Whisky glasses: tumbler, tulip glass and Glencairn

A tumbler is a low, wide glass with a thick base. Other names are old fashioned glass, rocks glass and lowball. The regular size holds about 180 to 300 ml; the larger double old fashioned about 350 to 470 ml. The wide rim makes it easy to fit ice, and the sturdy base lets you muddle sugar or fruit in the glass before the drink is added. That is why the tumbler is used for whisky on ice and for cocktails such as the old fashioned.

The shape goes back to the quaich, a shallow Scottish drinking bowl with two handles from the 17th and 18th centuries, made of wood, silver or leather. From the 19th century that bowl was gradually replaced by the glass tumbler, which was cheaper to make. Older tumblers are often cut glass; most modern ones are pressed in a mould.

A tulip glass, also called a copita or nosing glass, is a glass with a long, thin stem and a bowl that narrows towards the rim. The shape comes from the Spanish sherry glass. Blenders and distilleries use this glass to nose and taste whisky. The narrow opening keeps the aroma together above the glass, so you can pick it up better. The long stem lets you hold the glass without warming the whisky with your hand, and keeps your fingers away from the rim. Anyone who does want to let the whisky warm up a little can take the bowl in hand. The tulip glass is made for neat whisky, perhaps with a few drops of water, and not for ice or mixed drinks.

The Glencairn glass was designed by Raymond Davidson, who founded the family business Glencairn Crystal in Scotland in 1981. According to the company, the prototype lay in a filing cabinet for almost twenty years, until his brother Paul found it again. After further development with master blenders from large Scotch whisky companies, it was finalised around 2000 and went into production in 2001. The shape is derived from the copita, but without a stem and with a thicker, wider bowl.

The glass is about 115 mm tall, has a capacity of about 175 ml and is intended for a pour of about 50 ml. It won the Queen's Award for innovation in 2006 and, according to the available sources, is the first whisky glass endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association. More than five million are sold every year.

The choice depends on how you drink the whisky:

• With ice or as a cocktail: a tumbler. It holds ice and the base is sturdy enough for stirring or muddling.
• With soft drink or soda water: a taller long drink glass (highball), so there is room for ice and the carbonation lasts longer.
• Neat, for nosing and tasting: a tulip glass or a Glencairn. Both narrow towards the rim and keep the aroma together.
• Neat with a few drops of water: also a tulip glass or Glencairn, because in it you can smell what the water does to the whisky.

A tumbler is not made for nosing, because the open rim does not hold the aroma together. The Glencairn is sturdier than a stemmed copita and is therefore often chosen for ordinary use at the table or at a tasting with several people.

Crystal is glass with a certain composition, and in the European Union it is laid down which name goes with which composition. Directive 69/493/EEC distinguishes four categories. Full lead crystal contains at least 30 percent lead oxide, lead crystal at least 24 percent. In addition there are two categories, crystal glass and sonorous glass, with at least 10 percent zinc, barium, lead or potassium oxide, alone or together. For every category there are also requirements for density and light refraction.

Glass that does not meet these requirements may not be sold under these designations. Versions of the Glencairn glass exist or existed in lead crystal, lead-free crystal and soda-lime glass; most glasses in circulation are lead-free crystal. Check the packaging for the exact designation.

The shop has 26 whisky glasses, from Scotland and the Netherlands among others, with brands such as Spiegelau and the Classic Malts Selection. Examples are the Glencairn whisky glass 17 cl, the Whisky Tulpglas 14 cl, the Spey dram whisky glass 9 cl, the Spey tumbler whisky glass 20 cl, the Jack Daniel's Old No.7 Tumbler, the Tumbler whisky glass Timeless, the Tumbler Black, the Tumbler Concerto Vidivi, the Pure Kristallen Whisky Glas Tulp, the Avant Garde Kristallen Whisky Glas op Voet and The Ultimate Perfect Dram Whisky Glas. Among the glasses there is also a decanter, the RCR Adagio Whisky Karaf, for pouring whisky. Would you like to hold a glass in your hand before you choose, or do you have a question about which shape suits the way you drink? Call 0570 541 278 or drop by at Brink 2 in Bathmen.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.