I prefer adding one of those baby bottle “nipples” to the bottle and slurping it down the way nature intended us to drink single malts: straight from the teat.
Hey Phil, Vietnamese here, Sơn Tinh is the name of a fictional character in Vietnamese folklore and in this case, is the name of the local distillery as well. Sadly, they don't make this type of glass anymore, I'm not even sure if they're still in operation, I can't even find them.
My wife got me a custom whiskey glass set, that comes with ice cube sphere molds that fit the glasses. It’s so nice using them because they are designed to let the whiskey flow under the ice , and yeah they are just so unique.
Hi Phil, I came across your channel not long ago and really appreciate your approach. As usual, nice and comprehensive coverage. Possibly a matter of habit but my own preference goes for a small cognac glass (150 or 250 ml). The curvature allows good nosing, the stem reduces heat transfer from your hand and it’s easy to drink from - less of throwing the head back. Good for appreciation and enjoyment!
Hi Ajay, it is exactly the same for me, I started and still use the "Copita" when I do a tasting, but when I just want to appreciate it in a relaxing way I go for the Sniffer (brandy/small cognac) they work very well. The glass it's more resistant and easier to clean. Cheers. 🥃👍
Thanks Ajay. Oh I do own one of those, but I didn’t know how common it is, so didn’t mention it. Great to know people are using it and can get hold of them though!
That’s a great collection of whisky glasses, Phil. When I started Whisky Riffs, I used the Norlan glass for my tastings. But because they’re expensive and I only owned a pair of them, I had to switch to Glencairn glasses for tasting more than two expressions in a video. My casual whisky drinking glass is a tumbler/rocks glass. As you pointed out, the Glencairn head tilt is way too much effort for me when I’m drinking an evening dram. Cheers!
Thank you so much for including “Drinkability” in your assessments. Although your focus is on eye-contact, for me this is a VERY important criteria as I have C3-C7 cervical fusion in my neck, meaning I can’t tip my head back at all.
Hello Phill, I really enjoy your channel and I'd like to add my comment on what I drink my single malt from, firstly I have a Glencairn which is really good for nosing . But living in Scotland and in my seventy year I can tell you there is nothing more satisfying than drinking my favourite malt from an 18thc silver quaich. I appreciate that I am very fortunate to be able to do so but it has taken me many of hard saving to aquire the rare Scottish silver I now own. Nothing is more satisfying than looking at the golden colour of the whisky in contrast of the deep patina of an old silver quaich and as I hold it I imagine all the other hands who have held it. I'm not trying to be elitist or posh I was an ordinary working class man brought up in Glasgow.
Great video Phil. For the longest time, i have been drinking out of a rocks glass and recently Glengoyne had a bottle that came with the Glencairn glass. It really helped bring out the flavors and smell from the scotch, and I only use it for trying new whiskey.
I'm not very good at sussing out all the notes in whiskey (yet?), so I've started using two glasses. I'll start with a Glencairn to get the nose, but I still prefer drinking whiskey on ice, so after I've spent a few minutes with it in the Glencairn, I'll pour it into a tumbler for sipping. Silly, perhaps, but gives me a little bit of both worlds for now.
I personally use tulip shape glass, something like glencairn, but with stem. I really enjoy smelling whisky from this glass, do my next buy will be glencairn.
Hi Phil, thank you for the overview of the different glass types. Here in Germany, we tend to make some kind of science out of it. There are german producers of glassware, who also make great whisky nosing glasses. If you can get your fingers on it, I recommend the following glasses for comaprison (all on the appreciation side), they are all some forms of copitas but with tulip formed bodys: Spiegelau Premium Whisky Snifter - price is comparable to the Glencairn and for that price a really great glass Eisch Jeunesse - a little pricey, comes in pairs in a tube, which makes it easy to travel with them Eisch Unity Sensis Plus - very pricey, also comes in a tube but as a single glass Zwiesel Alloro Whisky - Even more pricey than the Sensis Plus, comes in pairs and with lids Compared to the price, the Spiegelau may be the best choice of the glasses. But truth is, the more expensive glasses really can make a difference. There is a saying in Germany: don't het cheap on interfaces. The whisky glass is the interface between you and the whisky. If you drink really expensive whisky, why choose an inexpensive yet good glass, when you can get an expensive but great glass? For tastings I recommend the Spiegelau glass. But if you really want to get the last bit out of a great whisky, try the Eisch Unity Sensis Plus or the Zwiesel Alloro Whisky.
Excellent video and overview as ever Phil. Thank you very much for pulling this together. I love Glencairn's but I think one glass that might trump it is Stolzle Luasitz. Just a little wider in the bowl and narrower at the rim, with a stem and good sized round base. Stands up to dishwasher treatment and is the same price as a Glencairn (at least here in Canada). Def one to add to the list!
i love that you got a chance with the Norlan tumbler. I've been on the fence about getting one for a while. I have had their standard one but despite it being a great all rounder I want somethign with a little more weight. I've broken a couple of the standard glasses. I find them great but very fragile
Thanks! I definitely love the norlan tumbler more than the standard one. I feel like the Glen Cairn does a better job for nosing, but the norlan tumbler is excellent for drinking with ice. The weight is incredible too. It feels way more well built. Expensive though!
@@FirstPhilWhisky aye, expensive is an understatement, but so are most things that make a statement 😉. Personally, although i'd love one, i think i'd prefer to spend my whisky.
