What Makes a Great Bourbon Glass?
What makes a good bourbon glass depends a lot on how you plan on drinking that bourbon. If you want to drink your bourbon neat, then you should use a nosing glass.
A nosing glass will be smaller and will hold less liquid. Still, it will have a distinct shape that separates the ethanol vapors from the natural aromas, allowing you to experience the more nuanced complexities of your bourbon.
For drinking bourbon on the rocks, you will want a glass that is big enough to hold your bourbon as well as some ice. And since icing bourbon will muddle some aromas anyway, a proper shape isn’t strictly necessary. In this case you’re looking for something that just fits your style, with a shape and weight that feels good in your hand.
Ideal Glass for Drinking Bourbon Neat
When drinking bourbon neat, you’ll probably want a glass with a stem. This will keep your hand from warming the glass. It also keeps your hand further from your nose, ensuring that you don’t pick up any scents coming off of your skin.
The bowl should be rounded so that the bourbon can be swirled to aerate. A wider bowl also allows aromas to gather and intensify.
The rim should be narrower than the bowl so that the aromas are directed up into the drinker’s nose.
Ideal Glass For Drinking Bourbon on the Rocks
Glasses used when drinking bourbon on the rocks can have the same shape as your neat glass. Although, traditionally they are some variation on the traditional cylindrical shape.
They will differ in height and weight to accommodate the individual’s style and preferences, but overall they will have a wide rim. Not necessarily ideal for keeping in aromas or creating a “sweet spot” for the bouquet, but instead just ensuring the rim is wide enough to easily fit ice.
Tips For Enjoying Your Bourbon to Its Fullest
Proper Temperature
The optimal temperature of bourbon is between 60 and 65 degrees. Because this is not a normal temperature for the average home, we recommend keeping your bourbon in a cool dark cabinet.
If your bourbon is consistently warmer than this, then you can bring it back to its optimal temperature by putting your glass in the refrigerator for about an hour before pouring your drink.
If your bourbon is frequently cooler than this, then you can warm it up by pouring it into a thin glass and cupping your hand around the bowl. Allowing your natural body heat to bring the bourbon up to temperature.
Diluting Your Bourbon?
This is a widely debated topic, but there is some preliminary research showing that diluting your bourbon may allow you to notice more subtle aromas.
The quick science lesson is that the flavor molecules in bourbon love ethanol and hate water. When water is added, it pushes ethanol to the surface where it evaporates and takes the flavor molecules with it, releasing more aroma into the air. If you have a properly shaped bourbon glass that can separate these ethanol vapors from the aromatics, then you end up with a much more potent bouquet. This will allow you to notice more complexity than you would have been able to previously.
OUR FAVORITE BOURBON GLASSES!
The Glencairn Glass
The Glencairn Glass was designed with the goal of creating the “official whiskey tasting glass.” One that could be used in competitions and with connoisseurs. This glass is the culmination of ideas from some of the best glassmakers and distillers in the world.
The stem is short wide and heavy, giving the Glencairn glass a low center of gravity for more stability. The bowl is wide, perfect for swirling. Then it curves in towards the rim, allowing the aromas to push together and intensify as they are directed to the nose.
This glass is beautiful, well thought through, and is without a doubt, one of the best glass you can use to experience all the complexities of your favorite bourbon.
The Norlan Glass
The Norlan Glass was designed to compete with the Glencairn glass, and at that, it does pretty well. It has not been taken up by the official community as the Glencairn has, but it is making big waves, and people love it.
It is a much smaller glass holding only 6.9 fl oz, with a recommended pour of only 1.5 fl oz. So it is made for tasting and enjoying, not for a mixed drink or even a rocks pour.
When drinking your whiskey out of this glass, you’ll notice aromas that you never have before.
You’ll notice that this glass doesn’t have a stem. Instead, they made this glass double-walled so that you could still get a firm grasp on it, but without the worry of your hands warming up your bourbon.
The glass differentiates itself further with small protrusions on the bottom of the inner bowl. The protrusions cause the bourbon to lift as it is swirled, creating a standing wave that super aerates the bourbon.
This releases more ethanol vapors and aromatic molecules. But the glass is wide enough that the ethanol travels up the sides while the aromatic molecules fill the center void.
This creates a “sweet spot” where you will detect fuller, stronger aromas.
The glass itself is made with mouth-blown borosilicate glass. That is lab-grade glass and is very strong, allowing them to blow it extremely thin. This thin design ads style, but makes the glass extremely lightweight. So in the hand, it is a smaller thinner glass, something that not everyone loves in a bourbon glass.
