Monday, December 18, 2006

The Perfect Dram

I don't often write about the books I'm reading. Since I've been blessed with a particularly long commute (over one hour each way everyday), I've become a voracious "reader" of books on tape. I usually devour about one book a week.

That said, I am currently immersed in a lovely book by Iain Banks called Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram. In it, he travels all over Scotland on the pretext of writing a whisky book, when in fact it's really a book on the merits and idiosyncrasies of Scottish life. (And it's a clever excuse to drink some whisky while getting his publisher to pay for it. Genius!) The fact that the book is narrated by a gentleman with a brutish Scottish accent makes it all the more appealing.

In it, Banks describes the quintessential definition of "dram", attributed to a distillery employee named Willie, at the Isle of Jura distillery. I liked it so much, I had to share it here:

dram (drăm) n. 1. A small drink, as of a liqueur. 2. A measure of whisky that is pleasing to both the guest and host.

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