Hi Phil, a good take on different whisky glassware 👍. Basically I use either a glen cairn or a copita ( which I actually prefer) glass for appreciating / nosing etc but sometimes I just like to sip a whisky without thinking about it then I use my nice crystal rocks glass. Slàinte Phil
Since I am a sophisticated whisky enjoyer I used a fairly standard nosing glass. That's not a bad choice at all. I get some other kind of glasses with some gift packages or as a gift after a destillery tour, but I just ignore them. But now I have some Cairngorm glasses and I love them. They fit in the right spot between the aromatic side and the usability (cleaning, durability and so on).
When i started to get in to Whisky i bought a Whisky Set from Amazon, because i wanted a Wooden Box where i can safly Transport two Glases in a Backpack so i can enjoy my Whisky anywhere. Then i found out about the Glencairn glass, for some reason i never bought a Set of them🙈 Its defintly the perfect Mix between the fancy nosing glass and the Tumbler.
The Tuath glass has supplanted the Glencairn for me at this point, mostly because I find the latter really punches me in the nose with alcohol vapors. The Tuath is also easy to drink from without tossing one’s head back. It doesn’t feel all that physically hearty, however, although I’ve never dropped one.
On a trip through a bunch of distilleries in Scotland and Ireland we were given many glasses, mostly glencairn glasses but also min-glencairns which are not like the tiny glass in the video but rather still have a thick glass "foot" on them so you can hold it without warming the whisky. I thought we'd never use them but they're what we use most because often we just want 30 ml of whisky and a regular glencairn is made for more. The regular glencairn however is better for nosing as the differential between the widest part and the mouth is larger.
I have found that a port wine glass works great for everyday sipping. Nothing fancy, super durable, small and easy to clean. Not great for nosing, but if you are familiar with the whisky is isn't a problem. Great video!
Hi Phil, I've compared the Norlan whiskey glass to the Spiegelnau Snifter ending up to the following conclusions. Compared to the Spiegelnau Snifter or the Glencairn, the Norlan whiskey glass is less suitable for capturing and differentiating the flavours. The latter do not reach the nose as concentrated as with the Snifter and partially bypass the nose. The other downside of the Norlan is that you can't warm up the whiskey with your hands if you wish to do so. When drinking, however, it is an exceptionally good glass because of its larger diameter and thicker rim. When ingested, the whiskey wets the tongue over a large area, releasing a firework of aromas without having to spread the whiskey around the mouth. That said, I strongly recommend to have a go with the Spiegelnau Snifter who doesn't only shine with its elegant appearance compared to its rivals but allows to nose, explore and differentiate the flavours even better than with the Glencairn or the Norlan. In addition, the rim of the Snifter opens slightly up towards the outside which, like the Norlan, allows the whiskey to flow widely over the tongue. Considering the price of around 10 euro each, it has IMHO the best price/value ratio for such a well thought whiskey glass I've seen so far. www.spiegelau.com/en/shop/special-glasses-spirit/whisky-snifter-premium-4460167
The Norlan “Glass”. God I hate that thing. Overpriced, plastic feeling, dribbly to drink from. Shite. Love a good Copita or Glencairn. Just found your channel. Loving the content. Nice job! Cheers from across the ditch. 👍🏼👏💪🏼🥃
Great video and information! I just started really getting into whisky this past year and recently found your channel. I am starting to explore your past videos and really enjoying them! Thanks First Phil!
Another type of glass that fits squarely in the middle is the McKenzie tasters. They are pretty solid in the hand, but also nose pretty well. I really enjoy them for a more casual dram
Whiskey already comes with the best glass included. It's called a bottle 😂 My sense of smell sux, especially after covid, so nosing for me is kinda secondary. Therefore I just use a variation on 'on-a-rocks' glass. Great taste is what I'm looking for 👍
The “this one here glass “ which you never gave a proper name for ,and glanced over rather quickly , turns out is probably the best of the bunch and certainly should occupy a spot closer to the middle !!!! Very versatile in a variety of different situations .
Yeah it’s great, part of why I own one. It’s my ‘movie watching glass’. Feels great and has a great nose too. Easy to over pour a dram though, so I like it if I’m sipping only one whisky in an evening. I wouldn’t use it for tastings for that reason.
Regarding the 1920s-style blender’s glass, blenders generally nose malts diluted to about 20% abv or less and don’t drink the samples. It’s a specific purpose glass and IMHO not great for general purpose nosing at home, or even for professional use. As far as I know they are not used by blenders any longer, a sherry copita being the glass of choice. They are also very fragile as you said. I’ve broken two, even with careful handling, so I don’t bother with this type of glass any more - they are even more fragile than the hand-blown Riedel cognac glasses. They do look very cool however 😎
I’ve had a few comments about the Riedel. It’s a shame I don’t have one, it sounds like the best of both worlds. That’s very true, I do find the blenders great for old subtle whiskies that have lost abv from the angels share though. Apart from that, I’m reaching for the Glen Cairn or copita.
It's an honor that my whisky I've sent you is chosen to features the 1920 blenders glasse. I'm happy if you enjoy it. Good video as always. I personally use often the glencairn. I have the blenders one too but I don't use much. Too complicated to use (and wash). Cheers
Thanks mate! It is an incredible whisky, from what I read it is the old design, which was the better version apparently too. I’m lucky to have , thanks again!
