Does glass appearance have any influence?

[Jeroen Kloppenburg]

Appearnce doesnt matter much, but the shape does. This has been discussed in quite a few threads on this forum, including one that is currently active as well! The search function will bring them into your focus easily.

[Deactivated Member]

I think the key here is that these were novices. To them, a drink in a snifter is a brandy. You could probably give them a Coke...well, maybe not. But they simply haven't learned enough about the various aromas of distillates to differentiate, so the glass-shape association takes precedence.

That they cannot differentiate a Lagavulin from a cognac marks them as uneducated, indeed--you have your work cut out for you, C_I! I'd call that a tabula rasa. (Hey, there's a name for a pub.) Mold their palates as you will!

[rthomson]

I think that it's quite possible for a novice who does not have much experience with nosing to be influenced by the stimulus control of a snifter, i.e., automatically associate that shape of glass with brandy. Of course, it has taken me a while and a good number of drams to begin to differentiate between the many aromas from various single malts. Single malt novices who have experience with brandy, port, sherry, etc. may notice those more and the shape of the glass further solidifies their impressions. Anyway, a brandy snifter can be a wonderful glass for some single malts. It's great for swirling and directing the flow of the aromas.

Ron

[Deactivated Member]

I've come to prefer my snifters over all other glasses. They are relatively broad and flat at the bottom, maximizing the surface area of the dram. They were left to me by a fool who was moving and had limited cargo space. I don't think I'd ever leave them behind! I did break one, though.