Ever paid a lot consideration to the vessel that you just drink your whisky from? The form and dimension of the glass that you just pour your favorite tipple in to can vastly alter the expertise.
So, whether or not you’re analysing a whisky at a tasting occasion or just stress-free and sipping away after an extended day at work, we have now take a look at six choices accessible to you. Cheers!
The Glencairn Glass
It looks as if this well-loved whisky glass has been round without end, nevertheless it solely first appeared within the early 2000s. The glass was the brainchild of Raymond Davidson, the founding father of Glencairn Crystal – the designers and producers of high-end glassware and decanters based mostly in East Kilbride, Scotland.
Davidson’s design was born from a frustration that whisky didn’t have its personal form and elegance of glass as different drinks did – suppose the Cognac glass or Champagne flute, for instance.
His inspiration was the glass utilized by Scotch whisky blenders when analysing samples. The slim opening and wider base channel aromas in direction of the nostril, whereas the heavy base provides good stability and weight.
The adaption has become a worldwide traditional for ingesting and assessing whisky, with many proclaiming it as THE just one you need to think about. The Glencairn glass is likely one of the fashionable whisky trade’s success tales, which is simply emphasised by the truth that they promote 5 million of them annually.
The Copita
This glass encompasses a tulip-shaped physique set on a skinny stem and flat base. The copita’s heritage stems from the south of Spain, notably the ‘Sherry Triangle’ area that includes the cities of Jerez, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria. Right here the bodegas would pattern their sherries as they matured utilizing such a glass.
Traditionally the UK was the principle importer of sherry, and the glass adopted the barrels over. It grew to become often called the ‘dockers glass’ because it was utilized by staff on the ports to evaluate the situation of the sherry upon arrival. The copita was later embraced by the Scotch whisky blenders as their glass of alternative for analysing samples, and this stays the case at the moment.
The Tumbler
There’s something deeply satisfying about holding a glass and sipping your whisky from it. The load and form add to the expertise and provides a considerably decadent really feel. Nevertheless it has not all the time been this fashion. The tumbler was so known as because it initially featured a weighted convex curved base and would tumble round if knocked, spilling the contents.
The fashionable flat-bottomed model was developed through the early days of cocktails and stays as one of the vital standard selections accessible. Classic whisky cocktails such because the Negroni and Old Fashioned are served in a glass, which is also referred to as a rocks glass.
Nevertheless, it’s excellent for a very good dram of whisky and particularly for those who drink it over ice.
The Highball
The highball glass is the taller sibling of the tumbler. Very like the tumbler, the origins of the glass form got here out of the early cocktail tradition. The highball shouldn’t be nice for sipping neat whisky, nevertheless it was not designed for that. The slim slender form restricts the aromas if analysing a dram.
Nevertheless, it was designed to be used of making longer, refreshing spirits drinks comparable to Lengthy Island Iced Tea or gin and tonic. The traditional Scotch and soda, also referred to as a whisky highball, works beautifully. It is likely one of the world’s hottest methods of ingesting whisky. Alternatively, strive the Japanese different – the mizuwari. This makes use of nonetheless water reasonably than glowing or soda.
The Norlan Glass
This revolutionary whisky glass was designed to reinforce the whisky ingesting expertise by way of design, science and ritual. The glass was developed in 2015 and was created by famend Icelandic designer Sruli Recht, aided by design retail gurus Brian Fichtner and Shane Bahng. Jim McEwan, the legendary Scotch whisky Grasp Distiller, additionally consulted on the challenge.
Since then, virtually half one million glasses have been bought and Norlan commonly options extremely in shopper opinion polls for whisky glasses. The distinctive design is actually a glass inside a glass. The outer layer stops the whisky within the internal layer warming as you maintain it.
It’s ingenious however be ready to pay the value for this pioneering glass.
The Quaich
OK, so it is a little bit of a curveball as it’s not glassware. However the quaich (pronounced ‘quake’) has lengthy been a conventional vessel for ingesting whisky in Scotland. The origins of the identify come from the Scots Gaelic phrase ‘cuach’, which means cup. First references date again so far as the sixteenth century and have been fabricated from wooden.
Nevertheless, steel quaiches grew to become extra standard and their possession was seen as an indication of wealth and prosperity amongst the Scottish gentry and clan leaders. Later, they fell out of favour and largely grew to become decorative till a current rebirth of recognition.
The quaich is usually used to bind a friendship, which is alleged to final without end after two folks drink from the identical cup and toast one another.