When discussing how best to enjoy your whisky, conversations will usually revolve around nosing and tasting techniques, the merits of adding water and the endless debates surrounding ice and mixing. Equal consideration should also be given to the glass we use.
Just as whisky fans are spoilt for choice when it comes to drams available, so too is there an abundance of options when selecting what to drink from. And surely a great whisky also deserves a great glass?
However, what makes a great glass is just as subjective as what makes a great whisky. Some glassware is geared towards enriching the whisky experience by enhancing the aromas detected on the nose, while others are better suited to a more relaxed drinking scenario.
Essentially there’s a whisky glass for every occasion, so below we’ll run through the pros and cons of some of the most common glassware used for serving whisky.
GLENCAIRN
The Glencairn glass is probably the glass most associated with whisky; indeed, it was the world’s first to be designed with whisky appreciation in mind. It’s a fairly ubiquitous item, found in almost every whisky bar and distillery gift shop around the world. If you’re reading this I’d bet the most treasured bottle in my collection that your lips have sipped from a Glencairn before.
Glencairns are designed to maximise the experience of nosing a whisky. Its most notable feature is the fact that glass tapers towards the top allowing the aromas to collect around the mouth of the glass. The wider bowl of the glass and short stem allow the drinker to swirl the dram which helps to release further aromas, especially when water has been added.
It’s an industry favourite for a reason. In fact the Glencairn glass is so synonymous with whisky, particularly Scotch, that the silhouette of a Glencairn is incorporated into the logo of different whisky festivals, bars and memorabilia.
However, it’s these features that are also some of the drawbacks of its design. The concentration of aromas at the top of the glass also leads to an increased volume of ethanol compounds when you’re nosing. Seasoned whisky drinkers are no doubt used to this ‘alcohol prickle’, but it can be off putting for some.
Also, if you prefer your whisky with a cube of ice then the Glencairn glass won’t be for you. The narrow nose makes adding ice or whisky stones difficult. Similarly, the relatively low capacity of the glass makes it unsuited to mixing.
In short, the Glencairn Glass excels in what it’s designed to do. However, it lacks versatility and there are other (usually more expensive) glasses that are perfecting what the Glencairn pioneered.
COPITA
The posh cousin to the Glencairn glass, the tulip-shaped copita glass shares some similar design features to the Glencairn. Both glasses taper towards the top, though the narrowing is less pronounced with a copita glass. Nevertheless, the effect is the same: increased concentration of aromas at the glass-mouth.
One of the main points of difference is the longer stem on a copita. This helps keep polluting smells, such as those prawn cocktail crisps you had with your lunch, further from your nose when trying to appreciate the aromas of your dram. It also serves to keep your hand away from the bowl of the glass, avoiding any unwanted warming of the liquid.
Copita glasses have traditionally been used for sampling sherry in Spain and have become increasingly used within the whisky industry. Most notably it is the favoured glass of legendary whisky maker Richard Paterson.
Unsurprisingly, many of the criticisms that can be levelled at the Glencairn are shared with the copita. It’s ideal for appreciating the nuances of a dram, but the concentration of alcoholic compounds can still be an issue. Similarly it’s another glass that doesn’t lend itself to adding ice.
The long stem also isn’t for everyone. If you’re not used to the type of glass it can be actually be cumbersome despite its delicate appearance.
NEAT GLASS
The NEAT glass is another whisky glass aimed at appreciating the aromas a spirit has to offer. NEAT stands for Naturally Engineered Aroma Technology and is the result of over nine years of study and experimentation.
The body of the glass is a short, wide bowl that beings to taper before opening again with a wide lip leading to the glass’s rim. It’s an eye-catching design whose peculiar aesthetics I haven’t done justice with my description.
This design helps address some of the issues with the previous two glasses by helping to reduce the alcohol prickle. The harsh ethanol molecules are separated from the molecules that offer the enticing aromas we desire in a dram. As such, the NEAT glass is increasingly used in spirits-judging competitions around the world.
Each glass is hand blown and lead-free. The sturdy, weightier feel of the NEAT glass also makes it appealing to some consumers.
On the other hand, the glass itself is quite divisive. Its trademark wide rim can be off-putting and it is far from the most natural glass to drink from. Like the copita, the NEAT glass isn’t necessarily a sessionable receptacle.
