A Glencairn Is Fine For Scotch, But For American Whiskey, Use This Glass

When attending a tasting or creating your own whiskey flight, you ought to know that glassware selection matters. Sure, any snifter will do if you are sipping on a spirit you are familiar with. However, some glasses are specifically designed to accentuate the unique character of a complex amber liquor. A Glencairn is commonly used to serve Scotch for this very reason but when it comes to bourbon, there's a superior choice.

Bourbon expert Chris Blatner is an Executive Bourbon Steward and Executive Director of Bourbon Charity. He's also the founder of Urban Bourbonist, LLC. Knowing as much as he does about the liquor, he doesn't think a Glencairn is the best option for tasting the full flavor of American whiskey. Instead, he told use that "My favorite glassware is the Libbey Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tasting Glass."

Bourbon and Scotch are noticeably different from one another, and so they each deserve a dedicated snifter that affords the best possible tasting experience. A Glencairn will work if you don't have anything more suitable. However, the Libbey Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tasting Glass is specifically made for serving Kentucky's finest, and what's more fitting than drinking from a receptacle that promotes the tradition of sipping America's claim to whiskey fame?

The first marked difference between a Glencairn and the glass that Blatner prefers is the size of the opening. The wider mouth of the Libbey glass channels the faint aromas within bourbon up toward your nose when you go in for a smell. Visual cues don't always tell you much about a whiskey, but these subtle scents can better clue you into how it will taste.

More specifically, a Glencairn has a wide bowl with a sharp taper toward the top, allowing you to swirl the whiskey and more effectively open up the flavors before a drink. The Libbey Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tasting Glass also features a wide bowl for that swirling (it just doesn't recede as distinctly toward the rim). And because the Libbey glass holds 8 ounces of liquid compared to the average of 6.5-ounce capacity of a Glencairn, you can be a little heavy-handed with your pour if you want something extra.

Of course, how a glass feels in your hand won't affect how the spirit tastes, but it does score points for comfort. Blatner's snifter of choice has a sturdier sham than a Glencairn, making it slightly more stable and less likely to tip over if a careless hand comes its way. Of the Libbey Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tasting Glass, Blatner says, "I have found it to offer the best overall drinking experience."