Budget nosing, tasting and drinking whisky glass - all in one? Consider a traditional turkish tea glass (ask google 😎). A plain one without decorations, and preferably crystal. I can get them below 1 USD/EURO each in turkish/kurdish fruits&vegetables shops around Norway at least, and they are worth a try.
I would just point out that blenders' nosing glasses like that are almost always used to nose diluted spirit - so even 40% ABV whiskies would be pretty full-on when nosed neat from a such a narrow opening. Which then gets onto the whole discussion about whether you should dilute whisky when appreciating/nosing it and, if so, by how much.
Great point. That’s why I only really use it for old whiskies that are closed off and have lost abv due to the angels share. Any other whisky I’m reaching for the Glen Cairn or Copita
People severely underate rocks glasses for tasting. Pour 1.5- 2 oz into the glass; swirl it a bit; and hold it at a 45 degree angle. You can get your nose right down on the alcohol and then pull it up to the top of the glass for different scents. It also gives you plenty of room to move nostril to nostril at different level in the glass. Everytime I do private tastings people pull more scents and flavors out of a rocks glass then anything else.
I wonder, do you have a recommendation on a whisky travelkit? Like a suitcase with foam in it to protect your glass and have a rum-like or squared Jack Daniels like bottle to store your whiskey.
An Irish friend of my in Beijing has a dozen of those Vietnam glass (Without the logo tho) you were talking about in his office. Drinking from those feels pretty comfy. Let me ask him where did he get his, I lowkey missed how that glass made me less snobby while I can still enjoy the drum. It's the perfect option for triple distilled whisky like greenspot or rosebank. I might be able to get you a box or two after covid when I come back to NZ. That is if you want them :)
Over the years I have switched backwards and forwards from the Copita to the Glen Cairn. Recently however, I have seen a new glass enter the market which, at least here in Israel, seems to be gaining a lot of fans. The "Riedel Vinum Cognac Hennessy" glass . The modern Cognac snifter glass is similar to a Copita but wider and taller and with a rim that goes out slightly at the top. I actually picked mine up at Ardnamurchan (Adelphi) distillery. The distillery did not have any whisky to sell me at the time but did have these beautiful glasses with their name on them. I fell in love with these glasses almost immediately and now use them all the time.
You completely left out one of my fabourite criterias: super-thin glass. Most of the glasses you showed are quite thick and that makes the tasting feel "unrefined" to me. It's hard to put i to words but there's something about thin glass that just feels so much more delicate and refreshing. I don't care much for "nose" glasses i feel like people put their nose inside and that's gross. I use baccarat cristal and hand blown wine glasses.
My friends and I both find it's much easier to wash glasses in the dishwasher and safer unless the glass can't be supported for a very rare reason. I've lost glasses to hand washing, never to a dishwasher. None of us find the Norlan to be worth it. It is a great idea but it is just not as nice to drink from or oddly nose from. Riedel fire tumbler is oddly the best tumbler I've drunk from. I really like using this for Lagavulin 16 and bourbon. Best glass for holding but not the nose, the Turkish tea glass. It's nice to drink from though. As for speciality glasses my friends swear by the Riedel Veritas Spirits glass/ Riedel Spirits glass. Most still use Glencairns mostly. I really like the Spieglau whisky glass (the bigger version not the 180ml one). Rivals the Riedel Cognac stemmed glasses for me. If I'm out I'll generall favour wine tasting glasses or as close to. For whisky tasting: Spieglau > Riedel spirits/cognac> Copita> Glencairn > Norlan > Turkish tea glass For whisky drinking : Spieglau > Riedel fire > Riedel other > Turkish tea glass > Copita > Glencairn > Norlan I will say for whisky drinking mostly it is the Spieglau which is closer to a normal wine glass. If I want ice Riedel fire wins otherwise it ends up being a spur of the moment choice. I even sometimes use small brandy glasses which are remarkably close to Glen cairns is function. The difference from Copita to your anything else isn't massive. But for stemless a Turkish tea glass is a surprisingly comfortable glass. Riedel and Spieglau crystal glasses do impact flavour, it's just different. I thought it was rubbish but I bought riedel fire glasses because they look awesome... Then I found they actually nose quite well and the whisky was... better. Less noticeable on cask strength whiskies though. On the Norlan I borrowed it for two weeks, tried it a couple of times but never found a wow or a reason to have it. Compared to, glencairns it just didn't win on anything in particular, if I could get crystal Turkish tea glasses with a thinner lip I'd probably pay for that...
Why use a glass when you can just drinking it straight from the bottle or with a straw? I use a Glencairn for reviewing but a Reidel Spey glass for casual drinking. I like the look and the feel if the Reidel Spey glass and if I want to add ice the diamond cut of the glass masks cloudiness of the whisky. Cheers! 🥃P.S. As a whisky reviewer, the best glass to use is whatever most of your audience is using so that you are smelling and tasting it the same way they do.
I always drink out off a glencairn glass. Because nosing the scotch is very enjoyable for me too. Almost as enjoyable as drinking. Drinking clynelish 14y old right now. I still have ardbeg 10, ledaig 10 and lagavulin 8 . Tomorrow I will have some bruichladdich classic laddie and an 8y old barley too plus a bunnahabdain 12 and 1 I don't know yet. Almost forgot Arran 10 too ! I share a lot with my grandmother so no it's not for me alone. And yeah we just like to drink scotch. I live here without paying rent so I have saved a lot off up money because off that Any recommendation off what scotch I should definitely buy?
i have one piece of a Norlan, and its definitely a head turner with its double layers... The only thing that bothers me about the Norlan is the very thick rim which was immediately obvious coming from the standard glencairn.
