My perfect nosing glass

[Deactivated Member]

There has been much discussion recently about which glass to use and just last week, I found mine!
Elsewhere I told of my amazement when I tried the "Adelphi" glass in a head to head with a Bugatti Kelch.

I like the Bugatti, I also like what I call the Signatory, which I name thus as most of mine have the "Signatory" IB name on them. But so far, I think I preferred the Glencairn. Mainly because of its solid build and the way it sits in the hand.
To be honest, I haven't found much difference between the nosing performance of each of these glasses, although if anything, the slightly larger "Classic Malts" glass is probably the best, but I only have a couple of these in my own drinks cabinet.

But all of that is now history, as they say.

At the Munich whisky festival I came across the glass commissioned by "Adelphi". A very well-renowned IB some of whose bottlings are legendary.

A few asked me to take a picture, so here you go:

1. All glasses together


A slightly better version of the pic.


From left to right:
Adelphi, Classic Malts, Bugatti, Signatory (in this case Glenmorangie), Glencairn

You will immediately see that the Adelphi is far and away the largest, it also has a rim which curves slightly outward.
The nosing performance of this glass is so good, it is almost incomparable to the others. So far I have allowed a few people in The Arc to use this alongside any other glass of their choice and every time they have been astonished at the difference.

Here it is in close-up:

[Di Blasi]

Very nice Malt-Teaser, thanks for posting the foto!

[Mr Fjeld]

Nice glass Malty! It does look remarkably similar to the Spiegelau Single Malt Snifter?

[Deactivated Member]

Hmm, interesting. Apart from the long stem, the bowl looks pretty much the same as the Glencairn. So do you think the outward tilting rim is what makes the difference?

[Deactivated Member]

The shape is slightly different, the top lip tilts outwardsand it is considerably bigger overall.
I would say that ALL of these points make a difference. A massive difference.

As for that Spiegelau, what size is it?
MT

[Mr Fjeld]

Here's a picture showing the Spiegelau Single Malt Snifter compared to the Glenmorangie/Ardbeg and the Glencairn.
The Spiegelau is a very good glass imo.

[Deactivated Member]

Yes, this looks very similar to the Adelphi so I would say it is a good one too.

[Deactivated Member]

Hmm, looks like the same glass to me!

[Di Blasi]

Very cool! I'll keep my eyes open for the Spiegalau then. I have heard that slightly open lip does aid in not only bringing it to your tongue but also in the nosing, but not sure why or how.

[jimidrammer]

I like the design of that glass. Where can they be purchased? Is the Spiegelau the same size? I may have to get a set to put up against my Glencairn and what you call the "Signatory". Mine has Ardbeg on them. I also remember a stemless glass similar to the Adephi. I found a link here:

http://www.crystalizeonline.com/rasctu.html

Anyone compared this for hand warming and such?

[Deactivated Member]

The Adelphi can be purchased directly from Adelphi, certainly in Germany.
I am also talking to them about taking some for my bar / tastings / to sell.

It seems that the Adelphi costs somewhere just over €6 per glass. How much does the Spiegelau cost?

[parvus]

From memory, the Spiegelau glasses are used by both Adelphi and Douglas Laing for all of their sample nosing.

I'd use mine more regularly if they weren't such a pain to wash and dry.

[Deactivated Member]

Adelphi's website here doesn't have the glass (or I need better glasses, which is possible).

Spiegelau are £20 for 4

These ones?

http://www.wineware.co.uk/Spiegelau+Vin ... etails.htm

[Deactivated Member]

The vino vino spirit glass looks too small. I think it's the snifter:

Snifter:


Spirit:

[Mr Fjeld]

Butephoto is right - it is the Snifter! I should know since I have them myself.

[Deactivated Member]

Hmm, I can only see 4 packs everywhere...

[Xxandr]

As for that Spiegelau, what size is it?

From Spiegelau catalogue:


Whisky Snifter Premium (Specialglaeser) - 192 mm, 280 ml, diam 71 mm
ref. 446 00 77 (2-pack), ref. 446 00 17


Whisky Snifter (Specialglaeser) - 188 mm, 170 ml, diam 61 mm
ref. 446 02 70 (2-pack)


Snifter (Vino Vino collection) - 192 mm, 280 ml, diam 70 mm
ref. 438 01 73


Whisky (Willsberger collection) - 135 mm, 340 ml, diam 98 mm
ref. 141 01 15

[mikeymad]

I like them all....

I am a Glencairn user most of the time. Just a nice shape, good nose, and consistent in getting beverage to my tummy....

