Whiskey tumbler glass – classic Scotch glass

Whiskey tumbler is a classic Scotch glass but often neglected by whisky enthusiasts who prefer a whisky glass designed for nosing. Let’s face it, if you want to get as much aromas as possible out of your favorite dram, tumbler is not gonna do it for you. Then you should go with a tulip shaped Glencairn or some other brand. Remember that price is not everything, whiskey glasses don’t have to be expensive.

But if your thirst is big. I mean really big. You’re yearning for long gulps of your favorite liquid gold. Then a tumbler is the best way to go. I’m kind of in the middle when choosing my weapon of choice. Regular version of Glencairn nosing glass or tulip shaped Copita glass is definitely my choice if I want the whole experience: aromas, palate and big aftertaste in finish. But I often go with tumbler when getting big chunks of the palate and aftertaste is enough.

And that’s just what you get with whiskey tumbler. Bigger sips than with a nosing glass. In my opinion that’s the best way to quench your thirst. For fast consumption, if you can ever say that about whiskey.

Shape of the glass is the key for full experience

For a long time, before I found my absolute favorite (Glencairn Canadian mixer), this triangular shaped William Grant’s gift glass was my favorite tumbler since it could pick up aromas better than the regular rectangular version:

One of my favorite whiskey tumblers from way back – the triangle shaped with William Grant’s logo on it

But nowadays my favorite is the Glencairn Canadian mixer which technically is a tumbler, I guess. At least in my book. Because it can hold so much whiskey in it. Otherwise the design is completely different since it has the typical nosing glass tulip shape. And that’s why I prefer it.

Glencairn Canadian gives you all the best qualities a whiskey glass can have. Perfect shape for nosing the rich aromas of your favorite dram. Enough space to fit a bigger shot of water of life. I know I might sound a bit alcoholic, because you can easily fit more than 8 cl of whiskey into a typical nosing glass (Glencairn for example). Which is more than a double Scotch. But believe me, even a moderate whiskey drinker, a true aficionado who drinks uisge beatha mainly for its taste (not to get drunk), wants to enjoy bigger shots of his/hers favorite whiskey.

Glencairn’s Canadian Mixer – my go to Scotch tumbler

Like I mentioned before, this is my absolute favorite for bigger pours. I’m not completely sure how to categorize this design. Because it’s not shaped like classic tumbler glass. It has the tulip shape famous from nosing glasses. After all, it’s a Glencairn.

But the quantity of whiskey you can fit in one glass is much bigger than with nosing glasses. When a nosing glass can usually hold up 175 ml (5.9 US fl oz) but it’s not handy the fill the glass over halfway. Glencairn’s Canadian mixer has a capacity of 325 ml (11 US fl oz). So you can easily fit a bigger pour in there. And even though the shape is more like snifter glass, the top is wider so you can have bigger gulps, like with tumblers.

Glencairn Canadian won’t give you aromas as richly as smaller tulip shaped glasses. The ones you use for nosing. The wider the top is, the more it lets away aromas. When you have a narrow top, it will capture more aromas. But for tumbler purposes, Glencairn Canadian is my top choice. Because it captures more aromas than a triangular shaped glass.

You can buy Glencairn Canadian from Amazon:

Order from Amazon US

Order from Amazon UK

The look and shape of Glencairn Canadian mixer glass

Custom classic Scotch and bourbon glasses

If you want to customize your tumbler glasses, check out HomeWetBar’s selection. You can get your whiskey glasses personalized very easily. If you prefer the original tumbler glass, not the Glencairn Canadian version.

Check out personalized tumbler glass selection below: