The 8 Best Whiskey Glasses of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Riedel Spey Crystal Tumbler

$39 at Amazon $39 at Walmart $39 at Williams-Sonoma

Riedel Crystal has been designing some of the world’s most exquisite glassware since 1756. (The company is older than America!) Those centuries of experience have led to the craftsmanship that can be seen in the brand's Spey Whisky Tumblers.

This glass offers a rare combination of quality and style at an affordable price. Taking its name from Scotland’s River Spey, an area that is renowned for producing fine whisky, the glass features a chic Art Nouveau-inspired design full of diamond and wedge cuts. Even when you’re not drinking, these glasses, which come in a set of two, are so stunning that they'll work as a showpiece in your den, kitchen, or dining room.

The Spey Tumblers are heavily weighted at the bottom, guaranteeing a sturdy, measured sip every time. They're dishwasher safe, hold up to 10 ounces, and—the best part—come at an unbeatable price. We found that the glasses could handle a large portion of ice for all of our old-fashioneds, Boulevardiers, and Manhattans on the rocks. They're also big enough to accommodate a beefy rock, should you prefer to use large single cubes with those mixed drinks. Versatile and great for everyday use, the Spey glasses will add a touch of fun and flair whether you’re having a drink solo or offering a guest a tipple in any form.

Material: Crystal glass | Capacity: 10.4 ounces | Quantity: Set of 2

Best for Single Malt

Glencairn Crystal Whisky Glass

Orig. $30 $25 at Amazon $32 at Target $50 at Wayfair

If you’ve been to a legit whiskey tasting, odds are you have sampled the wares from a Glencairn glass. The tulip-like design funnels aromas to the nose to better help you appreciate the nuanced notes of your bourbon, malt, or rye. Glencairns are also easy to hold and swirl. Plus they’re affordable, so it won’t cost a fortune to keep a good number on hand for you and some friends to sample a few varieties of whiskey. Made from lead-free crystal, the glasses are dishwasher safe.

We found the weight of the glass to be substantial but not excessive, and we also enjoyed the tapered rim, which makes sipping easy. While these glasses aren't big enough for cocktails and ice, their classic design is perfect for anyone who enjoys their whiskey neat.

Material: Crystal | Capacity: 6 ounces | Quantity: Set of 4

Best Crystal

Lorren Home Trends Opera Crystal Whiskey Glass

$28 at Amazon $60 at Walmart $35 at Wayfair

A classic double old-fashioned glass is a must for every home bar, and nothing feels quite like crystal when you’re sipping whiskey. The weight of the glass makes even a dull dram feel more substantial. This handsome set of six RCR crystal glasses from Lorren Home Trends is a great value, and since their 11-ounce capacity makes them excellent for cocktails as well as whiskey, they're also versatile.

We felt that these glasses would be ideal for daily use. The design elevates cocktails and the drinking experience, and ice melts at a very predictable rate. The Lorren glasses truly do feel luxe at an affordable price point: they have a nice weight in the hand and easily fit a large ice cube for even your fussiest craft cocktail.

While they are dishwasher-safe and lead-free, washing by hand is recommended to preserve the glasses’ sparkle and translucence. That said, we didn't notice any durability issues during testing.

Material: RCR crystal | Capacity: 11 ounces | Quantity: Set of 6

Best Design

NEAT Glass Official Competition Judging Glass

$23 at Amazon View on Theneatglass.com

If you're serious about enjoying the nose of your whiskey and want to get the most out of the bottles you buy, you might want to try the Neat glass. Particularly great for Japanese whisky, this is a vessel made with love—development lasted nine years and took 52 design revisions. Made from Slovakia's finest lead-free, dishwasher-safe crystalline, the glass features a wide bowl that holds a 1.5-ounce pour at the apex. Neat recommends swirling and placing your nose at the center of the rim so you can smell the whiskey without exposing your beak to unwanted alcohol burn, which can impair your ability to pick up on aromas. The design is funky but fluid, and the experience is similar to that of a Glencairn.

We found these unique glasses to possess a nice weight and hand feel, though we felt they might skew slightly fragile. They are stackable, however, which is convenient for storage purposes. These aren't suitable for cocktails but we don't see how that will be an issue.

