One thing that I’ve always wanted to go along with the rest of my bar gear, was a beautiful decanter. I’ve looked for ages to find one that spoke to me. Since they’re not cheap, I wanted to make sure my first one was worth it, and something I’d want to keep for a long time.
For quite a while I was sure I’d want something etched, but none of them ever really hit the spot. I think they’re lovely, but they aren’t unique, or original. Most of them look pretty much the same.
As you know, if you’ve read my previous Home MIxology post, my one pre-requisite for glassware, is to be unique or original. I take my style sense seriously – for a long time I wasn’t able to express my sense of style, and now that I am nothing is going to keep me from it.
Anyway – to the good stuff. I finally found a beautiful decanter from Bed Bath and Beyond. It’s called “Twist”. Handmade lead-free crystal, and shaped beautifully. Even the stopper is abstract and slightly twisted and looks cool.
It also comes as a 5 piece set with 4 old fashioned glasses that have the same twisted style. Totally perfect. I knew as soon as I saw it on their website that it was going to be my first.
When it arrived I couldn’t wait to get in to the box (and didn’t). The decanter is everything it looks like and even more. The crystal is solid and heavy, but not too heavy, it’s a good size, and the glasses are beautiful. I love the solid square twisted base that flares up in to the circle at the top.
The stopper fits snugly, I haven’t tried tipping it upside down (and won’t, what a waste!) but it doesn’t wiggle around on me. It also comes out smoothly without much fuss (which is important when I want my scotch).
I had a fresh bottle of Balvenie waiting to go inside the decanter, I poured myself a glass, and used a funnel to pour the rest inside. The 27oz bottle filled right to the top – apparently it’s perfectly sized for a bottle minus one glass.
At the moment it sits on my TV stand with our crystal bowl and is a cool display piece, in addition to being filled with some awesome scotch. It’s satisfied me for now, but now I can look forward to my second decanter, which will likely hold some nice bourbon in the near future.