The Whisky Glass

What do you imagine when people mention Whisky glasses? To most people in the world that are not 'into' there Whiskies would imagine a tumbler, probably quite shallow with a wide rim, probably crystal... and to be fair they would not be wrong to. Lots of times on tv and films when people are drinking Whisky it is in this traditional tumbler. There are some down sides to this though, the wide rim and straight sides allow the aroma of the Whisky to escape, meaning you lose a lot of the experience of drinking and some of the flavour.

The tumbler tends to be used typically for Bourbon and to allow the adding of ice. Something I would not recommend to any discerning Whisky drinker.

The truth is up until 2001, Whisky was drunk typically out of any kind of glass, from goblets through sherry glasses to tumblers. However in 2001 a glass was released by Glencairn Crystal designed by a gentlemen called Raymond Davidson who took it upon himself to design/develop the quintessential Whisky glass. He envisaged a glass based upon the sherry nosing copita, this would allow the Whisky drinker to appreciate the aromas as well as the palate, it would also need to be robust enough to survive in a thriving bar environment. Eventually it reached the Master Blenders of the Scotch Whisky Industry and their guidance and expertise helped the glass evolve. It was perfected to accommodate a 35ml pour and allow for the addition of water. The design was revolutionary, the tapering mouth allowed for ease of drinking, something never associated with a copita, however, it still captured the all-important aromas. The wide bowl of the glass allows you to appreciate the colour and viscosity of the Whisky and the solid base feels good in the hand.

The Glencairn glass can now be found at all major Whisky festivals worldwide, in every discerning Whisky drinkers bar and in nearly every distillery in the world! The best thing about these glasses, they are crystal, but they are also not overly priced, it is available from about £4.00 each for the 'normal' glass up to about £60 for a cut crystal pair. 

Whisky and the name of this blog....

Whisky, the word

The word whisky (or whiskey) is an anglicisation of the Gaelic word uisce/uisge meaning water. Distilled alcohol was known in Latin as aqua vitae ("water of life"). This was translated to Gaelic as Irish: uisce beatha and Scottish Gaelic: uisge beatha="lively water" or "water of life". Early forms of the word in English included uskebeaghe (1581), usquebaugh (1610), usquebath (1621), usquebae (1715).

It's as an Englishman enjoying Whisky, that made me choose the address for this blog. I do enjoy a wee dram now and then. I drink mainly single malts and after numerous years, and experiences, and tasting sessions, have decided to note down my likes and dislikes...

I am no expert, but I will try and explain as much as possible about each expression.

Firstly the different types of whisky:

Whisky or whisky-like products are produced in most grain-growing areas. They differ in base product, alcoholic content, and quality.

Malt whisky is made primarily from malted barley.

Grain whisky is made from any type of grains.

Malts and grains are combined in various ways:

• Single malt whisky is whisky from a single distillery made from a mash that uses only one particular malted grain. Unless the whisky is described as single-cask, it contains whisky from many casks, and different years, so the blender can achieve a taste recognisable as typical of the distillery. In most cases, single malts bear the name of the distillery, with an age statement and perhaps some indication of some special treatments such as maturation in a port wine cask.
• Blended malt whisky is a mixture of single malt whiskies from different distilleries. If a whisky is labelled "pure malt" or just "malt" it is almost certain a blended malt whisky. This was formerly called a "vatted malt" whisky.
• Blended whisky is made from a mixture of different types of whisky. A blend may contain whisky from many distilleries so that the blender can produce a flavour consistent with the brand. The brand name may, therefore, omit the name of a distillery. Most Scotch, Irish and Canadian whisky is sold as part of a blend, even when the spirits are the product of one distillery, as is common in Canada. American blended whisky may contain neutral spirits.
• Cask strength (also known as barrel proof) whiskies are rare, and usually only the very best whiskies are bottled in this way. They are bottled from the cask undiluted or only lightly diluted.
• Single cask (also known as single barrel) whiskies are bottled from an individual cask, and often the bottles are labelled with specific barrel and bottle numbers. The taste of these whiskies may vary substantially from cask to cask within a brand.