Trying for Elegant Scotch glass!

Hey @Silas, I like the classic stemmed nosing glass personally. I hadn't heard of the Whisky tots before but they looks quite ergonomic and weighty at the base: ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/…

@LeFrog I thought the same thing with ergonomics. I'll let y'all know how they work out. I was kind of scared I'd break the Reidels....I keep my Scotch glasses on my butcher block under my Japanese kitchen knives on the wall on a magnetic block. I've been known to knock a glass over a time or 2. The Whisky Tots looked pretty sturdy! By the way, what is a "gill?"

My personal favourit glasses are those from Malts of Scotland. An image can be found at whiskystar.com/img/…. I feel they catch the aromas perfectly. Ideal for tasting and rather elegant too!

I am an absolute convert to the Glencairn glass. Perfect marriage of form and function. Love that weighty base.

Since I ordered a couple of Gelcairn glasses, I've been converted as well, I absolutely love them.

Sorry that should be Glencairn, I can't type today apparently.

@MFish85 Yeah, after an initial resistence I've now fully embraced the Glencairn glass.

The 6 pack I received as a Christmas present are now on constant rotation. There is a certain reassuring sturdiness about them. :)

@Jean-Luc I know what you mean, when I first saw them, for some reason I thought they would be awkward to drink from. I gave in and ordered them, and when I first used them I was pleasantly surprised. I can't imagine not having them now.

Though I had heard/seen/read great things about them, I was truly blown away. Great feel, but more importantly...big bowl to allow whisky to open nicely, but a nice small aperture for nosing. You get it all.

I have two right now and six more on order (any day now). We have a whisky/book club here that will be pleasantly surprised this month when they show up to see they all get the good crystal now.

I only wish these were standard in pubs.

big fan of this one that my wife bought me for Christmas. novascotiancrystal.com/index.php/… Also have a couple Glencairn glasses which I love.

I flip around between Glencairn glasses and some chunky Stewart crystal tumblers depending on the whisky and how the mood takes me. I know it's sacrilege to drink from a tumbler, but I've yet to find a fluted glass with the same reassuring weight.

Those whisky tots look rather good, although they do look a little small - i like a bit of swirl room in my glass.

@brucefraser I gotta say that after looking at those handmade glasses, I was blown away! What elegance, indeed! I like the Windsor pattern....but at that price I might try only one to see. And the Water Thimble....what a grand idea! I already have a crystal apertif fluted tiny glass for that. I'm going to try a couple of the Riedel Vinum crystals, I think. Free shipping and all at Amazon.
That glass of yours is quite the gift for any scotch lover!

@Silas Well, I opted Not to buy the Reidel Vinum, but instead, just ordered ONE Riedel Sommeliers glass....the handblown one....figured I might as well go all the way! It was a little cheaper than the Nova Scotia glass. I can see that the Sommelier is going to be for the GOOD stuff!

The Johnson Whisky Tot from Bottega Del Vino is the perfect glass and the Official Whisky Tasting Glass of the 2010 International Whisky Competition. you can find it at whiskycompetition.com

No disrespect intended to anyone's personal tastes, or to anyone who has been given very thoughtful gifts, but I don't understand the rationale behind using these glasses with flared tops. Nosing is such an integral part of whisky, and these flares do the exact opposite of what a nosing glass should do, which is, of course, to funnel aroma toward your nose. The natural shape of the Glencairn (or many stemmed whisky nosing glasses) creates a direct channel of scent from a wide bowl to your beak.

Just my two cents and personal snobbery. ;)

@antihero I was thinking the same thing about the flared top. The hype is that the flared top puts the first sip on the tip of the tongue for a better first attack. I didn't say that....the company did.
I just received the Whiskey Tots today and will try one tonite. Then when the Riedel comes in, I'll compare the three: Glencairn, Whisky Tot and Reidel Sommelier. Should be fun. I have to agree with you, antihero, that the Glencairn looks like it would do a better job. Now to the "scientific process!" (Of course it's not scientific, but still fun!)

@Silas Well...since it's in the name of science, I have to support that.

Keep us posted on how your research goes, and don't forget to double and triple check your findings.

The general rationale for the flared rims, afaik, is that you don't only want to smell the whisky but do also want to get some of it into your mouth, which is easier from a flared top. As ever it's a trade off, with the opening of the mouth of the glass losing some concentration of nose, but also making it easier to drink.

If I remember correctly, the Glencairn glasses were deliberately designed to try and do a bit of that, even if they are quite straight sided at the top.

@cowfish I received the Riedel Sommelier glass yesterday: packaging was great, inside 3 boxes wrapped in tissue I poured a wee dram of Glenlivet 12 in 3 glasses: Glencairn, Whiskey Tot, and Riedel. IMO, the Riedel was the best "experience." Could be because I knew I was holding a wonderful piece of crystal, but the aromas and taste kind of synchronized together at the moment of the scotch on my tongue. The Whiskey Tot came in second, with the Glencairn just a "skosh" behind.
I'm going to do some more experimentation; Gonna open a Yamazaki 12 that I've never tasted before and see what unfolds! Ah, the tedium of research. But somebody's got to do it, for all of us!

@Silas The sommeliers look good - I've seen their black glass blind tasting wine tumblers, but never the whisky ones. My only issue with them would be that they don't look all that heavy, and I like something that feels like a potential weapon for most of my whisky drinking :)

How big are the tots? From the descriptions I've found online they look rather small...

@cowfish The Sommelier is not heavy,but not light, either. The rim on the top is about half the thickness of a Glencairn. It is the same height as the Glencairn. The Whiskey tot is a full inch shorter than the other 2 and has the same bowl as the Glencairn, just with no bottom piece. Of course, the top is flared. As I look at all 3 side by side, I feel secure in having 3 different experiences with the same whisky at hand. Sort of like 3 girlfriends: all beautiful. I don't think I'll use any as a weapon though!

@Silas Added information: Let my Lady drink her Highland Park 18 favorite in the Reidel Sommelier glass, letting her know she was VERY special to me, as this was my BEST scotch glass.

Her comment in a few moments: "I really don't think I like this glass. I spilled some scotch on my face! I have to pay too much attention to what I'm doing. Give me the other glass(Glencairn)."

What can I say? Now it's just MY glass! I can live with that!