Tests by trading standards officers have suggested that almost half the measures of spirits being sold in pubs, restaurants and hotels were short.
Twenty local authorities assessed 217 licensed premises across Scotland, testing 415 spirit samples.
In 45% of cases customers were given less than the stated amount of drinks like whisky, gin, rum or vodka.
Pubs are required to sell spirits in quantities of 25ml or 35ml, and must display which measure is being used.
Of those tested, 190 premises were found to be selling their customers short measures.
The Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland, which conducted the study, said that the pattern of short measures was spread consistently throughout the country, with no real differences between urban or rural areas.
'Varies enormously'
Among the worst offenders were licensees in Stirling and Clackmannanshire, where 54% of the samples tested came up short.
As a result, seven licensed premises in the area have been issued with written warnings, while one pub is likely to be reported to the procurator fiscal and could face prosecution under the Weights and Measures Act 1985.
Neil Chalmers from the area's Trading Standards Service said overly large measures were also a problem.
He said: "One licensed premise in the Stirling area was found to be supplying 60% more than expected.
"The police and health authorities in particular are urging people to drink responsibly and to know their limits. This can be very difficult if the amount of alcohol being supplied in pubs varies enormously each time.
"The extremes of measures at both ends of the spectrum show that more work needs to be done by the licensed trade to ensure that all staff are trained to provide more accurate measures.
"Scottish consumers need to have confidence in the accuracy of the measures supplied in licensed premises, for all types of alcohol."
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