Cheers,

[Ganga]

I've found that some whiskies are presented better in different glasses. Hence my penchant for trying whiskies in multiple glasses. When in doubt, brandy glass as I can get it in most bars/pubs.

[JohnyyGuitar]

Any wine glass will do, buy a bunch of cheap ones, various shapes at your local second hand store. I like the wider ones, like a brandy glass, a good sized wide brandy glass.
Simple common sense should tell you that the more surface area you give the liquid the more it will give off. Here try this, put some scotch in a small narrow glass and some in a wide brandy glass and take a sniff of each - if you can't tell the difference start drinking gasoline, your wasting your money on scotch

[lohssanami]

I like the Glencairn so far as it is the best for juggling a full dram...at least that is what I found out tonight. I have a few others like the stemmed tulip shapes in your pictures, and I get a good smell out of all of them.

[Bruichladdict]

OK, here's my two cents:

If it's good enough for Jim McEwen at Bruichladdict, it's good enough for me. I've tried snifters, glencairn, and a sherry copita - Jim's standard piece of equipment - and for 4.99/glass, the sherry copita is hands down the best performer and the cheapest. All others are merely marketing gimmicks, though the 15 oz snifter did have a different aroma profile. Again snifters 4 for 20$ CND.

[Lawrence]

To add some perspective from an article I did last year on glass ware:

http://www.maltmaniacs.org/malt-103.html#2007-30

Lawrence

[Deactivated Member]

Well well, I have only just noticed some small engraving on the base of my super Adelphi glass.

It says "Spiegelau"!!!

So we were talking about the same one all along.

[orangedogofglory]

just to revive the topic, this Spiegelau is a little different than the whisky one - it's labeled simply for "spirits."


http://www.spiegelau.com/EW_CHINA/sw/re ... &Anzahl=6#

anyone had any experience with it? reminds me of the type of glass port is served in - maybe a similar effect as the Willsberger collection whisky glass mentioned before?

[Deactivated Member]

That one is a classic shaped Grappa glass.
I have never seen it used for anything else.
MT

[Klas]

Yes, that seems like a Grapa glas.
I have tried it with whisky though on one occasion and it worked quite well.

[AragornII]

I happened upon a set of Marquis by Waterford Crystal vintage young white wine glasses tucked away in my bar today (must have been a never-used wedding gift), and thought they might make for a good nosing glass based on some of the glasses I've seen in this thread. Although they may not be narrow enough at the top. Has anyone used these for tasting whisky?


Edit: After a taste test I'd say that it's much better for nosing than my usual tumbler and I enjoy the added sensation of the concentrated aroma when taking a sip. Although, not a great whisky glass in any case. Too long a stem and too open at the top.

[LagaDrinker]

I think I'll get a small range of different glasses to try over the next few months.

I wonder if the lips sloping outwards help to disperse the aroma during nosing so its delivered more widely giving greater depth?

[Deactivated Member]

Lagadrinker,
which glasses do you already have?

I have plenty of Glencairn for sale if you need any and I also have lots of the "Bugatti" ones, a couple of which I could also let you have for free.
MT

[Mr Fjeld]

.....I wonder if the lips sloping outwards help to disperse the aroma during nosing so its delivered more widely giving greater depth?

The Riedel whisky snifter were created with its outward sloping rim for tasting rather than nosing. According to Riedel the most important part of assesing whisky is how the spirit is delivered onto the tongue. I think their idea is to evenly distribute the spirit all over the tongue instead of just to the front - or something like that. I'm not very impressed by the riedel glasses though.

[lexvo]

I also like the Michael Jackson glass for its nosing capabilities. It is glass "D" in this photo. It was made by a well know maker, but I can't remember the brand at this moment.

[Lawrence]

I'm not very impressed by the riedel glasses though.

The Riedel is a great glass for displaying flowers. However for whisky, it's hopeless.

[Mr Fjeld]

I'm not very impressed by the riedel glasses though.

The Riedel is a great glass for displaying flowers. However for whisky, it's hopeless.

[Deactivated Member]

Identifying the best whisky glass is as subjective as the contents they're designed to hold.
It seems to me that the recent interest in all things whisky becomes a great opportunity for glasswear to jump on the market.
For decades we had a tumbler or a brandy glass (for the more enlightened) Now there is a plethora of different specialist whisky glasses!
I agree that a properly shaped glass makes a real difference but really, can anyone seriously tell the difference between what seem at first glance to be the same glass?




BTW - the Glencairn gets my vote. Everything else on offer seems too flimsy