Scottish word which comes from Scottish Gaelic – the literal meaning of ‘dram’ in English is simply ‘drink’, so it doesn’t really have to be just whisky/spirits though it’s normally used for these things.
Donald Maclellan; I know a dram to be 1/13 of a pint which is 43ml which sounds about right. I learnt this from a Scot Gaelic speaker who had a dram measure from pre-1900 passed down through his family so he was very confident of this measure.
A dram was a measure of gold and gunpowder, I think. In relation to whisky, it is no particular measure, although ‘a wee dram’ or a ‘nip’ refers to a standard measure – called a ‘half’ in the west. A ‘glass’ of whisky is a double, and some would say that a ‘dram’ is also a large measure. Best, Charlie (Maclean)
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