Rigmorole started a discussion
11 years ago
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What's a "dram" to you?
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HughesDePayens replied
The initial topic went from the size of your pours to a strange rant about pharmaceuticals. Interesting. XD
Anyway, on the topic of pours... I don't measure, but I do it to the thickest part of a glencairn, pretty much.
11 years ago 3Who liked this?
Wodha replied
There are drams and there are "healthy drams" which in my house are more akin to gills.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gill_(unit)
As Paul McCartney famously penned "All I need is a pint a day". I've always thought he was talking about Single Malt.
11 years ago 1Who liked this?
Nolinske replied
Will I think the rant is pointless...I tend to have about a 2oz pour. That is about the midway point on the wide part of the Glencairn glass
11 years ago 1Who liked this?
YakLord replied
Generally 25mm, or sometimes to the widest point of whichever glass I happen to be using at the time. Helps reduce the per unit cost of my bottles and makes them last a bit longer...
11 years ago 2Who liked this?
Jonathan replied
@rigmorole Are you aware that the organization (CCHR) that made the film that you linked to is a front group for the Church of Scientology?
11 years ago 0
Rigmorole replied
No, I wasn't aware of any connection, Jonathan, but it makes sense, I guess. Thanks for pointing that out. Your observation is quite interesting.
I'm not a Scientologist, but I have done some completely unrelated research about Scientology which I would be happy to discuss with you in a private message. I am particularly interested in L Ron Hubbard's potential connections to Aleister Crowley, early NASA leadership, and a few other weird odds and ends.
Be this as it may, the hard facts listed by the documentary on our pharma-dependent culture are quite damning and stand on their own. Even an organization like Scientology is capable of offering positive feedback in our society that is worth paying attention to simply for the hard facts cited. I enjoy data and hard facts. It's amazing how few hard fact are are cited by the major media these days, and how little investigative journalism is done. In many ways, our media has become a sort of quasi-religious bastion in its own right, not terribly unlike some transmogrified offshoot of Scientology with its own favorite buzz words, operant conditioning, and outright mind control.
I mentioned the bit about pharma's anti-depressants and certain other forms of "medication" in my text about "what a dram means to me" because I feel it has (often negatively) usurped the whisky industry to some extent. Whisky cannot be patented, whereas pharmaceuticals certainly can and always are. This gives the companies that manufacture them a corner on the market.
A dram of whisky to me is indeed quite versatile. It is not merely a glass with whisky in it. Rather, it is a way to relax and unwind at the end of my day. Sometimes, this fits in a therapeutic and/or medicinal form of "dramming" and sometimes it's just all good fun. Either way, a dram to me is something to enjoy and use sensibly and smartly. "Dosage" is a part of that. Yes, I was interested in how much a typical pour is for the readers of this discussion.
That's why I initially started the discussion: to see what an average of whisky into a dram measured. And then I got to thinking more philosophically and medicinally about the aesthetics of just what a dram represents.
11 years ago 1Who liked this?
Russ replied
The widest point on a Glencairn glass for me.
My eyesight isn't what it used to be, and not getting better, so that dram may soon be an overflowing Glencairn glass.
11 years ago 4Who liked this?
Rigmorole replied
I've also found it advantageous to use a Glenmorangie whisky glass when I would like to oxygenate my dram faster. It has a nice wide top, heavy bottle and ideal sides that bow outward. For some reason, it really accelerates the airation process.
11 years ago 0
Abunadhman replied
My usual pour is 1/2 gill (2 1/2 fl.oz. imp) and that is, most times, enough.
11 years ago 0
goldfilm replied
My dram is right in the middle of a Glencairn glass belly, where it gets wider. It's probably between 3 and 3.5 cl.
11 years ago 0
WhiskyBee replied
What @goldfilm said. Although if it's cheaper or lower ABV, a little bit higher. If it's more expensive or higher ABV, a little bit lower.
11 years ago 0
ppelletier replied
Well I already mesured and at the widest part of the Glencairn, it is 1½ once. Perfect serving for me.
11 years ago 0
GotOak91 replied
In my glencairn, a dram usually consists of 1.25-1.5 U.S. Fluid Ounces. Just enough to sip and savor.
11 years ago 0
StevieC replied
Usually 2 ounces x 2 measures (sometimes 3)......enough for a slight buzz. :)
11 years ago 0
Over the years, I've gotten so that I usually pour about 1.5 ounces (45 ml) into my glass out of habit. Depending on what I pour, I may or may not add H20 to it. When I do add water, I try to add room temp water that I keep in an open jar so that the chlorine evaporates overnight before I put a little in my whisky in the later afternoon or evening. Usually, I drink out of a Glencairn. For me, that's most often what I think of as a "dram."
Reading a good book or enjoying a conversation with my wife and/or friends are two of the best ways to occupy myself while I drink. Sometimes when I drink and watch TV or a Netflix video, I can end up drinking more drams than I would prefer. Ditto with eating in front of the "idiot box." When I'm depressed or upset, I can also end up downing a few more drams than I would have preferred.
This said, I have no problem with drinking alone. Sometimes, it can be really enjoyable, relaxing, and a terrific way to wind down after a busy day. For those folks out there that take anti-depressants and meds due to "stress" etc., I can say this: why not try switching to a good quality scotch instead? It's much cheaper and far more enjoyable. If you can do so, why not tell "big pharma" to take a flying leap into a dry sand pit and choke on a mouthful? I feel quite good about supporting my favorite distilleries in Scotland. I wonder if folks who are on the fence about pharmaceutical solutions to stress ever think about whom they are supporting. There's nothing like a good scotch to help one's troubles fade momentarily from view. The act of sipping and savoring the scotch is, in itself, therapeutic and constructively enjoyable.
Can the same be said for popping a Xanax? I very much doubt it. Alprazolam (Xanax) is arguably the most overly prescribed and the most misused benzodiazepine on the U.S. retail market, but there are plenty more pills that get in the way of enjoying life. I know from watching some of my friends lose their senses of humor and their ability to savor life, instead turning numb emotionally and intellectually even from "sensible" doses of pills that were prescribed to them by their doctors after they answered a few questions on a form that were more than a little leading in terms of the way the questions were designed. I also happen to know that quite a few doctors still get kick-backs from pharma companies. In addition, a lot of these companies help to keep doctors "educated" about "cutting edge" techniques and discoveries in medicine. The following film is worth watching if you are interested in the subject: www.youtube.com/watch. I find "big pharma" to be fairly predatory in the way it affects modern society in "industrialized" countries.
As for my type of relaxation (which is sometimes a form of "medication" and sometimes not) most nights, I stick with one dram of single malt scotch. Three can leave me tossing and turning a bit at night. Two is usually fine, depending on what I've eaten that day and whether I've exercised at all. On days when I eat too many carbs and don't exercise, even 100ml of quality scotch can be too much of a good thing. I usually sip a scotch or two about 4-5 evenings per week. Tonight, I'm going to refrain because I went to a fun event with some friends at a pub yesterday afternoon/early evening and ended up drinking four imperial pints of very good pilsner over the course of the event.