Before you actually pour your drink, I would recommend that you get a very specific type of glass to perform your tasting. You could simply pour your liquid into any container to taste but for the most consistent analysis you should always use the same type of container.

My preferred drinking vessel for tasting is made of glass. Glass will not absorb flavors. Glass will not impart any chemicals or feel to the liquid like plastic or metal could. Metal sometimes lends a tinny aftertaste to your drink and plastic can often deaden the flavor or even leach chemicals from the manufacture of the plastic into the taste.

The glass should be smooth sided without ridges or other protrusions to agitate the liquid. The preferred shape is either conical or a wide bowl such as a brandy snifter. The mouth of the glass should be rather wide, sufficiently so to allow you to lower your nose into the glass easily to clearly sample the aroma.

My personal tasting glass holds eight ounces of liquid and is conical in shape, similar to a martini glass without the stem. Some call this style a Viking cup, it is also known as a stemless wine or martini glass. I find the shape easier to hold in my hand than a snifter and the conical walls make it much easier to examine the body of the fluid yet still give the wide shape that facilitates swirling.

Until next time, may all your drinks be tasty. Cheers.