The Glencairn whisky glass is a style of glass developed by

Glencairn Crystal Glencairn may refer to: Places Africa * Glencairn, Cape Town, a suburb near Simonstown (the old Royal Navy Base), Cape Town, South Africa * Glencairn Wetland, a small reserve on the Cape Peninsula, in the southern areas of Cape Town, Sou ...

Ltd, Scotland for drinking

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...

. Originally designed by Raymond Davidson, managing director of the company, the shape of the glass is derived from the traditional ''nosing copitas'' used in whisky labs around Scotland. The glass design was concluded with the aid of

master blender A master blender is an individual who develops specific blended spirits using a combination of spirits with different characteristics. For example, in the Scotch whisky industry, master blenders choose which single malts and grain whiskies to com ...

s from five of the largest whisky companies in Scotland. The glass first came into production in 2001. Since that time additional mini-Glencairns and Canadian Glencairns were introduced. The original Glencairn glass is approximately in height and has been available in three variations: 24%

lead crystal Lead glass, commonly called crystal, is a variety of glass in which lead replaces the calcium content of a typical potash glass. Lead glass contains typically 18–40% (by weight) lead(II) oxide (PbO), while modern lead crystal, historically als ...

, lead-free crystal, and

soda-lime glass Soda lime is a mixture of NaOH and CaO chemicals, used in granular form in closed breathing environments, such as general anaesthesia, submarines, rebreathers and recompression chambers, to remove carbon dioxide from breathing gases to prevent ...

. The vast majority of glasses in circulation are of the lead-free crystal variety. The soda-lime variation was discontinued in 2008. Mini Glencairns look the same as regular Glencairns but are smaller and used at distilleries for serving samples. Canadian Glencairns are the largest of the three, and were made for Canadian whiskey that is usually served on the rocks (with ice), therefore the Canadian Glencairn has a wider bowl and has a capacity. The capacity of a typical Glencairn whisky glass is approximately , and it is intended to hold approximately of liquid. In 2006 the glass won the

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for innovation. The Glencairn glass is not the only glass on the market that is designed specifically for drinking whisky. (For example, Riedel and Norlan Glass also manufacture such glassware.) While there are numerous styles of such glasses available, the Glencairn is the first style to be endorsed by the

Scotch Whisky Association The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is a trade organisation that represents the Scotch whisky industry. The Scotch whisky industry is an important part of the Scottish economy, and particularly the Scottish export market. Structure The main o ...

, and it is used by every whisky company in Scotland and Ireland. Old fashioned

tumblers Tumbler may refer to: * Tumbler (glass), a type of glassware * Tumbler (pigeon), a pigeon breed * Tumbler (Project Xanadu), a unique identifier of a unit of text or an embedded link * Tumbler (surname), an extinct surname of British origin * ...

snifter A snifter (also called brandy snifter, brandy glass, brandy bowl, or a cognac glass) is a type of stemware, a short-stemmed glass whose vessel has a wide bottom and a relatively narrow top. It is mostly used to serve aged brown liquors such as ...

s, and nosing copitas are other types of glasses that are commonly used for drinking whisky. The traditional style of whisky glass is a

cut glass Cut glass or cut-glass is a technique and a style of decorating glass. For some time the style has often been produced by other techniques such as the use of moulding, but the original technique of cutting glass on an abrasive wheel is still u ...

crystal (also known as an "old fashioned glass", "rocks glass" or "lowball glass" in the United States), an iconic design that remains the most commonly used type of whisky glass. However, a tumbler does not hold and focus the aromas as much for the experience of the drinker as the other styles, which curve inwards towards the top of the glass. While not all drinkers may find the strong aroma produced by such glasses desirable, inward-curved glasses are often preferred by connoisseurs who consider the aroma especially important to the experience of a whisky.

References

External links

Glencairn Glass U.S. Design Patent
(Publication Date: 25 June 2002, Filing Date: 26 September 2001, Term:

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from the date of issue.) {{Whisky , state=expanded Drinking glasses Whisky Drinkware