In the United Kingdom, a unit of liquid capacity, identified with the capacity of the typical glass bottle for wine and spirits, about 757.7 milliliters, 2/3 imperial quart. Sometimes called a whiskey quart. It was already a standard in the late 17th century, long before imperial measure was established in 1824, and researchers have suggested that it is a quarter of the wine gallon defined as the volume occupied by 8 troy pounds of wine.
A statute of 1803 says 5 bottles of wine make roughly 1 wine gallon (the wine gallon legalized by Queen Anne, 231 cubic inches, which is the U.S. liquid gallon). Until metrification, in the United States bottles of whiskey and other spirits contained 4/5 quart, or 1/5 U.S. gallon, hence the name “fifth.”
B. E. Moody.
The origin of the “reputed quart” and other measures.
Glass Technology, volume 1, number 2, pages 55-68 (April 1960).
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