Speaking of rot gut wine, and I'm not a wine drinker in the least, reminds me of my early years in the Navy. I worked down in the boiler/engine room and there was always a five gallon jug in both main spaces' bilges. Inside that jug was a concoction that was so nasty that the fumes alone would peel paint. Regardless of how nasty it was, when the fella who mixed it up said it was ready everyone started drinking.
This was done on my first two ships whenever we went out on a 6+ month cruise. We would be out at sea anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. Sometimes longer, and this is when the bilge wine, as we called it, was made and consumed. Only on the 2000-2400 watch or the 0000-0400 watches, and usually on Saturday night/Sunday mornings. The reasons being less people awake to see us stumbling from the pit to our racks and Sundays were normally holiday routine, as in standing watches only, no work day.
Yes, sailors do drink alot. When we would stay out more than 45 days straigt the ship would something called "splicing the main brace". As in every person on board would get two whole beers each! I'd sell mine, though, usually for 10 bucks each. It was always Old Milwaukee which I absolutely hated.