I get asked for whiskey advice a lot. What’s the best bottle to gift? Who’s making the most underrated whiskey? Where can I get some Pappy? And, of course: what glass should I be using for whiskey? It’s a reasonable question, especially for wine drinkers who have been trained to expect custom shapes and sizes for everything from Grand Cru Burgundy and rosé Champagne to Pinot Noir, both Old World and New—a glass that can also be used for rosé Champagne—to say nothing of both oaked and unoaked Chardonnay.

Just thinking about that many options is exhausting, so I’m happy to inform you that whiskey is a lot easier. No special glass is required. In fact, you don’t even need a glass at all.

Swig it from a Solo cup or the faded old tumbler from your college football team. Sip it from a Mason jar or novelty shot glass. Or break out your finest crystal double rocks glasses, polished to a shine. It doesn’t matter! You can enjoy drinking whiskey from anything that holds it.

That’s the key word: enjoy. The right whiskey glass is the one that feels good in your hand. I favor glasses with heft, usually from a thick base that clunks pleasingly when I set it down. And I like glasses with room for swirling—which, despite what you may have heard, is not forbidden for whiskey.

Extra room for a big ice cube is also a plus! Especially if it’s hot outside, like when I’m at the beach. Or if I’m drinking barrel-proof bourbon, which almost always benefits from a rock. A few years ago I was gifted a couple of Hamilton & Inches glasses, both beautiful and functional, that meet these criteria. Plus the textured cut crystal allows for a true non-slip grip, which is essential for the tiny-handed among us.

So that’s drinking whiskey: just find a vessel that you like. But when it comes to tasting whiskey—well, that’s a different story. There is a discernible benefit to opting for a specific glass shape.

That’s because tasting—more accurately nosing and tasting—has a purpose beyond mere enjoyment. You’re seeking to understand the whiskey, to tease out its nuances and discover its mysteries, to appreciate it. And while you can start to do that with any old glass, to really get into it, you need one that highlights and concentrates the whiskey’s aromatic profile.

The industry standard for many blenders is a copita, but it’s never caught on among regular folk, possibly due to the delicate stem. Instead, most “serious” whiskey drinkers nowadays keep a stash of Glencairn glasses, usually ones that bear a variety of logos because they’re widely distributed at tasting events. The Glencairn is so ubiquitous that its shape—stubby foot, bulbous body, tapered neck—now pops up on stock image sites when you search for “whiskey glass.”

The Glencairn is trademarked, invented in 2001 by a crystal maker that had worked with some of the leading distilleries in Scotland on the design. It was intended more or less expressly for Scotch whisky. But it has been so embraced by the whiskey world in general that it’s used for every other style now too. There have been efforts to create a specific glass for Irish whiskey and bourbon, but the Glencairn—or, sometimes, its knockoffs—still dominates.

I myself nose and taste with Glencairns almost exclusively since I have so many of them, and I’m so used to them. But they have one big drawback, which is the relatively small opening that can make actually drinking rather awkward—especially if you have a schnoz of size.

When I judge spirits for a competition, I often have to use glassware specified by the event to ensure uniformity across the tasting panel. The NEAT is a popular choice, and it does an excellent job of concentrating aromas while dissipating ethanol, but it’s almost impossible to drink from without chin dribble. I like the aesthetics of the Norlan glass, but its lip is too wide to be comfortable when sipping.

An underrated option is Wee Glencairn, perfectly sized for quarter-ounce samples. When I’m going through a dozen whiskies in an hour, it helps minimize the amount of leftover liquid that gets poured into the spittoon. If I’m headed to a whiskey show, it fits tidily into my purse. Plus it’s adorable!

But, back to the wall, the best-of-all-worlds whiskey glass I’ve found is this one from Denver & Liely. It’s stylish, comfortable in the hand, and well-sized for the essential swirl. Its opening is small enough to concentrate the whiskey’s aromas but big enough to vent ethanol. And my nose doesn’t get in the way when I’m taking a sip.

I only own one of these glasses, because they are spendy. And, truth be told, I don’t need more than one if I’m not doing a comparative tasting. But it would be nice to have a few to offer guests. And so, since I do often get asked about the best gift for whiskey drinkers, I’m going to put this on the list. 

It's certainly easier to obtain than Pappy.