Fight on to end ‘dram discrimination’

Organisers of one of Scotland’s biggest whisky festivals have launched a campaign to bring back the dram as an official measurement.

The organisers of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival had hoped to sell drams at next month’s annual celebration, but claimed that a request to have the dram reinstated as a legal measurement has “been knocked back by bureaucrats”. The organisers, who were told that alcohol can only be sold in 25ml or 35ml measures, claim that being forced to sell whisky in anything other than a dram “is discriminatory”.

Now Mary Hemsworth, manager of the festival, has said that if the dram can’t be brought back, then the current metric measurement should officially be renamed as a “dram” exclusively for the sale of Scotch whisky in Scotland.

Hemsworth said: “The National Measurement Office appears set on the prescribed limit of 25ml and 35ml, so we feel that the only way forward is to press to have these measures officially named a dram – and a large dram – so long as they are used exclusively for the sale of Scotch whisky in Scotland.

“Whisky enthusiasts in Scotland and elsewhere feel very passionately about the word ‘dram’ and its relationship with whisky. We hope that they will join us in pressing for the dram to be legally recognised as a measurement by lending their support. They can do so by joining the conversation on our social media channels, and by posting photographs of menu boards and bars which clearly support the use of the dram.”

Hemsworth also pointed out that European Union commissioners have ruled that butchers and greengrocers can sell goods in both imperial and metric measurements.

She added: “If it’s possible to sell bananas in pounds and ounces, surely they can allow the Scotch whisky industry to sell whisky in drams. Even since the introduction of the metric system, beer and cider continues to be sold in pints so we strongly believe there is a case for parity for Scotch whisky and for it to have its own unit of measurement.

“It seems silly that Scotland’s other iconic food and drink products like haggis and shortbread can be sold in weights other than metric, but the same rules do not apply to the most iconic of all Scotland’s products.

“We feel that this is an important stance for whisky in Scotland. Whisky and the dram have gone hand in hand for centuries, and the very word conjures up images of warmth, hospitality and conviviality. The First Minister has just announced details of key events for Homecoming 2014 – surely these are the qualities that should embody Scotland as a nation as we prepare to welcome the world?”

The dram measurement has not been used for 50 years and festival organisers were told by that National Measurement Office that “the vast majority of businesses and consumers favour the current measurements”.