1827 Wine and spirit adulterators unmasked

18

; and the cost at this time of good fail-

is 22s. Qd.

Brandy from 4*. Qd. to 5s. per gallon, indepen- dently of the usual reckoning of lOd. per gallon as interest on duty : for example

L.

L. s. d. 126 050 184 10

s. 126 046 Cost d. Duty

Duty Cost

.

.

.

.

Advance of money

10

Advanceof money

7 10 per gal.

1

per gal.

Thus, then, the first costs 27s. \0d. per gallon, the latter 28s. 4d.; to which, if we add the expence of cartage, servants' wages, waste of strength, &c. (but without any allowance for the trifling charges of advertising, &c.) as at 8e?. per gallon, it renders the average cost 28*. Qd. and 29s. per gallon. The prices at which this is sold by the equitable Wine Merchant to his private customers is at an advance of from 3s. to 4s. 6d. per gallon ; on which he has to give six, twelve, and, in many instances, since, when in town, I sent my servant to purchase a bottle of brandy and rum, at one of our largest Advertising and Placarding Gin-shops, by way of experiment. On trying their relative strength, I found the Rum thirty-two per cent, underproof, the Brandy I supposed about twenty-eight or thirty per cent, under; but as the latter had been sweetened, which prevents its being proved by the hydrometer, I was obliged to decide by comparing its apparent strength with that of the Rum. The taste of both, however, was so filled up with artificial heat and flavor, that it would be a difficult matter for any one unacquainted with the se- cret to tell, by the palate, whether or no, either of them were not considerably stronger.