Glassware

@Victor Who cares? That looks awesome!

@dougwatts I like the looks of that. It appears to have the requisite shape for whisky tasting/nosing. Where did you get and what is it actually called?

@Victor W..E..L..L.. I actually did try this glass side-by-side with the aforementioned and much maligned neat glass. The neat picked up a lot more of the softer butterscotch bourbon type notes but little of the citrusy or fruity notes that the stem glass delivered. I was quite surprised at how pronounced the difference was but which one you prefer would come down to the profile of whiskey you like. I don't know enough about where certain flavours and notes place in the spectrum to say which delivers the more sophisticated and refined nose but I'd guess the stem. As for the overall drinking experience, I tend to always lean towards a stem glass rather than a tumbler or something like the neat. One thing I will say in the neat's defence though is I really did enjoy the wide delivery onto the tongue. This certainly is a differentiating factor for that glass versus any other that I have, and I still found you can control the volume you get. So although I generally much prefer other styles the neat will remain in fairly regular circulation, if just for novelty.

@BlueNote I picked this up in a set of 3 in TK Maxx for £4.99. I've never seen anything remotely as interesting as this in there so was glad to stumble across it, particularly for the price. Brand is Bormioli Rocco and they seem to refer to this particular shape only as their 8.1cl or 2 and three-quarter oz model.

@BlueNote It's a grappa glass, and Amazon.ca have this particular Luigi Bormioli version. They're asking a whopping $76.10 for a four pack though: amazon.ca/Luigi-Bormioli-Atelier-Grappa-4-…

From what I gather that's a traditional style for grappa glassware, so if you look around you'll probably find similar shaped glasses for less than what Amazon is asking.

Like this set of six for $33.94: amazon.ca/Riserva-Grappa-Glass/dp/…

@Nelom looks very similar but the one I have has a more pronounced more bowl shape I think. Grappa glad sounds about right though.

@dougwatts Yeah, I see that now. I think the second set I linked is more similar, even though it's a different brand.

@Nelom That second set looks like a good deal. I'll see if a couple of my whisky buddies want to take a couple each. I could only handle a couple since my wife is already complaining about how much room in the glassware cabinet is taken up with assorted whisky glasses.

So not exactly a glass for drinking, but a neat little addition to your Glencairn set. An official Glencairn crystal water jug (8oz). It's priced a little high for something you don't really need, but if you want to add a dash of water to your dram in style, it seems fitting.

@Mancub a friend brought me a similar jug, but ceramic, from Talisker.

@Nozinan I have a Talisker jug without the handle. If yours has the Talisker logo on it be very careful about washing. Even though mine has never been in a dishwasher the lettering is starting to wear off. It's a pity they don't etch the logo in.

I am currently using the new Norlan whisky glass which I have to say I love. It genuinely gives you the full nose of the whisky without the alcohol hit when smelling. I thought they may be a gimmick but I genuinely love them.

@andydkelly, nice. I always figured they were a gimmick too, but they sure look cool.

Aren't they pricey? Would you go so far as to so they're worth it?

I've not tried one, nor even seen one in real life, However, I've heard people make negative comments on the thickness of the lip or rim of the glass - this is clearly obvious in any photo too. Considering how picky I am about what cup or mug I drink my coffee from I can't see me enjoying the experience even if it improves the nosing. I think I'll stick to my fine lipped glass chimney Glencairn glass.

@MadSingleMalt my boss (in USA) said he found them for $50 for the pair. I paid £50 (or the wife did anyway) in UK. Only criticism is they are very light but that aside really.makes a different smelling whisky out of that and a glencairn side by side.

@andydkelly, interesting! Thanks.

I could never see any glass being worth that much, but that's just me. Cool that you're enjoying yours. And you're getting pretty different effects, huh? Have you tried the same whisky side-by-side in the different glasses to pin down the differences? Which whiskies? And how were they different?

@andydkelly Welcome to Connosr... unlike my colleague I won't dismiss your choice as expensive and not worthy, but say that the more ways we experience things the better. I hope you enjoy!

@andydkelly Nice. You reminded me that I was excited to receive my 2 NEAT glasses but have still not gotten around to trying them...

@SKEPTIC , is your "colleague" me? If so, what part of my comments above are "dismissive"?

@MadSingleMalt I've tried a few side by side, dalwhinnie, cardhu, scapa and some lagavulin. Without having he ethanol up your nose you really get the sweeter smelling notes a lot more - it's quite staggering how different the same whisky smells in the 2 glasses (Norlan v glencairn glass). You can really inhale over the glass without any heat from the alcohol.

@andydkelly, interesting! So it does a lot to disperse the alcohol sting?

If the ones you mentioned are the OBs, then I think they all have fairly low ABVs. Have you done the comparison with any high-ABV whiskies? Similar effects?

@MadSingleMalt I've done it with my %50 bruichladdich redder still and confirm it is the same, takes almost all the alcohol away from the nose

@MadSingleMalt We were doing high ABV SMWS bottlings at a tasting a few months ago and the host brought out a few Norlan glasses. We all switched back to Glencairns fairly quickly. The Norlans are interesting with the double wall, but the feel of the rim on the lips was weird and distracted from the nosing and tasting. The stuff we were tasting was too expensive to squander in unsuitable glasses.

@BlueNote , good stuff! Thanks.

I'm not really interested in those glasses for my own sake (or any new glasses, for that matter), but I always find these comparisons interesting. Just be careful about dismissing someone's choice as "unsuitable"! :)

@Mancub nice jug in your picture.

I've always wondered, is the jug lead free crystal? Any mention on the box?

I mentioned the Cradle Glass here before, saw on Instagram that they are having a promotion. Order 2 glasses and pay 1USD for shipping anywhere in the world. This promo is on until Nov. 24th. If you wanted more glasses, let's say 4, you would have to order 2, then 2 again to receive the promo.

Here are a couple videos showing the glass rocking:

instagram.com/p/Ba6cibFnTsV/…

instagram.com/p/BbFUdk8FhF3/…

@Frost Sorry, I didn't see your response until now. There are different jugs, some less money that others and I imagine that's what makes the difference. On WhiskyGlass.ca the jug says "lead free crystal". I think if you order from a Glencairn source directly you can be sure there's is too.

whiskyglass.ca/index.php/…

@Mancub what is the website?

@Nozinan

www.cradleglass.com

@Mancub It certainly has the right shape. I might just add it to my out-of-control glassware collection.