Material: Crystalline | Capacity: 2 ounces | Quantity: Set of 2

Best Double Wall

Norlan Whisky Glass

$28 at Amazon $28 at Norlanglass.com $54 at Totalwine.com

The Norlan whisky glass is all the rage with double-wall enthusiasts. To construct each glass, the company takes two molded pieces of borosilicate glass and fuses them together by spinning them across a linear flame. The result reflects the hue of the whiskey back up through the rim, giving it the shimmering appearance of gold paint. While the Norlan holds 5.9 ounces, you won’t want to fill it up or add aroma-killing ice to allow your senses to take full advantage of the glass’s design. Sold in pairs, the glasses are delicate (aka not stackable), and the company does not recommend putting them in the dishwasher. 

We found that the shape funnels aromas well, and the double-wall construction had the effect of keeping our hand from increasing the temperature. The handsome glasses also have a nice weight in the hand, and feel sturdier than their intricate construction might visually suggest.

Material: Borosilicate glass | Capacity: 5.9 ounces | Quantity: Set of 2

Best for Bourbon

Libbey Signature Kentucky Bourbon Trail Whiskey Glasses

Orig. $40 $27 at Amazon $29 at Walmart $29 at Wayfair

These are the official glasses of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which is probably all that needs to be said. Made from ClearFire glass, they are thin but hearty and feature a wide bowl, so you can swirl while you sip. The shape also tapers toward the top to help you draw in aromas. These 8-ounce bourbon glasses come in a set of four, so they make a great gift. (Or, you can keep them for yourself and pour yourself a flight.) They're also dishwasher-safe and stackable, making for easy cleanup and minimal storage needs.

While they look like they might be the Glencairn’s little brother, they are a bit different—and based on our experience with the Glencairn glass, we found the Libbey distinct enough that you may want to own both. The shape of the glass helps funnel aromas to the olfactory, which helps the drinker engage with more of the flavors in the spirit, and the deliberate design gives you the feel of a serious tasting experience, The mouth is wide enough to fit a medium-sized cube of ice, but not large enough for a big craft ball or rock.

Material: ClearFire glass | Capacity: 8 ounces | Quantity: Set of 4

Best for Gifting

Well Told Urban Map Glass

$18 at Uncommon Goods View on Welltolddesign.com

Need a cool gift for a whiskey drinker? Consider these Urban Map glasses from the Boston-based Well Told design shop. The vessels themselves are made in Ohio and then etched in New Hampshire. Each detailed design flows around the glass. From Atlanta to Los Angeles and Miami to Pittsburgh, there's a large number of cities from which to choose, whether your recipient left their heart in San Francisco or calls the Windy City home sweet home. The glasses are 11 ounces, so they are big enough to hold a sizable drink.

The glass is versatile: ice melts at an average rate, and each glass easily holds a dozen small cubes or one large one. You certainly could sip whiskey neat, but this glass is better for a drink on the rocks or a cocktail. We found that the glass has a nice hand feel and weight, and the shape is fine for tasting—though connoisseurs will most likely prefer a Glencairn for sniffing/tasting.

You'll definitely want to wash these a few times before you use them, as we did have a few tiny flakes of glass come off on our fingers while we were admiring the design right out of the box. Also, the glasses are not dishwasher safe, in order to protect the design.

Material: Glass | Capacity: 11 ounces | Quantity: 1

Best Personalized

Home Wet Bar On the Rocks 12 oz. Whiskey Glass

$66 at Wayfair

For some traditionalists, having monogrammed glasses is imperative. Home Wet Bar's 12-ounce version comes in a set of four that get etched to your specifications—which might even give some of your friends a chance to learn your middle name. (But remember, when requesting your initials, go first name, last name, then the middle, so your family name ends up bigger than the others.) The glass is dishwasher safe, but the company recommends handwashing. 

This glass is ideally suited for cocktails and whiskey on the rocks: you can pack in numerous small cubes or even a large hunk of ice. During testing, we liked the size and weight of the glasses, as well as the fact that they felt durable. Best of all, these glasses are stackable for easy storage.

Material: Glass | Capacity: 4 ounces | Quantity: Set of 2