the side of the road. The entire city smelled like the open sewer it was.
The gin was not served in bottles. It was served like beer or ale into cups/mugs/communal tankards etc … mostly earthenware, leather or wood.
Great info on the process of manufacturing. I know that some spirits have to come from some specific carb sources, but it makes sense that if its just goal of mass production of ethanol, then I suppose they weren’t picky about their carb source.
Canals makes a lot of sense for higher volume cargo, thank you.
The gin was not served in bottles. It was served like beer or ale into cups/mugs/communal tankards etc … mostly earthenware, leather or wood.
Would the gin be consumed exclusively in bars/taverns where it could be dispensed into mugs? Even then, the gin had to be in a larger container to be delivered to the tavern, a barrel I presume? Were coopers in crazy high demand always making new barrels or were the empty barrels turned around and refilled?
Not that I’m going to follow through with this, but this has got me thinking about all the waste streams from food production with excess carbs that could be used to make alcohol.
stale bread
skins/peels of various fruits and vegetables from processing to other products like apple juice, baby carrots, potato chips/crisps.
That 14 gallons number raised all kinds of questions for me:
Well your going to wish you weren’t so curious with this one. Source of this information: several museum visits around 30 years ago after a pint or three, so the info might be warped.
Gin is a double-distilled 40% or higher spirit flavored with juniper + other flavors.
The source of the alcohol was any carbohydrate or starch source. Whatever was cheapest. It was mostly wheat and barley at the time but just about anything else cheap could be used like rye, turnips, etc. For the cheapest rotgut the ingredients was stuff considered unfit for animal feed (rodent feces, insect damage, molds, water damage, etc).
Since their ingredients were highly questionable, their input cost was minimal. Heating was from coal. They also started making larger batches which further reduced down the cost.
Logistics - Canals at this time period was the most important logistic. One donkey pulling a barge could move as much as 50 wagons. Tons of goods were transported cheaply and efficiently on the barges. The gin was shipped in casks/barrels like beer/ale. Bottles were very expensive and reserved for the elite.
Public sanitation consisted of a gutter on the side of the road. The entire city smelled like the open sewer it was.
The gin was not served in bottles. It was served like beer or ale into cups/mugs/communal tankards etc … mostly earthenware, leather or wood.
Great info on the process of manufacturing. I know that some spirits have to come from some specific carb sources, but it makes sense that if its just goal of mass production of ethanol, then I suppose they weren’t picky about their carb source.
Canals makes a lot of sense for higher volume cargo, thank you.
Would the gin be consumed exclusively in bars/taverns where it could be dispensed into mugs? Even then, the gin had to be in a larger container to be delivered to the tavern, a barrel I presume? Were coopers in crazy high demand always making new barrels or were the empty barrels turned around and refilled?
Barrels were reused until they could no longer be repaired or salvaged. Cooper’s had steady guaranteed work for their skills.
Consumption was mostly at the public houses/taverns for the lower/middle classes.
You’re thinking of rum on that one.
I am, you’re right. Where did England’s gin come from?
Never looked into making gin, but juniper berries are plenty plentiful!
Not that I’m going to follow through with this, but this has got me thinking about all the waste streams from food production with excess carbs that could be used to make alcohol.