alcohol – Cyclops Creative

If you’re here, you enjoy the occasional glass of whiskey; enjoying the flavours, complexity, and company you’re drinking with. But alcohol does have a more uncomfortable side too. It is unfortunately addictive and we have to look after each other.

There are warning signs you should look for but taking a break from the amber spirit also has benefits, even if you don’t have a dependence issue.

Good reasons for taking a whiskey break

While there are many uncomfortable reasons to take a break from whiskey, there are some good ones too.

Reset the palate

We love exploring the complexities of whiskey, finding the flavors that tickle our senses and take us on a journey. However, if you’re drinking whiskey more regularly, you can get a form of flavour-blindness. You start struggling to differentiate between whiskies or find new flavours in new or old bottles.

Taking a break from whisky will also give your palate time to rest and your brain gets a break from searching for something new. You might realize that the first whiskey you pour after a short break will taste like the first time you had it.

Wellness goals

If you’re somebody who enjoys whiskey but wants to lose some weight or become more active, taking a break from drinking is a good idea.

Besides consuming more calories in the form of drinks, having a buzz can also make you eat more, especially more palatable food which usually has many more calories than usual. Alcohol also stunts your metabolism, forcing your body to store fat instead of using carbohydrates for energy.

Give yourself a break until you reach some health goals, and you might appreciate your next pour a lot more.

Going on a trip

When we go on holiday, we want to enjoy ourselves with drinks and delicious food. We want to appreciate what we consume and maybe you’re going on a distillery tour.

Well, just like resetting your palate, taking a break from whiskey for a week or two before a holiday or whiskey tour will help you appreciate the experience you’ll have with family or friends.

Bad reasons for taking a whiskey break

Now, let’s understand the more uncomfortable reasons for taking a whiskey break. As we mentioned, it’s easy to build an alcohol dependence and we need to be vigilant about it. There are warning signs that you might be developing a dependence or addiction that you and the people around you will notice.

Drinking more often

Are you starting to drink more every weekend? Or are you starting to drink earlier in the week? We all understand that life can be stressful, but finding “relaxation” in whiskey is not the healthy route.

Most of us will have a drink or two on the weekend, but if you’re finding yourself wanting a drink earlier in the week, you might want to rethink why you’re having a pour. When you start thinking about what you’re going to drink while still at work or pouring a drink earlier in the day, this is a warning sign that you’re experiencing dependence.

Alcohol does help us relax a bit, but it’s not a healthy way of unwinding on a more regular basis.

Drinking alone more often

We don’t all live with a family or have family members that drink whisky.

Finding yourself not only drinking more often but drinking alone is a warning sign to be wary of. One of the more fun whiskey experiences is having a drink or two with company, having a chat about the whiskey in the glass, or life in general. But if you’re starting to drink more often with your thoughts, you might want to take note of the frequency.

Drinking earlier in the day

Work is stressful and days are long, but starting to pour a drink to relax earlier in the day could be a warning sign for dependence. Maybe you’re pouring a drink as soon as you get home or you have “desk whiskey” at work, you might want to start setting some ground rules for when you’re having a drink.

It’s hard to stop

Most of us enjoy having some whiskies with friends, but what if you just want to keep the party going?

If you’re starting to drink more as everybody else slows down, you might want to rethink your drinking habits. Some people can have one drink and let it go but if you have to have another and somebody slows you down, you might need to take a break.

Financial burden

We all love being on the whiskey journey. We buy new bottles to explore and have some regular favourites we always want on the shelf. However, it’s not the cheapest hobby to have.

If you’re tarting to have less in the bank at the end of the month or the shelf is getting a bit small for your bottles, start rethinking the hobby. Take a break from buying anything for a while, slowly going through what you already own.

Set yourself a budget, be it for the whole month or what you’re spending per bottle. There are apps to help you track the number of bottles you’re buying and how often you finish them.