YES! We've gotta hold up the Irish end of things. You've got to find yourself one of these, Phil! :). Tall, elegant, special grip, sits on it's side without spilling. :)
I don't believe you covered if you noticed any differences in taste. You mentioned that wine tasting glasses and it's commonly accepted that glass or cup shape can control flavor perception beyond aroma through how the fluid is funnelled into your mouth and how it controls contact with your tongue before swallowing! This is getting more explored in beer and coffee as well. Some glasses can have differences in aroma but none on taste, some could have some differences on taste but none on aroma! I guess diving into taste would make more sense when only focusing on the options on your "appreciation" side of the spectrum as well as the options not covered that would fall there.
The Norlan glasses are absolute junk. I was careful, never put them in a dishwasher, and the two I had both shattered in my hands while washing delicately.
Norlan is overpriced somewhat and is drippy when compared to Glencairn. I spilled my scot the first time using it and took some care to seep to avoid spilling again; definitely less enjoyable using it and I ended up going back to my Glencairn.
The Brandi glass is even better than Glenn Cairn, The flavor of the whiskey is better and the smell opens up because I think the Glenn Cairn condenses it too much, too concentrated for any whiskey over 90proof. Luxbe - Brandy Whiskey Crystal Glasses Snifter,
Hey Phil ‘ love your videos ‘ I’ve actually made you a very cool whisky glass (I make embedded glassware) ‘ how can I send it to you ? I think you like it ‘ I can send you a picture if you like ‘ thanks for all your content ‘ 👍
please stop with the heat transferal thing because it's been debunked online. The most fragrances are achieved at a slightly elevated temp. and it takes upwards to a half hour to heat a glass to that of body temp which is to high but no one holds a glass for that period. All of this bunk is for about 20 years ago with Glencairn propaganda to sell their glasses. There is and huge article and science experiment online about this and proves slight elevation in temp is the optimal way for the most fragrance notes to be detected. I think it's around 80 degrees. I wish people would stop echoing propaganda online about not heating whisky as if it would ever get to ones body temp anyway. Glencairn has made a fortune running a hustle on body heating up whisky B.S.
Thanks Koh. Yeah that’s why I was saying I’m not convinced. Glass isn’t a good conductor of heat anyway, but it makes much more sense in the reverse like with the norlan if you use it for hot coffee. Heat transfer is way down the list for me.
I had a massive rant about it at the start of the video, which I cut out because I though people wouldn’t be interested. Maybe I should of left it in 🤔
Wait...you mean you aren't supposed to drink from the bottle?
I prefer adding one of those baby bottle “nipples” to the bottle and slurping it down the way nature intended us to drink single malts: straight from the teat.
This is the way 😂
This is the way.
Liquor bottles are designed to drink from the bottle if it doesn't have a pour stopper.
Hey Phil, Vietnamese here, Sơn Tinh is the name of a fictional character in Vietnamese folklore and in this case, is the name of the local distillery as well. Sadly, they don't make this type of glass anymore, I'm not even sure if they're still in operation, I can't even find them.
Ah thanks for the info! Sad you can't get it anymore though!
My wife got me a custom whiskey glass set, that comes with ice cube sphere molds that fit the glasses.
It’s so nice using them because they are designed to let the whiskey flow under the ice , and yeah they are just so unique.
Hi Phil, I came across your channel not long ago and really appreciate your approach. As usual, nice and comprehensive coverage. Possibly a matter of habit but my own preference goes for a small cognac glass (150 or 250 ml). The curvature allows good nosing, the stem reduces heat transfer from your hand and it’s easy to drink from - less of throwing the head back. Good for appreciation and enjoyment!
Hi Ajay, it is exactly the same for me, I started and still use the "Copita" when I do a tasting, but when I just want to appreciate it in a relaxing way I go for the Sniffer (brandy/small cognac) they work very well. The glass it's more resistant and easier to clean. Cheers. 🥃👍
Thanks Ajay. Oh I do own one of those, but I didn’t know how common it is, so didn’t mention it. Great to know people are using it and can get hold of them though!
That’s a great collection of whisky glasses, Phil. When I started Whisky Riffs, I used the Norlan glass for my tastings. But because they’re expensive and I only owned a pair of them, I had to switch to Glencairn glasses for tasting more than two expressions in a video. My casual whisky drinking glass is a tumbler/rocks glass. As you pointed out, the Glencairn head tilt is way too much effort for me when I’m drinking an evening dram. Cheers!
Thank you so much for including “Drinkability” in your assessments. Although your focus is on eye-contact, for me this is a VERY important criteria as I have C3-C7 cervical fusion in my neck, meaning I can’t tip my head back at all.
