Glassware Comparison

Some of you might remember my musings over glassware not too long ago. Well, I finally got my hands on a glass from Celtic Malts--for free!--and I've been fairly impressed so far. Prior to this acquisition I was using a large (10-12oz?) brandy snifter, which also comes in handy for much of my beer consumption. I will attempt to compare the two glasses over the next few reviews. Rather than writing a boring pros/cons list, here's my muddled thoughts as of this moment...

First, the snifter. The aroma amplification is insanely good, as you might expect with the giant bowl and narrow opening. The bowl is very large, which allows for a good contact area with my hand. If you like your whisky on the cool side, this might not be so good. Sturdy blown-glass construction and quite cheap--I don't think twice about throwing it in the dishwasher. Whiskey aromas come across very bright in the snifter, though I couldn't say if the aromas come across correctly. The major downside is the huge, stingy alcohol-nose that comes with using a glass with a giant bowl (evaporation rate and all that good stuff). Also, the tongue-coverage isn't perfect and a little swishing is required to really hit all the tastebuds.

And then the CM glass. The aroma amplification isn't quite as massive, but it's still forceful. Only when I go straight from the snifter to the CM glass do I initially have a problem with this. The bowl is smaller and I find it a little more difficult to properly warm the dram. Same blown-glass construction and it feels quite solid. This one was free, but at something like $8 retail, I'll be a little more hesitant to put this one in the dishwasher. Aromas are much more earthy in the CM glass: a dram of Talisker that was all about pepper in the snifter now has insane loam and peat aromas. Most notable of all the characteristics, nearly zero alcohol in the nose. Even my bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail has its alcohol tamed in the CM glass. That's 54.2%, by the way. Tongue-coverage is very nice and aided by the tulip-flare to the lip of the glass.

So, for now, I'm definitely getting more enjoyment out of the drams poured into the CM glass than my standard snifter. Like I said, I'll try to do some comparisons here to further illustrate the differences. I was never able to locate a quick and convenient method for ordering the CM glasses (a phone call seems to be required), but was fortunate enough to find out one of my wholesalers carries them and was given a free one when I brought up the subject.