High Wine

I found a few definitions for "High Wine". I came to the conclusion that ports in London were awash in goods from ports all over the world. Some of this was alcohol, and some of this alcohol was not high enough in quality to sell or trade. This sub-par hooch was all poured together, re-distilled to make hard alcohol, and repackaged as "High Wine" ("high" referring to the alcohol content). I believe that, at the height of the fur trade, enough high wine was imported for every Canadian to drink a half-pint every day, all year round.