🥃Whiskey Glassware Guide - What you need on your shelf

Go into your buddy's house and open their cabinet. What do you see? Probably a good number of differing glasses across shapes, sizes, and styles. Form follows function and this is especially true with glassware. The good news for whiskey drinking as opposed to wine is that the differences between glass types are limited. In this post, we'll go over the anatomy of a glass, common types, and my recommendation for a starting glassware set. 

Parts of a Glass

The anatomy of a glass can be described in terms of four main parts:

• Rim - Outer edge of the glass. Many varieties will have cupped or curved rims with a smaller diameter than the bowl to better hold in aromas for smelling. Thickness here can also have major impacts on the "feel" of the drink. Wider diameter glasses disperse any strong alcohol odors more quickly. 
• Bowl - The container. Bowls are typically either straight sided or curve. Bowls may increase in diameter and then decrease again to create an odor pocket. 
• Stem - A tapering in the glass below the bowl, the stem functions as a handle or grip to allow for easier swirling of the contents, reduce the risk of dropping the glass, or distance the bowl from a surface to prevent condensation/heat transfer. 
• Base - The contact point between the bowl, optionally stem, and a horizontal surface. Bases should provide stability and be appropriate in footprint relative to the height of the glass. 

Common Types of Whiskey Glasses

Tumbler - The general catch-all for a glass. This category includes old-fashioned glasses, highball, lowball, and rocks glasses. These are typically solid or heavier feeling containers with semi-straight sides. They may have a wider rim. Great for most uses other than high intensity tasting/sampling.

Shot Glass - Straight sided small volume glass between 1.25-3ounces. Best used for cheaper pours or to help limit your consumptions. I typically drink out of these while gaming with the boys since it prevents me from guzzling through a hefty pour too quickly.

Snifter - Typically a tulip or tapering bowl glass for focusing aromas, often with a short stem. Best for fragrant small cocktails or intentional tastings. 

Glencairn - Developed by Glencairn Crystal near Glasgow in 1981, the glass of the same name was inspired by nosing copitas used in Scotch Whisky labs. Standing about 4.5in tall, they enclose around 175ml/6oz. of space though they are intended to only hold about 50ml at a time. Use for sniffing the good stuff. 

N.E.A.T. - Naturally Engineered Aroma Technology (obviously a backronym) and originally the byproduct of a glass blowing mistake. NEAT glasses have a roughly hourglass shape that proports to emphasize good aromas while dissipating the alcohol burn. Really a marketing gimmick but fun all the same.

Recommended Whiskey Glass Loadout

While there are a huge number of options on the market, I recommend starting with the below list for a minimum viable starting set. Stick to lead free glass and stay away from leaded crystal, plastic or metal options.

• 4 Lowball glasses 10-14oz. for cocktails or big ice balls, mostly for guests. Make sure they have a thick base to help with temperature. I do like versions that have a small amount of curved taper. These should feel heavy. 
• 2 Glencairns - For getting your fancy nose on your better bottles. Get the normal Glencairn size, not the mini-glen or larger Canadian versions. You need two because good whiskey is to be shared. 
• 4 Shot glasses - 1.5oz. glasses