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.

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
Pumpkin beer is everyone’s fall obsession, but these ales actually taste good
Some pumpkin ales aren't really that great, but these are
Pumpkin beer next to pumpkins

Certain annual indicators show that fall is here. One is (if you live somewhere that has seasons) the leaves on trees begin to turn from green to yellow, gold, red, and orange before eventually slowly tumbling to the ground. The other is massive Halloween candy displays weeks (if not months) before the holiday takes place (not to mention the Halloween costume pop-up stores). The last is pumpkin-spiced everything, specifically pumpkin beers.

There's no beer style more divisive than pumpkin beers. Either you’re totally stoked when you see them back on the shelf or you get an awful shudder through your body when you glimpse them. Fans of the style love the "pumpkin pie in a glass" nature of these indulgent fall beers. Haters believe they’re overly sweet, pumpkin-spiced garbage in a pint glass. This article isn’t for these folks.

Read more
How is beer made: Everything you ever wanted to know about the basics of beer
How is beer made?
Beer

If you’re just a casual beer drinker who simply enjoys sipping a nice pilsner or an IPA from time to time, you might not think about what beer is. You probably know that at its core, this alcoholic beverage is made up of water, barley (or other grains), yeast, and hops. But that’s an oversimplification. Beer is so much more complex than that.

Contemporary beer is much more than the yellow, fizzy, mass-produced beer that your grandpa drank. There are currently more than 100 different beer styles, including lagers, ales, stouts, porters, wheat beers, IPAs, and so many more. Add to that, over 9,000 breweries are operating in the US alone with many brewers innovating and creating new and exciting beer styles every year. That’s an awful lot of beer.
What is beer?

Read more
How to froth milk without a frother — you probably already have what you need
You probably already have other kitchen tools that you can use for milk frothing
Coffee with milk froth

Milk froth is undoubtedly an essential component of a variety of beverages, from macchiatos to lattes and even tea drinks. Frothing milk creates a rich, velvety texture that creates the perfect smooth drink. If you're looking to become your own at-home barista, learning how to froth milk is a must. But what do you do when you don't have a milk frother?

Milk frothers are handy little tools that create a thick, light foam by using a battery-operated device. As helpful as this device is, there are many other ways to froth milk without a milk frother on hand. Interestingly enough, you're likely to already have many other kitchen devices that work just as well for frothing milk to make your delicious drinks. In this guide, explore everything you need to know about how to froth milk without a milk frother.
What can I use instead of a milk frother?

Read more