Butt (unit)

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The butt (from the medieval French and Italian botte) or pipe is an old English unit of wine casks, holding two hogsheads (about 477 litres). A hogshead varied in size but today is most commonly 63 US gallons (ca. 238.5 litres), so a butt is now usually 126 US gallons or 105 imperial gallons.

How big a butt or pipe of wine is can also depend on what kind of wine it is:

Madeira or Cape Wine 

92 gallons or 348 litres,

Sherry 

108 gallons or 409 litres,

Brandy 

114 gallons or 431.5 litres,

Port Wine 

115 gallons or 435 litres.

Traditionally, a butt of beer is 162 gallons or 613 litres. That is three, not two, hogsheads of beer.

A 'buttload' is a common American slang term for a large amount not specifically quantified.

Tradition has that George, Duke of Clarence, the brother of Edward IV of England was drowned in a butt of malmsey, February 18, 1478. ^{[1] [2]} It was used in The Cask of Amontillado for describing the Amontillado's size.

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Dukes of Great Britain
2. ^ Biography Channel Duke of Clarence

English casks of wine [1]

gallon	rundlet	barrel	tierce	hogshead	firkin, puncheon, tertian	pipe, butt	tun
							1	tun
						1	2	pipes, butts
					1	1+1⁄2	3	firkins, puncheons, tertians
				1	1+1⁄3	2	4	hogsheads
			1	1+1⁄2	2	3	6	tierces
		1	1+1⁄3	2	2+2⁄3	4	8	barrels
	1	1+3⁄4	2+1⁄3	3+1⁄2	4+2⁄3	7	14	rundlets
1	18	31+1⁄2	42	63	84	126	252	gallons (US/wine)
3.79	68.14	119.24	158.99	238.48	317.97	476.96	953.92	litres
1	15	26+1⁄4	35	52+1⁄2	70	105	210	gallons (imperial)
4.55	68.19	119.3	159.1	238.7	318.2	477.3	954.7	litres

English casks of ale and beer [2]

gallon	firkin	kilderkin	barrel	hogshead	(butt)	(tun)		Year designated
						1	tuns
					1	1+3⁄4	butts
				1	3	5+1⁄4	hogsheads
			1	1+1⁄2	4+1⁄2	7+7⁄8	barrels
		1	2	3	9	15+3⁄4	kilderkins
	1	2	4	6	18	31+1⁄2	firkins
1	8	16	32	48	144	252	ale gallons (ale)	(1454)
= 4.62	= 36.97	= 73.94	= 147.88	= 221.82	= 665.44	= 1164.52	litres (ale)
1	9	18	36	54	162	283+1⁄2	ale gallons (beer)
= 4.62	= 41.59	= 83.18	= 166.36	= 249.54	= 748.62	= 1310.09	litres (beer)
1	8+1⁄2	17	34	51			ale gallons	1688
= 4.62	= 39.28	= 78.56	= 157.12	= 235.68			litres
1	9	18	36	54			ale gallons	1803
= 4.62	= 41.59	= 83.18	= 166.36	= 249.54			litres
1	9	18	36	54			imperial gallons	1824
= 4.55	= 40.91	= 81.83	= 163.66	= 245.49			litres