Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Why glasses made for bourbon actually matter

Here's why whiskey glasses matter

By
Whiskey tasting
Lance Reis/Unsplash

If you’re just a casual bourbon drinker, you might pour your favorite whiskey into a rocks glass with some crushed ice and call it good. We’re not here to say that your technique is bad. Everyone enjoys their bourbon differently, and we aren’t the judgmental type. But a master distiller or seasoned whiskey taster might say that by drinking your bourbon like this, you’re not getting remotely as much out of it as you could.

If you enjoy sipping bourbon, you should probably invest in at least one whiskey glass. And we’re not talking about the same glass you use to sip your Old Fashioneds. We’re talking about a glass that was specifically created to be used for tasting whisky. A great whiskey glass will enhance the aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel of your favorite bourbon. Wouldn’t you want to enjoy all the aromas and flavors your favorite expression has to offer?

Whiskey glass
Giorgio Trovato/Unsplash

Why whiskey glasses matter

A well-made whiskey glass is designed to allow drinkers to experience the nuanced, exciting aromas of their favorite bourbon before diving into flavors like vanilla beans, toffee, chocolate, oak, cinnamon, and other spices. Imbibing bourbon with a well-made whiskey glass will completely change the way you think about your favorite spirit. It will crank your experience up to eleven.

Recommended Videos

There are various whiskey glasses to choose from. Each is designed for a particular reason. They include the classic rocks glass (great for cocktails), the Glencairn (great for fans of aroma), the Norlan glass (great for aeration), the Neat glass (great for swirling), and the classic Snifter (a must-have for bourbon drinkers).

Snifter
David Jdt/Unsplash

What is the one glass you need?

While you’ll likely want rocks or old-fashioned glasses on hand for your favorite cocktails, when it comes to tasting, the classic, long-stemmed snifter is a must-have for any serious bourbon drinker. Also known as a balloon glass, the snifter comes in a variety of shapes. We prefer a thinner snifter with a long stem, wide bottom, and narrow top. All three of these characteristics are important when it comes to nosing and tasting bourbon.
The stem, while providing a great grip on the glass also keeps the liquid away from your warm hands. The thick bottom and narrow top are designed to enhance the aromas, thereby enhancing the flavors as well.

Related: 
Upgrade your daily routine with the best smartwatches for men

To get the most out of your bourbon, pour it into the glass and give it a gentle swirl. Nose the whiskey gently and take in the complex aromas. Now, it’s time to sample the spirit. Take a nice sip and hold it in your mouth before swallowing. Let it swirl around your tongue before swallowing.

If you’re feeling really frisky, do a little chewing motion (called the “Kentucky Chew”) to let the flavors completely cover all of your taste buds. If you’re dealing with a higher-proof whiskey, add a few drops of water to open it up even more. The key is to just enjoy yourself. Nose it more, sip it, and just have fun finding new and exciting aromas and flavors.

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional

Editors’ Recommendations

Can you put vanilla extract in coffee? Here’s why it’s a game-changer
Is vanilla extract or vanilla syrup a better choice?
vanilla extract

Vanilla extract is an ingredient that immediately makes me think of baking -- from vanilla pudding to a simple vanilla birthday cake. Until recently, the thought of adding vanilla extract to coffee hadn't occurred to me. Of course, I've enjoyed a cup of vanilla-flavored coffee many times and used various vanilla coffee syrups. In my coffee research, I recently discovered that adding vanilla extract to instant coffee can enhance its flavor.

While this is true for instant coffee, I wondered how vanilla extract would taste when added to traditional drip coffee drinks. So, can you put vanilla extract in coffee? Here's what to know about using this baking ingredient as a way to upgrade your coffee bar.

Read more
Why Japanese cold brew might be the most underrated coffee method
The art of slow-drip cold brew coffee
cold brew coffee

Known for its slow, gentle extraction, Japanese cold brew is a form of coffee brewing that every cold brew coffee needs to know about. Though the process requires patience and time, the slow-drip process ensures a bold, strong cup of cold brew coffee that hits the spot. I recently tried Japanese cold brew concentrate, and I could truly taste the difference. But what exactly is Japanese cold brew and how does it differ from other methods of making cold brew? Here's what you need to know about Japanese cold brew, also known as Mizudashi.

What is Japanese cold brew?

Read more
The secret varietals hiding in your glass of Champagne
Glasses of champagne on a tray

By now, you’re probably aware that Champagne is a sparkling wine produced in a specific region of France, and that the name is proprietary: No other sparkling wines produced elsewhere (even in France) can be called Champagne. You might also know that all sparkling wines are the result of certain processes which preserve some of the carbon dioxide by product of fermentation in order to be carbonized. Obsessives like me will also drone on about other secrets of Champagne, like the kind of yeast used -- which imparts that sublime aroma and taste of brioche. So, if all the other ways Champagne is crafted sets it apart, the same must be true for the grapes used, right? Is there such a thing as a champagne grape?

The answer is an echoing yes, because there’s more than one. Most Champagnes are blended wines. In fact, a lot of wine lovers might be surprised at the actual number of grape varieties permitted to be used in Champagne. Ask any Champagne fan which grapes are used and they’ll likely answer, correctly: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. But there are many other permitted Champagne cultivars – sometimes referred to as “the forgotten four” – as well as one created in this century specifically to combat the fallout from climate change; one which was only permitted to be planted in 2021. So, let’s get into the weeds…or, vines on the grapes used in Champagne.

Read more