Comments from loved ones

The people around you care about your well-being. They notice your habits and how you act towards others. Whiskey has a way of changing our mood but alcohol affects us all differently.

If your loved ones are commenting and hinting at your mood when you’re drinking or telling you to slow down, you should listen to them. Maybe your spouse or friends are commenting on the number of bottles you’re buying, worrying about the financial burden. They care about your well-being and want you to be happy, so listen to their advice and start taking a break or looking for help.

How to take a break

Whether you need to take a break or not, it’s important to set some goals where you actively take a break. The length of time will depend on how you feel during and at the end.

A quarterly dry week

Some whiskey communities have a quarterly Dry Week. Every three months, taking a week off from drinking any alcohol can help reset your palette but also give you time to reflect on how often you usually have a drink.

Dry month

Some people take off from drinking in January, labeling it as Dry January. January is when everybody sets New Year’s resolutions, giving themselves time to reflect on their health, going to the gym more often, and just taking care of themselves. It’s the perfect time to refresh after the holidays and reflect on your relationship with alcohol. January is also a long month financially because most of us get paid earlier in December before the holidays.

A good way to figure out if the break is long enough is when you’re not thinking of drinking anymore. If you’re still craving a drink after a month, you might want to look for some help. For others, the month of January is just enough time to start feeling great from being more active and not drinking at all. That is fine too.

Do you need help?

A week should be enough for most people to reflect and reset but if you’re finding that challenging, you might need some help. If you’re taking on the Dry January challenge or something similar, take note of how you feel during the day and how often you think about alcohol. If you write them down and find a trend, ask for help.

Where can you find help?

AA: Almost every country has some form of alcoholics anonymous group to help you reevaluate your relationship with alcohol.

Addiction clinics: There are clinics and retreats for those who want to deal with addiction. If you’re able, you can join them voluntarily. If you’re being sent there by your family or something like a court system, you should know how serious it is and agree to find help.

Community groups: Whether you find a group through official institutions or via social media, there’s always a group of people near you set up to talk about a potential or official dependence. These groups can be run by counselors and professionals who are there to help you recover.

Therapy: Have you or loved ones noticed your alcohol dependence? If you agree, finding yourself a therapist to help is an important step towards recovery.

Enjoy the break

The whiskey journey is fun especially when you’re part of a community that enjoys exploring whiskey to its finest details. However, there are warning signs for when it potentially becomes a problem.

Enjoy your whisky but take some planned breaks to rest and reset. If you see any of the warning signs, there’s always help available.

Whisky may have originated from the British Isles, mostly Ireland and Scotland but it is an iconic spirit enjoyed around the globe. Because whisky is now made and enjoyed so widely, everybody has their favourite style and way of drinking it. One of the most basic but important choices people will make is the glass they’re drinking from.

Each whiskey glass has its own story and everybody has a reason for drinking out of their preferred glass. There are many types of glassware to drink whisky out of but you could narrow it down to seven basic shapes.

The Rocks Glass

Also known as the tumbler or lowball glass, this is the one most casual whisky drinkers will know about.

The rocks glass originates from Ireland and Scotland where whisky was originally made but they weren’t made from glass. Alcohol was drunk from a quaich “quake” which was more of a drinking bowl with handles on the sides.

High-class individuals used to engrave their glasses with their family crests which is still done today. This trend is still popular with all kinds of brand engravings and beautiful imageg, no matter the material they’re made of.

whisky being poured into a rocks glass with ice — Do you like having your whisky on the rocks?

The rocks glass is named as such because it’s one of the best glasses to enjoy your whiskey with one or a few blocks of ice. It’s also short and flat, which makes it look like there’s more in the glass which is more appealing. It’s also not going to be knocked over. It’s also called an “Old Fashioned” glass because it’s used to make the classic cocktail which has few ingredients but makes the glass look full and the drink appetizing.

The tumbler is seen as a high-end but inexpensive whisky glass, making it the perfect all-rounder, no matter your financial situation.

