Steve- I'm pasting in below the response I got from the lady at the company that makes the reproduction rum.  I've never opened mine or had a taste of anyone else's from back then so I don't have anything to compare to their descriptions on their web pages.  I replied to her repsonse with the account of how we came to get it and included your 676 web page.  Depending on what I get back from her maybe we should consider seeing who else from the boat still has their rum or even just the container (I very rarely ever drink hard liquor now, beer is a rough as it gets). Dear Brent, What an interesting letter!  It appears that you have an original demijohn produced for the Royal Navy. Although there is no absolute way to determine if the spirit is still potable, if the cork is still intact and not wet or otherwise compromised, it is almost surely still fine. We had some time getting approval to sell British Royal Navy Imperial Rum in the United States.  As you are probably aware, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is the government agency which regulates the sale of alcohol.  Since a demijohn (4.54 liters) is a non-standard size in the US, we first had to prove that it was bottled prior to a certain date in order to get it "grandfathered" in.  The US also requires that a label be permanently affixed to the container as well as requiring the "government warning".  We therefore designed the metal labels which were literally wired on to each demijohn by hand. In the US, the only legal way to sell alcohol is for the supplier to sell it to a distributor who sells it to a retailer who eventually sells it to a consumer.  Everyone gets their mark up along the way. This is a long way to answer your question regarding the value of your demijohn.  Obviously, we feel that it is worth approximately $6,000 at the retail end.  In the end, an item is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. The liquid is 108 proof--very dark, almost black.  It's aroma will fill a room.  It is made from pure pot still rums from Jamaica and Guyana.   I hope you enjoy your Royal Navy Rum, a little piece of history in a bottle. I received a very similar letter to yours several months ago.  Again from a US seaman in Gibraltar.  What a coincidence. If you send me your address, I will send you a BRNIR brochure.  It will give you some more details about your demijohn. Sincerely, Roseann Sessa Vice President - Marketing