Pack the glass upside down — carrying a Glencairn without touching the rim
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We were showing the case to Hidetada Sano at ANNIE HALL BAR in Kyoto.
We put a glass in and drew it out again, and he said one thing.
"Taking it out like that, you have to touch the part you drink from."
We told him it also goes in the other way round. "Then I think that's fine," he said.
Someone who handles glasses every night was looking past the question of protecting it. Everyone thinks about not breaking the glass. We had not thought about our own fingers on the very place our lips were about to go.
Where your fingers go when it is packed upright
Pack a glass upright and, to take it out, the only thing to grip is the top of the bowl — just below the rim. A Glencairn narrows towards the mouth, so that is exactly where your fingers end up.
And outdoors there is often nowhere to wash your hands. These are the fingers that were feeding the fire, or pushing in tent pegs.
Pack it upside down
All that changes is the direction.
· Putting it in: hold the base and lower the glass rim first into the case.
· Taking it out: the base is now at the top. Draw the glass out by it, and turn it over in your hand.
Going in and coming out, your fingers touch only the base.
It also turned out to be easier. Upright, we had been pinching the narrow bowl with our fingertips to lift it out. Upside down, you simply take hold of the base and pull.
Glass by glass
We tried each of the glasses already confirmed to fit.
| Glass | Packed | Hold it by |
|---|---|---|
| Glencairn tasting glass | Upside down | The base |
| Suntory Whisky Tasting Glass 140 ml | Upside down | The base |
| Toyo-Sasaki Tasting Glass 190 ml | Upside down | The stem |
| RONA Palenca 6 oz Malt Whisky | Upright | The bowl, just above its widest point |
Three of the four went in upside down.
When a glass will not go in upside down
With the RONA Palenca upside down, the flap took real effort to close.
Turn a stemmed glass over and its wide foot ends up at the top. This case closes its flap over the narrow part of the glass. The RONA is the tallest of the four, and with its foot at the top there is no room left for the flap to close.
Do not force it. Whatever pressure you put on the flap goes straight to the weakest point — where the stem meets the bowl.
Pack the RONA upright and take it out by the bowl: just above its widest point, and below where your lips go. The bowl swells like a tulip, so your fingers find a natural hold there.
The direction differs; the idea does not. Leave the part you drink from alone.
Worth knowing
Packed upside down, the rim rests against the bottom of the case, so keep the inside free of sand and dust.
After drinking, rinse the glass and let it dry properly before it goes back. Packed wet, it leaves the canvas damp.
About this case
The KAIRN KYOTO Single Dram Case is a canvas case with an interior shaped around the Glencairn. A Glencairn sits in it upside down just as well as upright.
Whether your own glass fits is answered in our measured list. If yours is not on it, tell us which one.