The NEAT Glass
The NEAT Glass stands for Naturally Engineered Aroma Technology, and their slogan is that form follows function. They wanted to make one official tasting glass that could cover all hard spirits, and this is the design that they came up with. This has been the official tasting glass of major competitions since 2012.
This is a tasting glass with a small capacity, so it only holds 1.5 oz. But independent studies have pitted this glass against the Glencairn, the tulip glass, and many others, and independent tests have shown it to provide the best aroma and flavor overall. Bringing out the full complexities of whatever spirit is poured inside of it.
This design works so well because once swirled the ethanol and the aromatic molecules separate. The ethanol vapors travels up the sides of the glass and follow the flared rim away from the center of the glass. This allows the aromatic molecules to rise up the center unencumbered by ethanol vapors. When you put your nose up to that “sweet spot,” you can smell even the most nuanced aromas.
Norlan Rauk Heavy Tumbler
The Norlan Rauk Heavy Tumbler is Norlan’s second glass and the antithesis of the original Norlan glass. While it is still made for bourbon, this is a big heavy glass. Weighing in at 1.1 pounds of crystal per glass; it has an 8.5 fl oz capacity so that it can easily hold your favorite bourbon on the rocks.
Schott Zwiesel Bourbon Glass
This Schott Zwiesel Bourbon Tumbler is made from Tritan Glass. A process where instead of adding lead to make crystal, they add titanium and zirconium oxide. This gives the same clarity as crystal but in a glass that is much more durable. The cuts in this glass give an elegant look. It has a thick bottom base which gives it heft, and with its 9.3 fl oz capacity, it can still hold a good-sized drink.
Waterford Lismore Crystal Glasses
The Waterford name has long been synonymous with the high-end crystal, and this glass is no different. The Waterford Lismore Crystal Glass is a heavy, elegantly carved, extremely high-end bourbon glass. It has a 7-ounce capacity so it won’t fit a mixed drink, but it is the perfect glass for a bourbon on the rocks.
Dragon Diamond Glass
For a more unique design, we love the Dragon Diamond Glasses. These often hold bourbon neat, but they have a 10 fl oz capacity so they could be used on the rocks or with a small mixed drink. These glasses sit on a faceted design that p. laces them at a 50-degree angle, but they are surprisingly steady.
The are made with thicker glass to make them more durable, but that does mean they have a thicker lip. Something we don’t usually like a bourbon glass. That being said, these are a fantastic price and something you aren’t likely to find at any of your friend’s houses.
Ashcroft Twist Glass
The Ashcroft Twist Glass has become extremely popular with bourbon drinkers. It is a standard-sized glass with a 10 oz capacity. Perfect for bourbon on the rocks or a good mixed drink. The glass is thick and heavy in the hand for drinkers who like that. But the real beauty of this glass is in the design. The unique twist catches your eye, it catches the light, and it looks elegant. It also gives you a solid grip when you’re holding the glass.
Reidel “O” Whiskey Tumbler
These are our favorite glasses for everyday drinking. The Riedel Whiskey Glass is something I drink bourbon from daily.
The whole glass is ultra-thin, even the base, which makes this fragile but gives it a fantastic, delicate, upscale feeling in your hand. On your lips, the ultra-thin lip is barely noticed, making sure that it never interferes with the experience of your drink.
And although these glasses are thin, they are dishwasher safe, so they still work as an everyday glass.
They also have a massive 15-ounce capacity, making them perfect folding a large ice ball or a good-sized bourbon cocktail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Glass is Best For Bourbon?
Scientifically the best glass for bourbon is probably the NEAT glass. It was engineered to optimize aroma delivery, and it is the official tasting glass of many major competitions.
Is There a Difference Between Whiskey and Bourbon Glasses?
There is no difference between bourbon and whiskey glasses. Bourbon is a specific subset of whiskey, meaning that bourbon is a type of whiskey. Any glass that is good for drinking whiskey will be equally good for drinking bourbon.
What Size is a Bourbon Glass?
The size of a bourbon nosing glass, meant for bourbon poured neat, will be about 6 fl oz. The size of a bourbon glass for on the rocks, or mixed drinks, will usually be 10 to 12 fl oz.
How Much is a Glass of Bourbon?
A shot of bourbon added to a mixed drink or taken straight will usually be 1.5 fl oz. A glass of bourbon poured neat will often measure 2 fl oz.
