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let me know how you get on with them, woman I talked to at Selfridges was of the opinion that if you were drinking it and not sniffing it, any old tumbler would do. So am bearing that in mind before I go spunking cash on new glassware..
cornelius_blackfoot-
Glencairn glasses are fine. If you find your palate is sensitive then upgrade later.
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I just did a quick comparison of a Glencairn and the Norlan, a dram of Jura Elixir 12 in each, no water. Kind of expecting there to be fuck all difference, but actually I think the Norlan comes out on top. Similar amount of swirling with each before tasting, and so on back and forth. Drinking out of the Glencairn, the alcohol taste was quite harsh, especially on the finish, and I would typically have diluted it with some water. It was better as I got to the end of the glass, but still too much. On the other hand, from the Norlan I got a little more sweetness and creaminess, with much reduced harshness in comparison. I probably wouldn't dilute it much, if any, on reflection.
The baffles in the Norlan definitely serve to agitate the whisky more, you can hear it (which makes sense, we have conical flasks in the lab designed exactly the same way). The bumf on the Norlan website is also true regarding the tumbler-like nature. I didn't have to tilt my head back as much and could actually get my nose in the glass, which is a feature I like in my wine glasses also.
I still find the Glencairn glass more comfortable to hold, and it's impossible not to get fingerprints all over the Norlan. I'll likely still use them both, but I'm going to do some more comparisons with different strength whiskys and dilution to see if either suits particular styles - I suspect the Glencairn will still work well with heavily peated whiskys that I'd want to dilute anyway. But the Norlan is quite possibly worth the money.
Both are much better than tumblers, Selfridge woman is bonkers.
Aroogah
TvH
I was bought a pair for Christmas. Haven't yet done a comparison with my Glencairn glass but they're attractive and a sensible shape, if a bit disconcertingly light