who knew?

[Fridays_here]

being new to drinking bourbon, i wasnt sure how many differences i would be able to pick out, or if i could tell why i liked one bottle over another or anything else for that matter.

however, i have been drinking my bourbon from some mugs and decided to get some glencairn's. wow!! who knew that just switching from a mug to a glencairn would make such a difference. i swear these specialty glasses really do make the bourbon taste better or maybe just more enjoyable. as to why? i dont know. maybe someone else here can explain that.

i guess if you havnt tried your drink out of one of these, YOU NEED TOO!, and if you have?, then you understand.

[G-Rat]

One cool thing about alcohol is the way its aromatics come out and play when placed in a glass the concentrates and lifts its smell up to your nose. I'd be inclined to say that it wasn't that the bourbon actually tasted better than it did in the mug as much as I'd say that because the glass enhanced and concentrated the presentation of the bourbons aroma it seemed to taste better because your sense of smell is so closely linked to your sense of taste.

Awesome how a glass makes a difference man.

[Dr. François]

I'm not a huge believer in glass-dictates-flavor, but I do like the way certain glasses display the whiskey. I'm more of a double-rocks guy, myself. Just works for me, aesthetically speaking. I similarly do not like wine stems...seems some people like the romance of having wine "up high" more than the wine in the glass.

That said, whenever you find a way to enjoy bourbon more, go with it!

[Bourbon Geek]

I never used to believe that the glass had any part in the organoleptic enjoyment of bourbon ... until I sat in on a tasting with about 16 differently shaped Riedel glasses ... all with the same bourbon. I was astounded! Obviously, the glass can't add or subtract from or highlight what is not already there ... but there were definate difference in the tasting experience between the various stemware pieces. Some concentrated the nose, some made the nose more diffuse ... some delivered the first drops near the front of the palate, while some delivered the first drops somewhere near the middle.

If you have never tried this ... it is very instructive ... and you don't need to go to the expense fo buying lots of Riedel ... Just pour some of your favorite bourbon in several differently shaped glasses ... tumbler, double old fashioned, white wine glass, red wine glass, champaigne tulip glass ... for instance ... keep all samples about the same volume and proof (I recommend you start with bottle strength for the exercise) ... no ice, etc ... For even more fun, try a blind tasting with some friends. Some will be incredulous when you tell them it's all the same product.

[G-Rat]

Organoleptic is an awesome word man!