The butt (from the medieval French and Italian botte) or pipe is an old English unit of wine casks, holding about 477 litres or rather two hogsheads. 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!
George, Duke of Clarence, the brother of Edward IV of England was drowned in a butt of malmsey, February 18, 1478.
