Rum Ratings

Size, shape, and materials used...brands too!

What do you prefer? What have you tried, or would like to try? Can you get a great glass at a great price?

There is leaded crystal, lead free, titanium crystal, non crystal glasses of all shapes and sizes-- and others. Do you know how important even just the materials used are to the optimal enjoyment of your rum? VERY IMPORTANT!!

So, what do ya know and what do you like? What's in your collection? The more we talk about it, the more everyone benefits, so let's hear it, and maybe post a few pics :D

For me, by default, I must have lead-crystal. IMHO, titanium-crystal really dulls down the aroma, and smelling is the first interaction with the taste buds! Material (to me)-- is more important than shape, but shape is also very important. I want the option of controllable handwarming (a stemmed glass is perfect for that), I want something that allows the aroma to develop in accordance with the liquid ' potential and my rate of consumption (this will vary depending on what I'm pouring)...and I want something that has an appropriate delivery and hand-feel. Hand-feel and weight are a very minor consideration, but something I also care about :) ...is there ONE glass that is perfect for every pour? No. So the first logical choice is a well rounded glass which gives consideration to all of those factors. That glass for me is a leaded-crystal stemmed glencairn shaped glass-- I don't think the original "Glencairn" brand makes a stemmed glass. When getting to know a particular rum or whiskey better, I become more familiar with what I appreciate most about it (in which case, I'll choose a glass specific to that feature)-- if something has a much better nose than palate, I'll select my shape accordingly...if the entry on the palate is of exceptional quality (eg; a WOW factor cask strength/barrel proof), then I want a glass that gives a great, swift delivery. If a particular pour has an unusually long life/development of layered flavors (entry/middle/finish), then a great delivery is not desired but rather a small delivery that helps to focus the starting point on the very front of the palate, allowing more control over how the flavor develops, potentializing a fuller, more complex experience of both major notes, undertones, and hidden nuances that can only be discovered through an extended palatting technique (3-5 seconds...don't try that with a barrel proof pour ;)).

Before my humble bar was burglarized (humble, that is, by some people's standards, ie; 182 bottle bar-- $5,000+ in bottles alone-- mostly whiskey)...I used to have a collection of 16 sets of glasses of various shapes, sizes, and materials. I'm currently rebuilding my bar now, and I know what I like for glassware.

So, what do you like?

Note: if something has a very lengthy, complex palate that can really unfold and blossom, and it's very well refined (eg; triple distilled/very nicely mellowed by the oak...not a lot of burn fir the proof, and bottled at a low proof)..."3-5 seconds" of palatting jumps to 5-7 for me, or I feel like I'm wasting it.

I just rock some Tervis tumblers because they remind me of fishing trips to the Florida Keys and the Bahamas as a young teenager. Those trips introduced me to a life long love of a Caribbean/tropical delights. A Tervis also held the first sip of rum that I remember taking about age 13. It was at Valentine's Marina on Harbour Island. The captain of the fishing boat we went on poured me a Bacardi Silver and Coke after I landed a 66lb yellowtail after a 2 hour fight. I have since upgraded the rum and ditched the Coca Cola, but I still use a Tervis tumbler.

So I have the Neat glasses:
http://www.homewetbar.com/neat-hand-blown-whiskey-glass-p-4383.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAs4qzBRD4l-2w7qOoqEMSJABauikXnme4EkUq34JykfgZyV2l6MvQH-JIc777zjcA4UyDSBoCASjw_wcB

They work for me. I have drunk my rum (and scotch) out of other glasses, but these are my favorite.

Wow, those look really cool. Does sipping out of them take some practice?

Not for me. I sip a little slower than I would out of just about any other glass, but I started doing that right away. Didn't have to learn to do that "the hard way" (having my drink spill down my front) or anything like that.

I like the idea of Tervis Tumblers. I have several in a theme. Example: http://www.tervis.com/Designs/Form-Collection-16-Brands-NFL-New-Orleans-Saints-Sir-Saint-Mascot/6e16ddd38004558cd24c72faa8f52689/6e16ddd38004558cd24c72faa8f52689

I would like to find some more elegant glasses with a tropical flair.