The Highball glass

The tall rocks glass, the highball has its origins in the USA on trains and at golf clubs. It may still have originated from Irish settlers. The highball is a tall rocks glass but they can be narrow, wide, very tall and shorter.

This glass is more commonly used from all kinds of cocktails, especially when more ice and mixer is included. The layers of ingredients and garnish shine with this style of glass.

Highball glass whisky cocktail — Do you like your whisky as part of a tall cocktail?

Here are 6 more things you didn’t know about whiskey

Bulbed glasses

If you want to drink your whisky neat, a bulbed glass is going to be your best bet. These styles of glasses were originally used by spirit makers, especially whiskey. This is because the bulb at the bottom of the glass captures the aromas in the middle and most of the alcohol harshness is pushed to the edges. The aromas are then funneled to the top of the glass and opens at the top. This is where you’ll spend your time smelling the whisky, exploring each aroma and finding the notes that tickle your fancy.

The Glencairn

The Glencairn was developed in the 1980s by whisky makers in Scotland and is based on the nosing cupita.

The glass has the classic bulb shape and opens slightly at the top to help you smell and capture the aromas. It has a short stem used to hold the glass so that your hands don’t warm the liquid too much.

The Belvenie whisky barrel and Glencairns — Do you like a neat pour of whisky in the classic Glencairn?

Whenever you see whisky enthusiasts and connoisseurs enjoying whisky, this is going to be the most popular glass.

Canadian Glencairn

Similar to the original Glencairn made by Glencairn Crystal Ltd, the Canadian Glencairn is often slightly smaller and has no stem but a thicker bottom.

The Cupita

The cupita, also known as a “shooner”, snifter or sherry glass is made for aromatic alcoholic beverages, such as sherry, port, aperitifs, and liqueurs. It looks very similar to a Glencairn but with a longer stem, similar to a champaign or wine glass.

The bulb shape can also look very similar to a Glencairn but can often be narrower.

This glass is most widely used by whisky makers due to the aromas being captured in the middle of the glass and pushed to the top for inspection.

Cupita glass with whisky — The old-school cupita looks great and is still used by whisky makers.

These bulbed glasses can be made relatively cheaply with ordinary glass or from more expensive crystal with various different shapes and decorations.

The Snifter

The snifter looks like a Glencairn and a whine glass had a baby. It’s got a short stem with a wide bottom. The bulb is short and wide giving more space for the aromas to meld together.

A cognac glass is also perfect for whisky — Let’s get super fancy with some crystal snifter glasses

The glass comes in smaller shapes but a larger version will look like a classic Cognac glass. They are also often made with more expensive crystal and beautiful shapes.

It’s another glass that’s perfect for neat pours but looks even fancier.

The Neat Glass

The neat glass is a very short bulbed glass but usually only has space for a single pour of whisky. The bulb is very short with the rim opening up relatively wide. It looks like a Glencairn was almost flattened.

It’s a short glass that is perfect for tastings because they’re easy to measure small pours while having all of the benefits of the bulbed shapes like a Glencairn.

Whether you like your whisky neat, on the rocks or as part of a cocktail, your choice of glass will make a big difference. — Do you like it neat or on the rocks?

Do you spell it as whisky or whiskey? Read HERE!

Which glass is for you?

The first rule of whisky is that the best whisky is the whisky you like to drink, the way you like to drink it, as per the Whiskey Tribe. It means you should enjoy the whisky you like, whether it’s in a different glass, on ice or with mixers like cocktails.

If you are looking for a more casual drinking vessel that’s not just great for different pours but looks great and feels comfortable in your hands, it’s the rocks glass. If you prefer cocktails, you might like a coup glass or the highball.

When you want to enjoy whisky in its purist form, exploring the aromas and flavours, and maybe adding a drop of water, you would probably prefer the Glencairn variations, cupita and snifter glasses.

Enjoy your favourite whisky in your preferred glass and it’s always best enjoyed with great company.

Tag: alcohol

Should you take a break from whiskey?