WHISKY TUMBLER
So far the glasses discussed have been geared towards nosing a whisky to enhance the drinking experience. However, none of them are necessarily ‘everyday’ whisky glasses. Step forward the whisky tumbler.
Arguably as iconic and recognisable as the Glencairn glass, the tumbler - or Old Fashioned glass - is as common as its stemmed and taper-mouthed brethren.
Tumblers are typically short, sturdy glasses with a wide mouth. These are versatile and often stylish glasses ideal for adding ice, crafting cocktails, or simply just enjoying a dram without the complication of determining whether your nose is detecting notes of chestnuts that have been lightly or heavily roasted.
There are an abundance of variations of tumbler, such as the rocking glasses with rounded bottoms, but they essentially function the same way.
With that said, one of the joys of a good dram can be its complexities. The wide mouth of a tumbler means there’s more air in the glass and the aromatic compounds can get lost. As such they are unsuitable for ‘proper’ nosing - you’ll never see a blender using a tumbler when testing samples.
NORLAN
Another hi-tech drinking vessel, the Norlan glass was designed to provide the best whisky nosing/tasting experience without sacrificing the typical comfort you’d get from a ‘normal’ glass or tumbler.
Norlan glasses are handblown and utilise a unique double walled design. The inner, tulip-shaped glass perfectly aerates the spirit, releasing the offensive ethanol compounds and leaving behind the appealing aromatics (there’s a great visual explanation of the science behind this aspect of the design on their website).
What sets the Norlan apart is the second, outer-glass. This section is rounded and sits perfectly in your hand as a tumbler would. The second wall also helps keep unwanted warmth away from your whisky.
While the Norlan hits the sweet spot between comfort and an enhanced nosing experience, it’s also not the most practical piece of glassware. Its recommended that ice isn’t used in a Norlan to help prevent damage to the inner glass. And, stepping into the realm of first-world problems, it’s also not machine washable for the same reason.
Norlans are also probably the most expensive glasses covered so far. It’s up to you to decide if your dram’s worth it.
BEST OF THE REST
Snifter glasses are small, rounded glasses with a short stem. They’re typically used for cognac or brandy but can be good for whisky too. In terms of advantages and disadvantages, snifter glasses weigh up in a similar way to tumblers: comfortable with a certain ‘cool’ factor (imagine yourself in the finest smoking jacket, casually swirling your dram in a room of old books and leather chairs - the picture of sophistication), but their shape can allow harsh alcoholic notes to overpower subtler aromas.
The Bhlas glass was designed over 40 years ago by the team at The Whisky Lodge in Lyon, France. Initially intended for master blenders, they have recently been made available to the public too. In terms of design, from the bottom the Bhlas starts like a typical wine glass. A long stem leads to a bowl shaped glass that begins to taper before leading to a narrow mouth akin to the shape of a Glencairn.
I’ve not tried a Bhlas glass myself, but one review said that they detected less alcohol heat from the same dram than they did when using a Glencairn glass. One’s enjoyment of the Bhlas will no doubt depend on your level of comfort with the stemmed-goblet design. Perhaps a whisky glass for wine drinkers?
Smokehead are a whisky who market themselves as rebels pushing beyond boundaries. They look to continue this with a collaboration with glassmaker Elliot Walker. Working alongside Walker (winner of the second series of Blown Away on Netflix), the iconoclastic Islay brand seek to “rethink and reimagine” the typical whisky glass. The winning design will be produced later in the year. Who knows what to expect - the final product could be so groundbreaking that it makes the rest of this article redundant.
We’ll also give a special mention here for the Highball glass - the taller, slimmer brother to the tumbler. Another glass best suited to mixing, it’s particularly known for as the ideal glass for serving a Scotch and soda. However, if you specifically want to wrestle with the subtleties of a particular dram we’d recommend using a different glass.
Finally, we come to shot glasses. Less ‘best of the rest’, more ‘saving the worst to last’. We typically opt for the ‘there’s no right way to enjoy your whisky’ approach here, but there’s definitely a wrong way and this is it. If you’re going to pour your dram into a shot glass just to throw it down your gullet, we recommend that you put the cork back in the bottle, the glass back in the cupboard and take a long hard look at yourself.