#whiskyPhTip. Glassware.

Your choice of vessel for drinking whisky plays an important role in your whisky journey.

Is whisky still good if you drink it out of a cup? Yes. But if you want to make the most out of your drinking experience and really explore the nuances in the whisky, picking the right glassware is crucial.

Nowadays, a Glencairn is among the most highly recommended glasses. With its round bulbous body and narrow mouth, it allows the whisky's aroma to accumulate above the liquid for a richer tasting experience. Despite its prominence, you'd be surprised to know that it didn't exist until 2001.

So what other options are available? In the photo are 5 different types of glassware I have in my cupboard. From left to right we have a Tumbler, a 1920s Blender's Glass, a Glencairn, a Suntory Copita and a Canadian Glencairn glass. In each of them is 20ml of #RockIsland 10yo.

With the Glencairn I got some maritime salt, distant smoke and citrus on the nose. The palate gave me more smoke, some leather, pronounced citrus notes and sweetness.

Surprisingly I didn't really find much of a difference in tasting notes between the #Glencairn and the #Suntory Copita.

With the Blender's Glass, I found that the glass dialed up the intensity of the sweet, salty and citrus aromas on the nose. But the palate was still comparable to the Glencairn.

The Canadian Glencairn gave me a more balanced nose. Less sharp, I was able to pick out more sweet bready notes on the nose, while on the palate it seemed sweeter, with the wood notes more pronounced.

Finally, on the Tumbler, I didn't really get much of the whisky's complexity on the nose, while the palate was similar to the Canadian Glencairn, but noticably less intense.

From this little experiment I found that the Tumblers are probably best left for long nights of drinking whisky on the rocks. The other 4 glasses are pretty good for exploring your drams depending on your mood. The wide mouth of the Canadian Glencairn seems good for mellowing high ABV whiskies. The Blender's glass is great for amping up the nose. The Glencairn and Copita are just great all around. Cheers!

Image Courtesy of @WhiskyPH

@WhiskyPH

At its core, whisky appreciation is an exercise in memory. Notes of a whisky enthusiast in the Philippines. 🥃🇵🇭