Skip to main content

Finally, a Glass Designed Specifically for Top-Shelf Whiskey

Over the past few years, there’s been something of a renaissance in booze-related glassware. In case you haven’t noticed, glassmakers have been revisiting traditional vessel designs and using modern design techniques to optimize them for certain drinks. It’s a wonderful trend, and it’s still picking up steam, but thus far, the unfortunate truth is that purpose-built, drink-specific glassware is still mostly confined to the realm of craft beer and wine. Nobody has really ventured too deep into the world of glassware that’s scientifically optimized for craft spirits — until now, that is.

For the past few years, New York-based upstart Norlan has been developing a specialized glass tumbler designed specifically for high-end whiskey. Much like the new wave of hyper-specific beer glasses, Norlan’s whiskey glass is built from the ground up to accentuate the spirit’s complex flavors and aromatics, and employs a number of unique design elements to improve the overall drinking experience.

Recommended Videos

The first and most obvious feature is the vessel’s double-blown construction. This isn’t just for aesthetics — it actually helps insulate your whiskey from temperature changes and keep it more stable. As a result, ice cubes will melt more slowly in the Norlan glass than they would in a traditional tumbler, which helps keep your dram from getting too diluted.

Related: The Perfect Stout Glass from Spiegelau

Less apparent but equally important is the inner chamber’s unique shape. The glass is designed with a set of special fins that help aerate your whiskey more effectively when you give it a good swish. According to Norlan, “whisky is made up of hundreds of compounds, and with proper aeration the volatile undesirable elements will evaporate faster than the desirable, aromatic and flavorful ones, thus increasing the concentration of the aromatics.”

Last but not least is the vessel’s carefully-crafted brim. Taking a cue from the world of wine, the brim of Norlan’s glass is shaped so that it delivers your whiskey directly to specific parts of your palette. This presumably helps you appreciate all the subtle complexities of the spirit.

Unfortunately the glass isn’t available for purchase quite yet, but Norlan is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for production, so if you back the project now, you can pre-order a pair of the glasses for a pledge of  $38. If all goes well, Norlan expects to begin shipping the glass to backers sometime in April of 2016.

Drew Prindle
Drew is our resident tech nerd. He’s spent most of his life trying to be James Bond, so naturally he’s developed an…
The easiest ways to make hazelnut coffee that actually taste great
3 methods to enjoy hazelnut flavor in your coffee
Cup of coffee

When I think of classic flavored coffee, hazelnut is one of the first flavors that comes to mind. Hazelnut coffee is almost like my version of comfort food, except in coffee form. The slightly nutty, sweet taste of hazelnut works perfectly, whether it's a regular hot coffee or an iced coffee. You can find hazelnut coffee at almost any coffee shop, but it's also super easy to make at home. Here's how to make hazelnut coffee in three ways.

How to make hazelnut coffee using flavored beans

Read more
Why everything you think you know about IPAs might be wrong
Not all IPAs are bitter, pine-bombs
IPA

Take a moment to imagine an IPA. What do you see? What does the beer that you envision taste like? If you immediately think about a golden or yellow, reasonably clear beer with citrus, pine, and a potentially aggressive level of bitterness, you’re painting this complex beer style into a tiny corner.

The IPA you’re describing fits into the India Pale Ale box. But, in my career of writing about beer, I’ve learned that the style is much more than this simplified definition. That description is the iconic and popular West Coast IPA. And I can understand why they are many drinkers go to IPA styles. It’s what many non-IPA drinkers think of the beer style. But this isn’t the only IPA style. And the others vary greatly in appearance, aroma, and overall flavor.
Different types of IPAs

Read more
Tequila is the spirit of the summer—these cocktails prove it
Learn about the best tequila-based cocktails for the warmer months
Paloma cocktail

In the pantheon of warm-weather spirits, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of tequila. Sure, gin adds a floral flourish to mixed drinks on hot, humid days, and vodka is a nice, neutral backbone for sunny day cocktails, but nothing beats the agave sweetness of a well-made tequila when it’s mixed into a balanced, flavorful summer cocktail.

In my decades of writing about alcohol, I’ve imbibed my fair share of blanco, reposado, and añejo tequila. I’ve enjoyed it in shots with lime and salt, neat and on the rocks, and mixed into a variety of cocktails. Over the years, I’ve learned that no hot summer day is complete without a layered, complex tequila-based mixed drink.
The best tequila-based cocktails to drink this summer

Read more