GBC

Whisky & Industry

The liquid gold of the Scottish Highlands, measured in traditional casks and subject to the legendary Angels' Share.

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Showing 8 items
Whisky & Industry

Blood-Tub

The smallest traditional cask in the cooperage, historically favoured for small experimental whisky ageing batches.

35 Litres (Cask)

Whisky & Industry

Dram

A traditional measure of spirits celebrated as a generous pour in Scottish pubs and distilleries.

Capacity: 0.25 of a gill or 35.5ml

Whisky & Industry

Octave

A structural cooperage masterpiece holding exactly one-eighth of a standard barrel.

50 Litres (Cask)

Whisky & Industry

Quarter Cask

A small cask holding exactly one-quarter of a standard barrel, engineered for rapid maturation.

125 Litres (Cask)

Whisky & Industry

American Standard Barrel

The absolute workhorse barrel of the global whisky industry, heavily charred to release sweet sugars.

200 Litres (Cask)

Whisky & Industry

Sherry Butt

The heavyweight champion of cask ageing, historically seasoned to impart rich dried-fruit notes.

500 Litres (Cask)

Whisky & Industry

Angels' Share

The volume of spirit lost to evaporation through the oak during maturation, reckoned at roughly two per cent a year in Scotland.

Approx. 2% per annum in Scotland; considerably more in warmer climates

Whisky & Industry

Devil's Cut

The spirit absorbed into the oak staves and left behind when a cask is emptied, amounting to several litres a barrel.

Roughly 2–3 gallons per barrel, varying with wood and age

Industry calculators & converters

Tools for traditional maturation, evaporation loss, and the pouring of a dram. For the full page, visit Whisky Measures.

Traditional Cask Volume

Calculate the exact liquid volume of traditional Scottish maturation vessels.

200 Liters

Distiller's Note

"The workhorse of the whisky world—charred inside to impart vanilla and caramel notes that make bourbon barrels the most coveted in Scotland!"

The Angels' Share

Calculate the volume lost to evaporation during maturation (approx. 2% per year).

Calculation Result

After 10 years: 204.3L

(45.7L lost to evaporation)

The Traditional Dram

Two measures share the name. Choose which you mean.

The larger of the two legal serving measures, common in Scotland and in whisky bars.

35
Millilitres (ml)
1.2318
Fluid ounces (fl oz)
0.2464
Gills
0.05
Bottles (70cl)

Did you know?

Before the measures were fixed in law, a dram was whatever the host judged appropriate. A generous pour said rather more about the household than any figure on a bottle.

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