Oh wow, that really does highlight the importance of it
Hello Phill, I really enjoy your channel and I'd like to add my comment on what I drink my single malt from, firstly I have a Glencairn which is really good for nosing . But living in Scotland and in my seventy year I can tell you there is nothing more satisfying than drinking my favourite malt from an 18thc silver quaich. I appreciate that I am very fortunate to be able to do so but it has taken me many of hard saving to aquire the rare Scottish silver I now own. Nothing is more satisfying than looking at the golden colour of the whisky in contrast of the deep patina of an old silver quaich and as I hold it I imagine all the other hands who have held it. I'm not trying to be elitist or posh I was an ordinary working class man brought up in Glasgow.
Great video Phil. For the longest time, i have been drinking out of a rocks glass and recently Glengoyne had a bottle that came with the Glencairn glass. It really helped bring out the flavors and smell from the scotch, and I only use it for trying new whiskey.
Fantastic. Thanks Vignesh!
I'm not very good at sussing out all the notes in whiskey (yet?), so I've started using two glasses. I'll start with a Glencairn to get the nose, but I still prefer drinking whiskey on ice, so after I've spent a few minutes with it in the Glencairn, I'll pour it into a tumbler for sipping. Silly, perhaps, but gives me a little bit of both worlds for now.
I personally use tulip shape glass, something like glencairn, but with stem. I really enjoy smelling whisky from this glass, do my next buy will be glencairn.
Hi Phil,
thank you for the overview of the different glass types. Here in Germany, we tend to make some kind of science out of it. There are german producers of glassware, who also make great whisky nosing glasses. If you can get your fingers on it, I recommend the following glasses for comaprison (all on the appreciation side), they are all some forms of copitas but with tulip formed bodys:
Spiegelau Premium Whisky Snifter - price is comparable to the Glencairn and for that price a really great glass
Eisch Jeunesse - a little pricey, comes in pairs in a tube, which makes it easy to travel with them
Eisch Unity Sensis Plus - very pricey, also comes in a tube but as a single glass
Zwiesel Alloro Whisky - Even more pricey than the Sensis Plus, comes in pairs and with lids
Compared to the price, the Spiegelau may be the best choice of the glasses. But truth is, the more expensive glasses really can make a difference. There is a saying in Germany: don't het cheap on interfaces. The whisky glass is the interface between you and the whisky. If you drink really expensive whisky, why choose an inexpensive yet good glass, when you can get an expensive but great glass?
For tastings I recommend the Spiegelau glass. But if you really want to get the last bit out of a great whisky, try the Eisch Unity Sensis Plus or the Zwiesel Alloro Whisky.
The glencairn copita is easily my favorite. It does a much better job for nosing, in my opinion, than the regular Glencairn does. Very fragile though.
We came back from Scotland with two of them well packed and one made it. I loved it but I don't use the other one because of how fragile it is.
Excellent video and overview as ever Phil. Thank you very much for pulling this together. I love Glencairn's but I think one glass that might trump it is Stolzle Luasitz. Just a little wider in the bowl and narrower at the rim, with a stem and good sized round base. Stands up to dishwasher treatment and is the same price as a Glencairn (at least here in Canada). Def one to add to the list!
i love that you got a chance with the Norlan tumbler. I've been on the fence about getting one for a while. I have had their standard one but despite it being a great all rounder I want somethign with a little more weight. I've broken a couple of the standard glasses. I find them great but very fragile
Thanks! I definitely love the norlan tumbler more than the standard one. I feel like the Glen Cairn does a better job for nosing, but the norlan tumbler is excellent for drinking with ice. The weight is incredible too. It feels way more well built. Expensive though!
@@FirstPhilWhisky aye, expensive is an understatement, but so are most things that make a statement 😉. Personally, although i'd love one, i think i'd prefer to spend my whisky.
Excellent video and a very complete treatment of the spectrum. As usual your content is so enjoyable, Phil.
I find the glass makes a huge diff, cool informative vid.
Hi Phil, a good take on different whisky glassware 👍. Basically I use either a glen cairn or a copita ( which I actually prefer) glass for appreciating / nosing etc but sometimes I just like to sip a whisky without thinking about it then I use my nice crystal rocks glass. Slàinte Phil
I feel the same way. Cheers David!
Since I am a sophisticated whisky enjoyer I used a fairly standard nosing glass. That's not a bad choice at all. I get some other kind of glasses with some gift packages or as a gift after a destillery tour, but I just ignore them. But now I have some Cairngorm glasses and I love them. They fit in the right spot between the aromatic side and the usability (cleaning, durability and so on).
When i started to get in to Whisky i bought a Whisky Set from Amazon, because i wanted a Wooden Box where i can safly Transport two Glases in a Backpack so i can enjoy my Whisky anywhere.
Then i found out about the Glencairn glass, for some reason i never bought a Set of them🙈
Its defintly the perfect Mix between the fancy nosing glass and the Tumbler.
I don't see heat exchange as a disadvantage, I like heating it up a bit.
Nice video. I prefer the tumbler for drinking, and the cairn for first nosing/tasting a new whiskey.
Thank you so much Phil for this lovely video!
The Tuath glass has supplanted the Glencairn for me at this point, mostly because I find the latter really punches me in the nose with alcohol vapors. The Tuath is also easy to drink from without tossing one’s head back. It doesn’t feel all that physically hearty, however, although I’ve never dropped one.
On a trip through a bunch of distilleries in Scotland and Ireland we were given many glasses, mostly glencairn glasses but also min-glencairns which are not like the tiny glass in the video but rather still have a thick glass "foot" on them so you can hold it without warming the whisky. I thought we'd never use them but they're what we use most because often we just want 30 ml of whisky and a regular glencairn is made for more. The regular glencairn however is better for nosing as the differential between the widest part and the mouth is larger.
