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

Why glasses made for bourbon actually matter

Here's why whiskey glasses matter

Christopher Osburn
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

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
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
How to brunch like the French with lobster croissant and champagne
Chef Geoffrey Lechantoux at Maison Close shares his insights on lobster and frog legs for brunch.
Closeup of croissant lobster

The dining room of Maison Close. Maison Close

Brunch, that relaxing weekend breakfast of cocktails, omelets, and conversation with friends, is always a great time. But how about brunch with a French twist? Instead of eggs benedict or a spicy shakshuka, why not foie gras or a lobster brunch? We could all use a bit of luxury sometimes.

Read more
Your guide to the pescatarian diet for healthier living
If you're considering a new way of eating, this may be the perfect diet for you
Pea puree with fish

Are you thinking of changing your diet? If a healthier you is on the to-do list this year, you might consider the pescatarian diet. At its core, the pescatarian diet eliminates all meat except for fish and seafood. Plenty of research tells us eating red meat increases your chances of heart disease and even death by 3% to 7%. The study even suggests that eating poultry twice a week increases these risks by 4%.

You may have heard of the Blue Zone Diet. If you're not familiar, Blue Zones are areas around the world where people live the longest, healthiest lives. The research was conducted by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow and bestselling author. These zones are located in Japan, Italy, Costa Rica, Greece, and California. There are a number of practices you can put in place to follow the Blue Zone Diet if you wish. However, for our purposes, it's simply important to note that the people living the longest and healthiest lives were neither vegans nor meat-eaters. They're pescatarians.
What is the pescatarian diet?

Read more
Cognac vs. brandy: What’s the difference?
Wonder no more about these age-old grape spirits
Brandy in the sunlight

The colossal world of booze is full of questions and dilemmas. Are you drinking a pinot gris or pinot grigio? What's the best glass for that pilsner? How on earth do I make a refreshing cocktail with hibiscus?

Well, here at The Manual, we've got a few answers and tricks that will get you out of any drinks-related binds. One oft-misunderstood topic involves an age-old grape spirit. We're talking about cognac vs. brandy, specifically, and how the two are different.

Read more