History

The stories of Pirates, the Navy and Pusser's® Rum have been woven together over centuries. As long as men have gone down to the Sea in ships, they have been coming ashore to quiet spots like PUSSERS® LANDING where they can tell and re-tell a wonderfully rich harvest of colourful yarns.
Swashbuckling exploits of dashing young mariners, fighting for endangered lands, national pride or contraband.
For well over 300 years, Great Britain’s Royal Navy issued a daily “tot” of Pusser’s® Rum to the crews of their ships - and always a double issue before battle and after victory! First introduced into the Navy in 1655 as a substitute for beer, by 1731, it was in general use.
And the name Pusser’s®? Nothing more than a corruption of the word “purser”. On board ship, the purser was responsible for ship’s stores - including the rum. Everything that came from the purser was called “Pusser’s®” -- and still is today. Hence the name Pusser’s® Rum!
The history of rum in Great Britain’s Royal Navy was largely that of social change, both in England and the Royal Navy. From 1650 throughout the 18th century, shipboard life was incredibly difficult. The daily issue of Pusser’s® Rum was the highlight of the day. Then, too in those days, battles were fought “eyeball-to-eyeball”. The mental alertness and courage required to pack a cannonball into a muzzle loader were far different from that required to operate the modern weapon systems of today. Thus in 1970, the Admiralty Board decreed that there was no place for the daily issue of rum in a modern navy, and so ended the daily issue of Pusser’s® Rum in the Royal Navy on July 31st, 1970. This date since then, is referred to “Black Tot Day”. The rum issue, one of the longest and unbroken traditions in seafaring history, ended as the last tot of Pusser’s was drunk on board Their Majesties Ships. “Round the world” in every ship of the Navy, glasses were raised in their final salute. ‘The Queen’!”, they said, and it’s no exaggeration to say that at that moment many a strong man shed a tear at the passing of a tradition so old and fine, that was to be no more.
Today in Gibraltar’s PUSSER’S® LANDING you can celebrate your own chapter in the Pusser’s® tradition, enjoy the legendary Pusser’s® Rum and our Pusser’s® Cocktails, sharing good company and good food, while the sun sets on the the past and we build a wonderful future.