Drinking whisky (like the magnificent bastard you are) is an art that needs to be enjoyed. Not only is there a whole world of whisky to learn about, with several countries around the world producing bottles with their own unique tastes and textures, but just being able to relax in a chair (an Eames, ideally), savour the taste, and enjoy a cigar or two is every gentleman’s idea of paradise.
But the whole look can be ruined if you drink your whisky from the wrong glass. Yes, when it comes to drinking the oesophagus-burning good stuff, there are distinct rights and wrongs with regards to glassware. You can’t simply reach for any old tumbler in your cupboard. Instead, you need a proper whisky glass. Don’t argue with us.
When shopping for whisky glasses, you’ll likely come across the terms old fashioned and double old fashioned. The naming comes from the classic whisky-based cocktail, but with regards to the ‘double’ prefix, this type of glass is usually two ounces (60ml) larger than its single rocks glass sibling.
The larger size lends it to be better suited to cocktails with ice, whereas the single rocks glass is what you want when you’re sipping on a neat pour. It’s not wrong per se to drink a neat pour from a double glass, it will just look slightly out of proportion.
However, there are also other whisky glass variations, with official titles, that have their own respective properties. Old fashioned tumblers have a wider opening at the top, which whisky boffins claim doesn’t focus on the aromas of the spirit so well.
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In order for your sense of smell to be truly satisfied, you should be looking for glasses such as the Glencairn, developed by Glencairn Crystal in Scotland, UK. The Glencairn glass fuses together the best of everything in whisky glassware, with a heavy bottom akin to the old fashioned rocks glass, with a curved upper to focus the aromas, similar to a nosing copitas glass.
Mini Glencairn glasses are commonly used at distilleries for serving samples.
And when you’re spending good money on a bottle, you shouldn’t settle for some cheap glassware either, but something that is just as much a piece of art that can be displayed through a glass-fronted cabinet, as it is a functional glass.
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Here are the best whisky glasses for whisky worshippers to add to their collections.
Waterford
Price: From $80
Waterford is an Irish maker of crystal and glassware. Named after its home city and founded in 1783 (but closed for 100 years in 1851) the company certainly knows how to make fine whisky glasses.
A large portion of Waterford’s range are the double old fashioned style, but this duo of Lismore Connoisseur Diamond glasses are large enough to hold whisky-based cocktails, ice or whisky with a splash of water, but not so large that a neat pour will look out of place. They’re hand-crafted from “the finest crystal” and have some real heft to them making them feel all the more substantial.
Sempli
Price: From $53
Los Angeles-based glassware company Sempli is very much a design-focused brand. After all, why settle for run-of-the-mill whisky glasses when you could have something functional yet elegant. That’s exactly Sempli’s mission, with founded Daniele Semeraro drawing on his dual-citizenship of Italy and Sweden.
The Cupa Rocks glasses are designed and produced to fit perfectly in the hand, allowing you to swirl your whisky to release its aromas with ease. The edge upon which the glass can lean on provides a perfect 2oz/60ml pour, so no need for a jigger or other measuring device, and they’re hand-blown in Florenc,e, Italy. Simply stunning.
LSA International
Price: From $42
LSA International is a brand founded in London over 50 years ago by Polish man Janusz Lubkowski. Seizing the opportunity to infiltrate London with not just mouthblown glassware, but products from other materials such as natural wood and leather, LSA quickly found a loyal audience. The company is run today by his daughter, who continues to adjust the stylings of its products with each season. The same craftsmanship and quality remain though.
The Boris tumblrs, bought as a pair, have a 250ml volume, putting them bang in the middle of the ideal size for a single rocks glass. The nature of the design means they have a base with some real heft, which only adds to their appeal. You don’t want whisky glasses that are flimsy and feels like they could break at any second, do you?
Iittala
Price: From $48
Iittala is a Finnish brand of glassware that, in typical Scandinavian style, makes great use of minimalist design. Glassware collections make use of patterns or colours, and in select cases, both, meaning there is a collection for all tastes and home décor.
The Eva Solo glass is mouth-blown and sports an unusual sloped design. It’s not just to make it look pretty though, as the slope allows the flavours of your whisky to really come to the fore (and provide an easier route into your mouth, of course).
Royal Doulton
Price: From $68
Royal Doulton is one of the most well-known glassware and ceramic companies to come from the United Kingdom. Founded in 1815, the company didn’t take its current name until 1901 when it received a Royal Warrant from King Edward VII. Royal Doulton ceramics have since appeared in the 2018 Mary Poppins remake and the James Bond films.
Clearly being a company to encourage dinner parties, their Mode whisky glasses set comes with six glasses and a decanter, so you can channel your inner Don Draper and offer a drink to your friends. Design-wise, they’re perhaps more modern in their approach than you would expect from a company such as Royal Doulton, but it provides more universal appeal.
Riedel
Price: From $39
Austrian glassware manufacturer Riedel was founded in 1756. Its primary focus is to develop various styles of glassware that enhances the flavours of different wine grape varietals (although some publications cite Riedel’s claims as complete nonsense).
Nonetheless, this Vinum glass is said to be the perfect suitor for single malt whisky. The result of several design workshops conducted in 1992, the Vinum rocks an out-turned lip that claims to highlight the sweet flavours of your single malt.
Normann Copenhagen
Price: From $55
Normann Copenhagen was founded in 1999 as a design company with a, particularly Danish flair. Products include furniture, textiles and lighting (you may recognise the Norm 69 lamp) all of which encompass simple, yet contemporary design.
This set of whisky glasses was designed by Rikke Hagen for the brand, and exhibit a typical Nordic style. A wide opening helps to emphasise the natural aromas of whatever whisky you pour in and being mouth-blown, are of incredibly high quality.
Corkcicle
Price: From $25
Corkcicle is a relatively young company having been founded in 2010. It may be a brand with no common ties to glassware, however, Corkcircle has always been interested in the idea of keeping things cold in interesting and inventive ways. It’s perhaps best known for its range of insulated bottles to keep liquids hot or cold, and everything it makes is reusable and sustainable.
The Whisky Wedge is Corkcicle’s modern take on whisky glasses. You get an Old Fashioned glass and a wedge-shaped separator. With that inside the glass, simply fill the glass with ice, freeze it for a few hours and you’re left with a perfectly solid wedge-shaped piece of ice that you can pour your whisky onto to enjoy chilled, without diluting too much.