I have found that a port wine glass works great for everyday sipping. Nothing fancy, super durable, small and easy to clean. Not great for nosing, but if you are familiar with the whisky is isn't a problem. Great video!
Thanks Adam! I like the port glasses too. I have a great crystal one from a grandparent. Love it
Love my Glen cairn crystal tumbler. Also got a Glen cairn nose glass with The Quiet Man logo on it.
When I saw you pull the 16 Longmorn out I knew this was going to be another great video.
It’s an incredible whisky
Hi Phil, I've compared the Norlan whiskey glass to the Spiegelnau Snifter ending up to the following conclusions.
Compared to the Spiegelnau Snifter or the Glencairn, the Norlan whiskey glass is less suitable for capturing and differentiating the flavours. The latter do not reach the nose as concentrated as with the Snifter and partially bypass the nose. The other downside of the Norlan is that you can't warm up the whiskey with your hands if you wish to do so. When drinking, however, it is an exceptionally good glass because of its larger diameter and thicker rim. When ingested, the whiskey wets the tongue over a large area, releasing a firework of aromas without having to spread the whiskey around the mouth. That said, I strongly recommend to have a go with the Spiegelnau Snifter who doesn't only shine with its elegant appearance compared to its rivals but allows to nose, explore and differentiate the flavours even better than with the Glencairn or the Norlan. In addition, the rim of the Snifter opens slightly up towards the outside which, like the Norlan, allows the whiskey to flow widely over the tongue.
Considering the price of around 10 euro each, it has IMHO the best price/value ratio for such a well thought whiskey glass I've seen so far.
www.spiegelau.com/en/shop/special-glasses-spirit/whisky-snifter-premium-4460167
The Norlan “Glass”. God I hate that thing. Overpriced, plastic feeling, dribbly to drink from. Shite. Love a good Copita or Glencairn.
Just found your channel. Loving the content. Nice job! Cheers from across the ditch. 👍🏼👏💪🏼🥃
Great video and information! I just started really getting into whisky this past year and recently found your channel. I am starting to explore your past videos and really enjoying them! Thanks First Phil!
Great to have you watching! Thanks!
Awesome analysis Phil! I have an exciting project I've shared with you via email. I look forward to hearing from you. Keep up the great content 👏🏽
Another type of glass that fits squarely in the middle is the McKenzie tasters. They are pretty solid in the hand, but also nose pretty well. I really enjoy them for a more casual dram
Whiskey already comes with the best glass included. It's called a bottle 😂
My sense of smell sux, especially after covid, so nosing for me is kinda secondary. Therefore I just use a variation on 'on-a-rocks' glass. Great taste is what I'm looking for 👍
Oh man that sucks! I hope your sense of smell comes back!
Red Solo Cup (usually from China):) & Kerr or Mason jar( they come with nice rubber sealed coin):) all kidding aside great info! Thanks
The “this one here glass “ which you never gave a proper name for ,and glanced over rather quickly , turns out is probably the best of the bunch and certainly should occupy a spot closer to the middle !!!! Very versatile in a variety of different situations .
Yeah it’s great, part of why I own one. It’s my ‘movie watching glass’. Feels great and has a great nose too. Easy to over pour a dram though, so I like it if I’m sipping only one whisky in an evening. I wouldn’t use it for tastings for that reason.
Regarding the 1920s-style blender’s glass, blenders generally nose malts diluted to about 20% abv or less and don’t drink the samples. It’s a specific purpose glass and IMHO not great for general purpose nosing at home, or even for professional use. As far as I know they are not used by blenders any longer, a sherry copita being the glass of choice. They are also very fragile as you said. I’ve broken two, even with careful handling, so I don’t bother with this type of glass any more - they are even more fragile than the hand-blown Riedel cognac glasses. They do look very cool however 😎
I’ve had a few comments about the Riedel. It’s a shame I don’t have one, it sounds like the best of both worlds. That’s very true, I do find the blenders great for old subtle whiskies that have lost abv from the angels share though. Apart from that, I’m reaching for the Glen Cairn or copita.
It's an honor that my whisky I've sent you is chosen to features the 1920 blenders glasse. I'm happy if you enjoy it. Good video as always. I personally use often the glencairn. I have the blenders one too but I don't use much. Too complicated to use (and wash). Cheers
Thanks mate! It is an incredible whisky, from what I read it is the old design, which was the better version apparently too. I’m lucky to have , thanks again!
You are right. That's the one! I love it! With pleasure. Enjoy
Wonderful analysis of glasses!
Budget nosing, tasting and drinking whisky glass - all in one?
Consider a traditional turkish tea glass (ask google 😎). A plain one without decorations, and preferably crystal.
I can get them below 1 USD/EURO each in turkish/kurdish fruits&vegetables shops around Norway at least, and they are worth a try.
I would just point out that blenders' nosing glasses like that are almost always used to nose diluted spirit - so even 40% ABV whiskies would be pretty full-on when nosed neat from a such a narrow opening. Which then gets onto the whole discussion about whether you should dilute whisky when appreciating/nosing it and, if so, by how much.
