You’ll most often hear people talk about how they’re going to enjoy a dram of Scotch or pour themselves a wee dram, which is a unit of measure not often used in the United States. It usually refers to a “small amount” but it actually has a definition according to the U.S. Customary System. A US fluid dram is an eighth of a fluid ounce, 60 min (minim, about a drop) or around 3.7 mL of liquid. It is actually smaller than a teaspoon, which is measured as 80 min, so chances are someone is pouring themselves several drams of whisky. 
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Dram
If you do any reading about Scotch, or whiskey in general, you’ll often read people talk about having a dram of Scotch. Intuitively we know it’s some measurement, that we pour a bit of the golden (or amber or whatever, depending what you prefer!) elixir, call it a dram, and go about our merry way enjoying it.
But, what exactly is a dram?
Historically, a dram was a coin, a unit of mass, and a unit of volume.
For volume, it’s an eighth (1⁄8) of a fluid ounce.
So there you have it, a dram is an eighth of an ounce… but in reality it just means “a wee bit” when you talk about Scotch. No one is holding a measuring spoon when they measure out their drams!
(Photo: stephangeyer)
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Dram