Raise your (correct) glass

This past Christmas my husband was gifted a pair of Glencairn glasses. We’ve had full sized ones before, but over the past year or so we've been slumming it with a few mini Glencairns saved from past distillery tours.

The top of Glencairn glasses are slim and delicate, and Matt’s hands are large… so it’s not a good match up when he’s responsible for washing the dishes. Thus us no longer having full-sized ones.

As we poured our first bit of scotch into the new glasses and sat down to digest the holidays, we were both immediately floored by how different the scotch both tasted and smelled.

We gave each other a glance, and took another sip just to be sure.

It was amazing how different the same scotch tasted in the new, “real” Glencairn glasses vs. the mini ones we'd been using for months.

The scotch was smooth; creamy and floral aromas were present, and perhaps most importantly, the sting of alcohol in the nose that had been so prevalent with our small glasses was completely absent.

How is there such magic in glass shape??

I’m lost… what are we talking about?

A Glencairn is a specific type of glassware which was designed for whisky drinking. It kind of looks like a tulip without a stem. Standing about 4.5 inches tall, it has a big bulb at the bottom which tapers to a smaller opening at the top.

The total capacity of the glass is approximately 175 mL (6 fl oz) of liquid, but it’s really only meant to hold 50 mL (1.7 fl oz). This is a glass for sipping whisky, and without ice.

If you want a mixed drink, you have full permission to use the more common rocks glass or a lowball glass. These are also iconic glasses used for whiskey drinking, especially in the United States.

However, using a tumbler for sipping or tasting whisky, one might miss much of the subtle aromas that waft up out of the glass. The tumbler design does not hold and funnel the aromas as the inward, upward curve of the Glencairn does, meaning it can be a bit harder to properly “nose” your whisky.

(“Nosing” is a such a lovely term, meaning to sniff the aroma so it can be examined and appreciated. Doesn’t it just sound like young love to you? So innocent and pure.)

What’s the history of the Glencairn glass?

Given how old the whisky (and wine and beer) world is, it’s amazing to me that the Glencairn glass is fairly new to it. The glass made its first appearance on the alcohol stage in just 2001!

The glass was created by Glencairn Crystal Ltd in Scotland. Take note*, that is first and foremost a company, which means “Glencairn” is just like “Kleenex” - it’s a brand, not necessarily a base noun.

Drafted by Raymond Davidson, the original design for the glass was meant to mirror the traditional ‘nosing copitas’ used in labs and distilleries around Scotland.

Before releasing it to market, Davidson got approval from master blenders around Scotland; so you know this thing is legit. And since then the “approvals” haven’t stopped pouring in!

(Ha. See what I did there? Pun fully intended.)

In 2006 the glass was awarded the Queen’s Award for innovation, and is also the first whisky style glass to be endowed by the Scotch Whisky Association.

Ultra fancy.

So, does the glass shape really matter?

Let’s say, about as much as the “correct” wine glass does for wine. That is to say, yes, it does change both the aroma and the taste of the whisky.

That being said, if you like whisky, DRINK WHISKY; glass type be damned! If you like your drink of choice, it’s still going to taste good out of a tumbler, a snifter, or a pint glass (but maybe stay away from red solo cups? Not that it wouldn’t taste good, but you know, the planet and all that).

And keep in mind our note* from above. If you’re looking for a good whisky glass, but can’t find Glencairn specifically, you may be able to find a similarly shaped one that’s simply labeled “Whisky Tasting Glass” instead.

Cheers,

Molly

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glencairn_whisky_glass

https://www.glencairnwhiskyglass.com/

https://www.whiskeymasters.org/scotch-whisky-glass