Great point. That’s why I only really use it for old whiskies that are closed off and have lost abv due to the angels share. Any other whisky I’m reaching for the Glen Cairn or Copita
Did you ever find out where to get one of the son tinh glasses would love one for myself
People severely underate rocks glasses for tasting. Pour 1.5- 2 oz into the glass; swirl it a bit; and hold it at a 45 degree angle. You can get your nose right down on the alcohol and then pull it up to the top of the glass for different scents. It also gives you plenty of room to move nostril to nostril at different level in the glass. Everytime I do private tastings people pull more scents and flavors out of a rocks glass then anything else.
I wonder, do you have a recommendation on a whisky travelkit? Like a suitcase with foam in it to protect your glass and have a rum-like or squared Jack Daniels like bottle to store your whiskey.
An Irish friend of my in Beijing has a dozen of those Vietnam glass (Without the logo tho) you were talking about in his office.
Drinking from those feels pretty comfy.
Let me ask him where did he get his, I lowkey missed how that glass made me less snobby while I can still enjoy the drum.
It's the perfect option for triple distilled whisky like greenspot or rosebank.
I might be able to get you a box or two after covid when I come back to NZ.
That is if you want them :)
I would love more of them. To me, they are the ultimate travelling glass, you could put five in a tube very easily.
@@FirstPhilWhisky I will contact you when I have shipment / travel plan back to NZ
I have a Darlington whisky experience glass, made in Devon, which has a good, deep bottom and a narrow nosing rim. It's excellent
Oh I should get one of those!
Over the years I have switched backwards and forwards from the Copita to the Glen Cairn. Recently however, I have seen a new glass enter the market which, at least here in Israel, seems to be gaining a lot of fans. The "Riedel Vinum Cognac Hennessy" glass . The modern Cognac snifter glass is similar to a Copita but wider and taller and with a rim that goes out slightly at the top. I actually picked mine up at Ardnamurchan (Adelphi) distillery. The distillery did not have any whisky to sell me at the time but did have these beautiful glasses with their name on them. I fell in love with these glasses almost immediately and now use them all the time.
Thanks Reb! I’m guttered I don’t have one of these. That would of being excellent to talk about. I’m super interested in getting one now. Thanks!
So no red Solo cups?
If you really want to, I can’t force you to stop using it 😂
@@FirstPhilWhisky jk I'm a Glencairn truther
Great guide!
You completely left out one of my fabourite criterias: super-thin glass.
Most of the glasses you showed are quite thick and that makes the tasting feel "unrefined" to me.
It's hard to put i to words but there's something about thin glass that just feels so much more delicate and refreshing.
I don't care much for "nose" glasses i feel like people put their nose inside and that's gross.
I use baccarat cristal and hand blown wine glasses.
Great point!
My friends and I both find it's much easier to wash glasses in the dishwasher and safer unless the glass can't be supported for a very rare reason. I've lost glasses to hand washing, never to a dishwasher.
None of us find the Norlan to be worth it. It is a great idea but it is just not as nice to drink from or oddly nose from.
Riedel fire tumbler is oddly the best tumbler I've drunk from. I really like using this for Lagavulin 16 and bourbon.
Best glass for holding but not the nose, the Turkish tea glass. It's nice to drink from though.
As for speciality glasses my friends swear by the Riedel Veritas Spirits glass/ Riedel Spirits glass. Most still use Glencairns mostly. I really like the Spieglau whisky glass (the bigger version not the 180ml one). Rivals the Riedel Cognac stemmed glasses for me. If I'm out I'll generall favour wine tasting glasses or as close to.
For whisky tasting: Spieglau > Riedel spirits/cognac> Copita> Glencairn > Norlan > Turkish tea glass
For whisky drinking : Spieglau > Riedel fire > Riedel other > Turkish tea glass > Copita > Glencairn > Norlan
I will say for whisky drinking mostly it is the Spieglau which is closer to a normal wine glass. If I want ice Riedel fire wins otherwise it ends up being a spur of the moment choice. I even sometimes use small brandy glasses which are remarkably close to Glen cairns is function.
The difference from Copita to your anything else isn't massive. But for stemless a Turkish tea glass is a surprisingly comfortable glass. Riedel and Spieglau crystal glasses do impact flavour, it's just different. I thought it was rubbish but I bought riedel fire glasses because they look awesome... Then I found they actually nose quite well and the whisky was... better. Less noticeable on cask strength whiskies though.
On the Norlan I borrowed it for two weeks, tried it a couple of times but never found a wow or a reason to have it. Compared to, glencairns it just didn't win on anything in particular, if I could get crystal Turkish tea glasses with a thinner lip I'd probably pay for that...
Great contribution! A few more glasses I need to try now
Why use a glass when you can just drinking it straight from the bottle or with a straw? I use a Glencairn for reviewing but a Reidel Spey glass for casual drinking. I like the look and the feel if the Reidel Spey glass and if I want to add ice the diamond cut of the glass masks cloudiness of the whisky. Cheers! 🥃P.S. As a whisky reviewer, the best glass to use is whatever most of your audience is using so that you are smelling and tasting it the same way they do.
I recommend the Stolzle Lausitz Whiskey Nosing Glass.
Oh I don’t have that one!
Can you ship spirits out to different countries from a different country?
I like it when he says speectrum
I always drink out off a glencairn glass. Because nosing the scotch is very enjoyable for me too. Almost as enjoyable as drinking.
