Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival’s campaign to legalise the dram as a measure for Scotch whisky gathers support

A campaign to have the dram legalised as a measurement for the sale of Scotch whisky is gathering momentum.

Organisers of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival say they have been inundated with messages of support for their effort have the 25ml measurement renamed as a dram.

They believe that public support is weighing down heavily in their favour, and hope that a final push from the thousands of international visitors who are expected to attend the Festival next month will help them reach a successful outcome.

Organisers wrote to the National Measurement Office to ask for the dram to be reinstated so that revellers would be able to walk into any bar and ask – legally – to be served a dram.

But when officials said alcohol could only be sold in metric measurements and they could not support a dual measurement system, the Festival launched its bid to have the 25ml and 35ml measurements renamed a dram and large dram respectively.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival manager Mary Hemsworth says the campaign has sparked an important debate about a word which is synonymous with Scotland and Scotch whisky.

She says, “We have had messages of support for what we are trying to achieve from as far afield as California and Australia. People do genuinely feel a huge affinity for the dram and they are telling us that they would like to see the dram gain official, legal recognition.

“It has been clear from the debate being generated that people have very different ideas about what size a dram should be. Some people are saying the 25ml measure should be a nip and the 35ml measure should be a dram, while others are telling us that to limit the dram to a 25ml measure may seem a little stingy.

“The people who visit the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival come from all over the world, but they all have one thing in common – an incredible passion for Scotch whisky. We intend to listen to their thoughts during the Festival and if they truly do support this campaign, we will go back to the National Measurement Office to ask them to listen to the will of the people.”

In olden days, the dram measurement was about the size of a teaspoon. Mrs Hemsworth says the Festival is not advocating a return to that measurement as it would undoubtedly be unpopular with whisky lovers.

She adds, “The most important thing is to have a legally recognised measurement called the dram because the very word is so important to the Scotch whisky industry and synonymous with Scottish hospitality.”

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival takes place from May 2-6 and is a celebration of everything connected to Scotland’s national drink. It takes place annually in Speyside – a region home to more whisky distilleries than any other part of Scotland – and this year almost 400 events are on the programme.

Visitors will be able to tour distilleries including several not usually open to the public, nose and taste classic malts, learn how to pair the amber nectar with food, and dance the night away at ceilidhs.

There’s also the opportunity to enjoy the stunning scenery with ‘drambles’ across the countryside, take a trip on the whisky train and gain a unique perspective of the region’s distilleries on a canoe tour of the River Spey.

Tickets for this year’s Festival are on target to break records, with a huge rise in the number of visitors coming from the USA, Canada and Scandinavia. Further information about the programme and where to get tickets are available at www.spiritofspeyside.com

Notes:

The Save Our Dram Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/SaveOurDram and on Twitter @SaveOurDram

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is committed to promoting responsible drinking. Visitors needing to travel to and from festival events can take advantage of a range of transport options including a taxi voucher scheme (sponsored by Diageo) providing festival goers with a 25% reduction on fares with participating operators, various pre-bookable dedicated bus shuttles and even a “Dram Line” off-road Argocat taxi for a day long distillery tour.

The Festival also runs several competitions and awards including the prestigious Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards as well as the Benromach Spirit of Speyside Whisky Photographic Competition

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has received funding from EventScotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is also financially supported by many other private and public partners

EventScotland: EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org

About the Year of Natural Scotland 2013: Year of Natural Scotland 2013, the third of four focus years, is a chance to highlight Scotland’s great natural assets. It provides an opportunity to celebrate our reputation as a land of outstanding beauty, and encourage responsible tourism in Scotland. The aim of Year of Natural Scotland 2013 is to promote Scotland’s stunning natural beauty and biodiversity, and promote ways in which visitors can enjoy our beautiful landscapes, wildlife and heritage responsibly. More information about the programme can be found at: www.visitscotland.org.uk The Year of Natural Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative led in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL.