🥃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

🥃 Review #40: Kirkland Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2024)

Like Costco's other Scotches, the Kirkland Signature Islay Single Malt is bottled for Alexander Murray and imported by MISA Imports after being distilled and aged in Scotland (TTB.gov plant registry TX-I-1277). The isle of Islay is one of the southern most islands in Scotland and is one of the five whisky regions ensconced in law. There are only nine active distilleries on the island, and the Islay style is typified by strong peat or smoky flavors. As a single malt, we know that the juice in this bottle comes entirely from one of those nine! All of the distilleries are significantly smaller than Glenlivet and many of the mainland producers. Taste testing has people split between Caol Illa, Bruichladdich (Port Charlotte), and Bunnahabhain as being the source. Caol Illa and Laphroig both have done deals for private brand scotch without rights to name the source distillery, but Laphroig does not match the flavor profile for this bottle. Realistically, Caol Illa is the most likely cand...

🍺🍷🥃 Beer, Wine, and Spirits Rebate Website Master List

If there is anything I love more than a good drink, it's saving money buying that good drink! The rules for providing discounts on alcohol differ substantially between states with some allowing outright discounts or coupons and others entirely disallowing any sort of purchase incentive. Thankfully though, in my native Georgia as well as most states, a simple reimbursement approach is permissible. Alcohol Rebate Site Master List The following sites are relatively stable for each manufacturer. New offers usually come out every few months. None of these are affiliate links and I provide no assurance as to the process. I have saved so much money using rebates and hope you have similar success. Best practices and general process advice will be presented at the bottom. New sites will be added as I uncover them. Beer Rebates Boston Beer Company Brands - Angry Orchard, Dogfish head, Hard Mountain Dew, Samuel Adams, Sun Crusher, Truly, and Twisted Tea. Some brands may not have active...

🍺 Costco's Kirkland Vintage Ale 2025 - Review & Tasting Notes

Fall is in the air, and that means we have yet another year of Kirkland's Vintage Ale! Brewed proudly by Deschutes (pronounced "Da-Shootz") in Bend, Oregon, this Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout spends nine months in the wood, picking up what the whiskey left behind (mostly vanillin and tannins). Bottled over the summer, this particular beer is from Lot B. Neither Costco nor the packaging give us much additional detail beyond the ABV and style. I remember finding last year 's edition to be solid but nothing to write home about, fairly dry but a pleasant pour. The use of the work "vintage" to me implies that some changes may be made year-to-year but we'll have to see if our taste buds can help us validate. How does the 2025 vintage fair? 💅Style: Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout 🛒Sourced: $7.99 Costco, GA for a 22oz bottle. $2 cheaper than the 2024 edition! 💥Hops: Not Mentioned sadly. Other ingredients include chocolate malt, milled oats and Dutc...

🥃 Review #34: ASW Fiddler Toasted Wheat Cask Strength Bourbon

Founded by University of Georgia graduates Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson, American Spirit Whiskey Distillery ("ASW") is a craft producer out of Atlanta, GA with the plant registry DSP-GA-20014. As Southern Pot-Still Pioneers, they are one of the few producers to distill in the ancient Scottish Tradition of small, grain-in batches (where grain solids are left in for the remainder of the distillation process) though they also partner with Midwest Grain Products to source distillate for further aging, finishing and blending before bottling as is the case here. This bottle is from the June 2023 batch which is a blend of two principal spirits. ASW's master distiller, Justin Maglitz, is accomplished old-time string music fiddler and he often experiments with various factors between batches. As such, the "Fiddler" brand name fits perfectly. No two batches are truly the same, but all of the ones I've had so far have been to my liking. This bottle shares the same...

🥃Review #20 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof - Private Barrel Distiller's Selection

📚 Background: Released in three batches per year, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey is almost always a hit with aficionados. Barrel proof means that, of course, the whiskey is not cut with water after being dumped from the barrel. The "Private Barrel" moniker further tells you that not the barrel was specially selected and not batched or blended. This can cut both ways as single barrel whiskies sometimes differ significantly from their batched counterparts which have the benefit of distiller curation to even out any off notes. If your local store owner's tastes align with yours, their barrel picks may be better than anything else you can find. On the other hand, a less conscientious selector may pick you a big loser of a barrel. This bottle comes from Costco which means that the private barrel is a "distiller's selection" and not picked by a Costco employee specifically. Typically for these big releases the manufacturer will try...

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