Drinking clynelish 14y old right now. I still have ardbeg 10, ledaig 10 and lagavulin 8 . Tomorrow I will have some bruichladdich classic laddie and an 8y old barley too plus a bunnahabdain 12 and 1 I don't know yet. Almost forgot Arran 10 too ! I share a lot with my grandmother so no it's not for me alone. And yeah we just like to drink scotch. I live here without paying rent so I have saved a lot off up money because off that
Any recommendation off what scotch I should definitely buy?
i have one piece of a Norlan, and its definitely a head turner with its double layers... The only thing that bothers me about the Norlan is the very thick rim which was immediately obvious coming from the standard glencairn.
Agree completely!
@@FirstPhilWhisky uncool for a person like me who slobbers even when sipping… carry on good sir 🤟
What do you think of the samaroli whiskey glass?
Was hoping you'd cover the tuath glass. Otherwise good video.
Hey man I was wondering what rocks/tumbler glass you would recommend which is high quality and looks nice?
The wall thickness of the Norlan means mine stays in the cupboard. Glen Cairn or a wine-tasting glass for me drinking whisky.
Turkish Tea glass is great for whiskey. If you can find one that is a little bigger than standard size Tea glass.
Oh I have heard of that. I haven’t tried it though. Would you rate it over the other glasses?
@@FirstPhilWhisky I would put them up there with the Glencairn. They are really cheap. One Euro per glass where I am based in Europe.
0:33 so does that mean that early in the morning there's an objective standard to whiskey drinking?
I was told once that whisky glasses should never be washed with soap or put in a dishwasher just rinsed with warm water and aloud the dry???
There's a great glass for Irish Whiskey called the Tuath glass.
A square wine glass is slept on
hi, what's the brand/name of the glass at 12:05?
The Vietnamese glass looks nice, but cannot find anywhere to buy them.
If you're an oversized ham fisted neanderthal like myself with hands like malt shovels then the 'Tuath' glass trumps the Glencairn.
YES! We've gotta hold up the Irish end of things. You've got to find yourself one of these, Phil! :). Tall, elegant, special grip, sits on it's side without spilling. :)
Oh that looks interesting! Added to my list
I don't believe you covered if you noticed any differences in taste. You mentioned that wine tasting glasses and it's commonly accepted that glass or cup shape can control flavor perception beyond aroma through how the fluid is funnelled into your mouth and how it controls contact with your tongue before swallowing! This is getting more explored in beer and coffee as well.
Some glasses can have differences in aroma but none on taste, some could have some differences on taste but none on aroma! I guess diving into taste would make more sense when only focusing on the options on your "appreciation" side of the spectrum as well as the options not covered that would fall there.
IMO, only the tulip-shape copita would do. (( i don't like the stumpy gnome-y glencairn, i rather use + prefer a straw . . . ))
I prefer the mini Glencairn glas!
Love them even better for tastings.
@@FirstPhilWhisky every Islay distillery gave us one when we did the tour👍🏻
Styrofoam cups work fine
The Norlan glasses are absolute junk. I was careful, never put them in a dishwasher, and the two I had both shattered in my hands while washing delicately.
Norlan is overpriced somewhat and is drippy when compared to Glencairn. I spilled my scot the first time using it and took some care to seep to avoid spilling again; definitely less enjoyable using it and I ended up going back to my Glencairn.
The Brandi glass is even better than Glenn Cairn, The flavor of the whiskey is better and the smell opens up because I think the Glenn Cairn condenses it too much, too concentrated for any whiskey over 90proof. Luxbe - Brandy Whiskey Crystal Glasses Snifter,
Hey Phil ‘ love your videos ‘ I’ve actually made you a very cool whisky glass (I make embedded glassware) ‘ how can I send it to you ? I think you like it ‘ I can send you a picture if you like ‘ thanks for all your content ‘ 👍
Thanks! Sure, flick me an email.
I got a chipped rim putting a Glen Cairn in the dishwasher. 😒
Sounds painful...
😬😬
Best glass is the one with a base you can hold on to, no-one likes finger prints on part of glass where whisky colour and viscosity are presented
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please stop with the heat transferal thing because it's been debunked online. The most fragrances are achieved at a slightly elevated temp. and it takes upwards to a half hour to heat a glass to that of body temp which is to high but no one holds a glass for that period. All of this bunk is for about 20 years ago with Glencairn propaganda to sell their glasses. There is and huge article and science experiment online about this and proves slight elevation in temp is the optimal way for the most fragrance notes to be detected. I think it's around 80 degrees. I wish people would stop echoing propaganda online about not heating whisky as if it would ever get to ones body temp anyway. Glencairn has made a fortune running a hustle on body heating up whisky B.S.
Thanks Koh. Yeah that’s why I was saying I’m not convinced. Glass isn’t a good conductor of heat anyway, but it makes much more sense in the reverse like with the norlan if you use it for hot coffee. Heat transfer is way down the list for me.
I had a massive rant about it at the start of the video, which I cut out because I though people wouldn’t be interested. Maybe I should of left it in 🤔
@@FirstPhilWhisky I wish I had the link of the article and all the science they do with temp. and different glasses.
Yeah I would be fascinated to read it. Intuitively it makes sense.
I've been drinking whisky for 65 years and I've laughed at all the bollocks about nosing the whisky. Perhaps they should stick to Bud Light.
This video is easily 14 minutes too long.