For whatever it is worth, there is an interesting article on the topic of rum glasses: http://rumproject.com/menuitem3.html

What do we think of this glass?
http://www.norlanglass.com/#the-glass-that-will-change-whisky

Looks pretty cool to me, but they don't ship 'til summer 2016, and I wanna see reviews before buying something like that.

@nathan....best opportunity to become a reviewer😉.
My Glencairn is my favourite for tasting..once I'm settled I use my Bohemia Sheffield Crystal whiskey Tumblers. They are a 24% lead crystal so not top notch but I like the weight in the hand and thickness of the lip.

I have 3 glasses I like. They are:

1. http://www.novascotiancrystal.com/single-malt-scotch-glass.html (margaree) (scotch glass)
2. http://www.novascotiancrystal.com/rum-glass-seafarer-s.html (rum glass)
3. http://www.novascotiancrystal.com/brandy-snifter-margaree.html?___SID=U (margaree) (snifter)
(4) http://www.novascotiancrystal.com/water-thimble.html (margaree)

I have the Margaree design. Love them. Then again I live in Halifax and can pick them up in 15 minutes. Hand made, hand blown, finest in glassware for my drinking enjoyment.

Typically I always use glass #3 above for my drinking. Snifter.

@Devan... I don't have nearly a refined-enough palate to do those kinds of reviews, sadly. Otherwise I would. Heh... :D

@geno You have refined taste in crystal. Wow. That price is for 1 glass isn't it? I would save that money for rum. The bottle of Zaya I got for Christmas came with 2 glasses, which I like very much

@keith... the glass makes it more enjoyable. you only need 2. one for you and one for your best friend. i have 2 of th cognac ones, 2 rum farers, and 4 whisky. then i have many cheap generic cognac type glasses when i have a group over.

and they are hand blown, the only hand blown in North America. and i live in Halifax where they exist and so i like to support the local artisans.

they stand behind the quality, and i think they still have the warranty that if you break it within a yeay, yes accidentally, they will replace it.

classy, old company. quality. you need to get 2. ;)

They are very nice. If I could afford them I would buy them too. This is the gift set I got, and the glasses are my new "high end" tasting glasses until I can find some nice/decent crystal at a garage sale somewhere. http://spiritedgifts.com/zaya-gran-reserva-rum-gift-set
They replaced the rather plain old fashioned glass I have one of from somewhere.... :-)
cheers!

@Geno maybe by now you can tell I'm a noob. I'm 58, and for the last 45 years Bacardi has been my rum of choice, due to ignorance on my part. I may catch up on the tasting part.... The glasses may take a little longer.
Salut!

@keith. zaya glasses look very nice. we are very similar it seems. I'll be 58 in august. i only started drinking rum 5 years ago, always neat. hated it any othe way in my early years so it was beer or vodka. and now i just started this Christmas learning and sampling and getting to like all tupe of whisky from Canadian Rye, American bourbon, Irish Wiskey, and of course scotch - from both Scotland and NS Canada, even tough it isn't allowed to be called Scotch.

cheers.

yeah, I just discovered bourbon last year. Always thought all whiskey tasted like scotch. I don't like peat... I used to make beer (I like the thick, chewy, hoppy (high triglyceride) stuff), until I got hit with pancreatitis. So now I gotta take it slow. Wifey always riding me. So bourbon became my drink of choice. Then I tasted Zaya. So it turns out quality rum is cheaper than quality bourbon. I'm in trouble. :-)

@Enigmaniac sorry to hijack your thread. Back to the glasses, ya'll

Hmmm - how does this thread keep getting bumped to the top with no new replies?

I usually use mini brandy snifters I get at World Market for $2 each and they work just fine. I also have a pair of Glencairns but I find they can overemphasize the nose of some more estery rums such as Smith and Cross.

Scott T. Hmmmm, World Market right down the street. Might have to pay them a visit. Thanks for the tip

Mini brandy snifters from World Market...I will also check them out.

Just picked up four Lenox stemless snifters on clearance at the local HomeGoods store for $3 each.

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