Whisky Jug Review – The drip, splash and dash of adding water to whisky
It will come as no surprise to you that we spend a lot of time adding water to whisky. The Larkfire team are very happy to splash in from the can but jugs are also used to great effect. In fact, we added our brand to the Glencairn jug and provide them to bars and hotels stockists.
However, is it the best jug on the market? We decided to investigate...
What do we want from a jug?
Size matters:
The Larkfire can is 150ml and even if you serve a Mizuwari there really isn’t the need for a large jug. So small and dinky is best.
A little lip:
A small lip allows for those little splashes. We never had the patience for single drops but the ability to add a tiny dash is a must.
Glass or pottery?
We have an open mind, and really would like to hear your views. Yes, we really talk about this stuff a lot...
We let Google guide us and purchased a range of jugs that ranked highly. It is worth noting this only means they are good at Google, not producing perfect whisky jugs.
Jug 1: The novelty ‘Gluggle” Jug by Wade was purchased mainly for nostalgia
Jug 2: A Le Creuset ‘Breakfast’ jug ranked highly so was purchased. Whisky for breakfast?
Jug 3: The Glencairn water jug, well known in whisky circles.
Jug 4: A rather unique test pottery jug made by the talented Andrew Appleby of Harray Potter on Orkney.
Jug 5: The LSA Islay water jug
Jug 6: Dartington Whisky ‘Splash’ jug
Jug 7: A Nkuku ‘Edu’ pottery jug
We shall save time and start with the rejections first.
The Gluggle jug is a classic design which is lovely to hold. Unfortunately, you have no idea how much water will come out and when it does it comes in ‘glugs’. Lovely to look at but utterly useless to pour tiny amounts from. We did buy a massive one by accident but the problem will remain no matter the size.
Verdict: Glug off
The Le Creuset ‘Breakfast’ jug is great for putting milk on your muesli but clearly not designed for whisky. Massive jug and a massive pour. Nil Points for the French there.
Verdict: L’eau and NO
The Nkuku ‘Edu’ Jug very nearly made it. It’s a lovely piece of pottery with a small enough lip and a delicate handle. It just feels like it belongs on the kitchen table or as part of a tea set.
Verdict: Not for the water of life.
We are now down to the three glass water jugs and our rather eccentric ‘test’ whisky jug created by an Orkney potter. All of them are designed for the task and lovely to hold.
LSA ‘Islay’ Whisky water jug
This is a beautiful object. The glass base weighs more than a family car but this does give it a ‘heft’ that those whisky tumbler fans amongst us will enjoy. The teeny, tiny lip allows a drop by drop addition or even a bigger splash for those with an easier going attitude. The top is narrow, giving us confidence to leave Larkfire in it for a few days. It also comes with a walnut coaster which saves your furniture from water and also the crushing, planet like weight of the base.
All this mouthblown glass does come with a price though. Hovering around the £35 mark this is an investment in your whisky ritual.
Verdict: Outright winner in beauty, just don’t drop it on your toe.
Dartington Whisky Splash Jug
We love to splash water into our whisky so this did have us early in the game. The tiny lip allows for good ‘dash, drip and splash’ control. The simplicity of design is well thought through and overall this is a very graceful jug for your whisky ritual.
The top is a little wider than the competition but this is a minor point. It’s lighter and more elegant than the LSA but it’s also less distinctive. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this jug is much easier to hold than the LSA. It’s also a similar price point at around £30 to £40.
Verdict: Elegant, simple and graceful but not an attention grabber
The Glencairn Water Jug
Glencairn now dominate the whisky glass market, so it makes sense their jug will be well designed. A tiny lip has good control and goes from 1 to 11 on the dash / splash scale. The weighted base also allows for the ‘wobbly hand late in the evening’ problem. In addition to this it is very good value compared to the two other glass contenders. Weighing in at around £15 this is a jug that you will be sad to break but you will replace without a major family argument or a broken foot.
It is not, however, quite as beautiful an object as the LSA and the Dartington. This comes down to your own principles and what you might do with the spare cash (buy more whisky let’s be honest).
Verdict: Could easily become the classic jug
The ‘Orkney’ Pottery jug (and your chance to get one)
We could be accused of favouritism, but this jug is a little stunner. It’s a simple pottery jug that fits into your hand rather like a Glencairn glass. Tiny, and with a small lip for dash and splash technique there isn’t anything wrong with this rustic charmer.
The bell bottom base and tall neck are based on the classic ‘Thistle’ shape which has stood the test of time. Our home is on Lewis but we commissioned this on a trip to Orkney, another island close to our heart. We would love to hear our readers view on this so see below for your chance to win one of our very limited edition jugs (only 200 made).
Verdict: YOU decide…
We really missed some classic, old school Bells or vintage jugs in the review, but we are planning another blog on ‘vintage’ jugs. Watch out for that in the near future.
Finally, we would love your opinion on our test ‘Orkney’ jug and we have 20 to give away. All you have to do is share this blog. The first 20 win, which keeps it simple we thought? Simply add the tag #larkfire and #orkneyjug and we will track you down with our Liam Neeson skills.
Send us an honest appraisal back and we will forever be in your gratitude.