Norlan Whisky Glasses Analysis: Premium and Treasured

We bought the Norlan Whiskey Glass so our reviewer might put it to the take a look at of their dwelling bar. Research on for the entire analysis.

The Backside Line: Do it’s important to’re drawn to cutting-edge seems and an intriguing backstory, it’s doable you’ll uncover the Norlan whisky glass value that premium ticket.

Purchase on Amazon, $48

Testing Notes

Design: The Norlan whisky glass’ futuristic attractiveness and ethereal lightness make these recollections of consuming out of your grandparents’ heavy crystal tumblers really actually really feel so quaint and old style. In distinction to fundamental glassware, this one combines two glass varieties in a single. The outer wall tumbler encases a nosing glass, permitting you to get acquainted alongside collectively together with your whiskey’s aromas and hues with out getting your fingerprints all over inside the bowl. The double-walled design furthermore prevents your hand from warming up the spirit.

Provides: Norlan glasses are constructed from hand-blown double-walled borosilicate glass, which is equal sturdy provides Pyrex makes use of to make its laboratory glassware. Borosilicate is additional sturdy than widespread glass and will not crack when boiling water is poured on it.

Cleansing: The included black 11 x 11.5-inch sharpening materials, which is relatively just like the one which comes alongside collectively together with your eyeglasses, is wrapped in a set of directions on how one can cope together with your whisky glasses with care, together with how one can handwash them.

Worth: To make sure that you the Norlan for its space-age attractiveness and as well as you profit from nosing your whiskey—and you’ve got $50 burning a spot in your pocket—then optimistic, it may be value it to you to purchase a set. However outside of that, you might get a set of two Glencairns for about half that value, and sipping from them is a bigger expertise. Plus they aren’t as treasured, coming with a list of care directions.

Our Analysis

The gem-like Norlan whisky glasses are the outcomes of a super-successful Kickstarter promoting and advertising and marketing advertising and marketing marketing campaign, which was capable of elevate $730,000 over the preliminary $75k ask. The hybrid design strongly resonated with whiskey lovers searching for a glass that mixed two in sort whiskey-drinking vessels: the tumbler and the nosing glass. A part of the Norlan pitch is that its whisky glass permits the drinker to not solely nostril the spirit however to be social and keep eye contact whereas sipping from it. In distinction to a Glencairn. After which there’s the declare that due to the fin-like protrusions contained in the glass additional ethanol is compelled to evaporate with each swirl, permitting the whiskey’s aromas to shine by means of.

These are attention-grabbing assertions for a whisky glass to make. However are they value paying a premium for? Will you be better capable of acknowledge the whiskey and time whereas sipping from a Norlan? I broke out a pair of Norlans for a whiskey tasting at dwelling to hunt out out.

Provided that glasses are hand-blown, each is a bit utterly completely completely different. My set had imperfections, equal to an indentation on the lip and a barely cock-eyed rim that made the glass seem crooked even when sitting on an excellent airplane.

However the Norlan’s actually distinctive function that it makes use of to rep itself as among the many many largest whiskey glasses is its 4 fin-like protrusions positioned on the underside of the within glass. Swirl the whiskey and the fins are presupposed to vitality additional ethanol to evaporate with each motion of the glass, dissipating that burn and permitting you to determine on up additional of the whiskey’s aromas, not solely in scent however even sort.

In adjust to, compared with nosing and consuming from a Glencairn, since there’s none of that burn, you find yourself respiration it in additional deeply together with sipping with out wincing. However when testing out an Islay whiskey, the peatiness acquired proper right here by means of stronger on the nostril with the Glencairn than the Norlan, the place it was virtually muted.

Consuming from the Norlan’s thick rim should not be as tidy of an expertise. The liquid wets the corners of your mouth and your better lip, milk moustache type. Contemplate that to consuming from a Glencairn the place you most likely can purse your lips additional, directing the spirit neatly into your mouth. (If that is not among the many many largest high-rollin’ American whiskey!)

Although the Norlan whisky glass is constructed from additional hardy borosilicate, on account of the glass partitions contained in the Norlan are skinny, the care directions that accompany the microfiber sharpening materials remind you that it’s a very costly product. You are educated to not place them in a microwave or oven or use whisky stones with them. And likewise you might be warned within the path of inserting them contained in the freezer due to the hazard of thermal shock. The glass may be very delicate to hold. It’s virtually plastic-like in its airiness till you faucet it with a fingernail to substantiate that, optimistic, it is glass. A neat trick is how, due to the readability of the borosilicate glass, the 2 partitions intensify the whiskey’s coloration, even repeating it contained in the glass’ rim and making it seem as if it was rimmed in gold.

Inside the case of cleansing, it’s best to utilize a fragile detergent and a non-abrasive materials in your Norlan whisky glass. However the important thing hack? The primary line of directions is to make the most of the set-included sharpening materials to “lovingly polish” the glasses earlier than use or putting in your decked out bar cart earlier than your subsequent bar get collectively as a bit showcase.

The Rivals

The Norlan Whisky Glass and Glencairn Whisky Glass (view at Amazon) had been each created based mostly on enter from grasp distillers to largest showcase the spirit. Nonetheless, the Norlan acquired proper all the way down to be a bigger nosing glass however in tumbler type. Its design with these small fins inside the within glass dissipate the ethanol so that you simply most likely can choose up the whiskey’s aromas with out searing your nostrils. And that 2.5-inch diameter opening might be better in order that you do not have to tilt your head method once more to you do when consuming from the Glencairn’s 1.75-inch-diameter opening, permitting you to, optimistic, keep eye contact with buddies.

However although the Glencairn is finless and smaller-mouthed, it’s nonetheless a bigger glass to sip whiskey from. Consuming from the Norlan’s thick rim, which is because of its double-walled enchancment, is simply not pretty much as good an expertise. Constructive, it is one issue that one might adapt to, nevertheless it merely would unlikely actually really feel nearly just about pretty much as good contained in the mouth.

The Norlan’s tumbler sort is, nevertheless, better suited to these with greater arms who usually should grapple with the Glencairn’s neck. The Norlan is shorter (3.7 inches) with a smaller performance (5.9 ounces) in contrast with the Glencairn (4.5 inches tall, 6.5 ounces). The glass you select will come correct proper all the way down to the significance you place on pricing (Glencairn is $16 for 2, Norlan $48) or seems. The Glencairns are additional ubiquitous, present in bars and tasting rooms, whereas the Norlan may be a stunning dialog starter on any bar cart.

The Last Verdict

The fantastically designed Norlan whisky glass (view at Amazon) has acquired the backstory and the attractiveness to kick off any dialog and glass envy whereas exhibiting off your scotch assortment. These delicate to whiskey’s ethanol burn will acknowledge how the glass’ distinctive design helps tamp that down in each scent and magnificence. If all that sounds good to you and you do not concepts paying a premium for it, this whiskey glass is definitely nicely well worth the splurge.

Why Notion Liquor.com?

We bought this pair of glasses for our tester, Caroline Pardilla, to check out for a month and analysis. Caroline is a author specializing in cocktails and bars. She relies in Los Angeles and has contributed to Liquor.com since 2016. She has just about 20 years of expertise as a author and editor for publications together with BBC Journey, Eater, LAist, LA Weekly and Los Angeles journal.