The Best Whiskey Glasses

Buying Guide

Whiskey is delicious and it is finding its way onto more and more liquor shelves. You might find yourself with many types of whiskey to choose from on any given night.

Drinking your whiskey, fancy or not, from a normal kitchen drinking cup might get the job done, but it really doesn’t help in the technical enjoyment of your whiskey drink. Whiskey glasses are short and wide, allowing a great aroma to be released from the top, easily smelled as you raise the glass to your lips.

A nice set of whiskey glasses shouldn’t set you back too much and they can enhance not only your experience, but your entire image when you’re sipping on that homemade Old Fashioned.

Whiskey glasses make fantastic gifts for someone you know who enjoys whiskey (or maybe that person is you). These glasses should look nice on your shelves and in your hands, and they should be built with smart designs that cover all the quality basics you would want from a glass, like a lead-free design and thick walls that won’t break easily, while also bringing some design elements to the table that suit your personality as a classy whiskey-sipping individual.

Many whiskey glass designs are meant for a simple drink like an Old Fashioned or a Whiskey Sour, where the majority of the liquid in your drink is the whiskey itself. With this in mind, the glasses are big enough for some ice and your drink, which will be in the vicinity of two or three ounces of liquid. This form factor helps us know what kind of drinks we can realistically fit into this drinking glass. A whiskey-based cocktail that has mixers or other products that increase the volume will likely need to be served in a larger glass, as these types of drinks are not the intended inhabitants of your shiny new whiskey glasses.

Whiskey glasses come in lots of varying shapes and designs. There are double-walled whiskey glasses that give the outward appearance that the amber-liquid in your glass is actually hovering off the table as it has a large gap of air below it. Some more classic designs simply build in an extra thick base to make the glass stable and hard to ever knock over.

Beyond the bottoms of the glasses, the sides and tops can be as ornate or as minimalist as you want. Sets of glasses with a diamond-like design pattern can make you feel like you’re sipping on whiskey in the 1950s while other styles of glasses incorporate twisted-glass that seems like it’s almost alive.

Keep an eye on the number of glasses you get in the sets that you’re browsing. If you see yourself hosting people for a whiskey-tasting, you might want to be sure you have enough proper glasses to offer them all. If you are hoping to find just one cool glass that will be your go-to after a long day at work, focus on finding one design that is perfect and acquiring it by itself, rather than in a set. This method could lead towards having a few different styles of whiskey glasses, which might make a neat potpourri for any guests that you do have, as they can choose a glass that they like the best.

Ice-cold whiskey will often make the outer edge of your glass start sweating with condensation. If you drink your whiskey on the rocks, this will be something you face almost every time you sit down with your drink. A coaster is handy, and you may have experienced this in the past, but sometimes coasters stick to the bottom of your glass when you lift it. This usually stems from a glass that has a smooth bottom as it combines with the condensation to create a vacuum effect. As it were, this can cause the coaster to fall in your lap with a puddle of water. With this in mind, look for whiskey glasses that have either a double-wall design to prevent condensation, or glasses that have bottoms designed specifically to allow for air to break up the inevitable suction that will occur.

For those of you who like neat whiskey or scotch, you might be interested in glasses that have smaller volumes or different designs. If you aren’t planning on putting ice in the glass, you can get away with pretty much any form factor that you think is ideal for you. There will be no condensation without the ice, so you won’t even need to bother with that part.

• Giant ice cubes make a simple drink look professional. Look for silicone molds that will let you freeze huge cubes or spheres and step up your whiskey game.
• Hand wash your nice whiskey glasses to give them a long life. The thin crystal or glass sometimes bump into things while the water jets around in the dishwasher, causing cracks or chips.
• If you’re new to whiskey, try a few small bottles of different styles like scotch or bourbon until you find a flavor profile you enjoy. Add ice or water until the drink is perfect for you, then begin trying different brands within the style you know you enjoy.
• If you do end up loving a smooth-bottomed whiskey glass and you’re concerned about condensation and water rings. Find a set of classy coasters that can complement your new glasses and add practicality to your life.