Review: Dragon Glassware Diamond Whiskey Decanter Set

Editor’s Note: This decanter was provided to us as a review sample by Dragon Glassware. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review.

I work in the liquor industry and am often trying to keep my alcohol consumption to a respectable level. However, as I get home at the end of a day of bar visits, a guest shift, or meeting at the ‘office’ I often want a night cap at home, where the peace and quiet does not go unappreciated. Do I open a beer, have a glass of wine, make a cocktail, or go for a neat pour? In my house there are a few options (okay, more than just a few), and the decanter is often both enticing and likely ignored. It’s an interesting conundrum that is spurred by the availability of many different bottles on my home bar. If you have just a few items to choose from, it makes the decanter so much more important.

Having a decanter ready to go with your favorite booze feels luxurious, old school, and ceremonious. The question arises “would you like a drink?” and if the answer is yes, what follows is whatever lives inside that cut glass vessel. Usually it is something brown, and often better than you might expect. You must guess the true identity and think about what it brings without a label to hide behind. To be honest, I believe a decanter is kind of a necessary component in any home, office or meeting ground where people of appreciation can be found.

Which brings me to the Dragon Glassware Diamond Decanter set. In ceremony, it completes every task that any other decanter has in history. It resides nicely on a table off to the side of the room, inviting you to pour the contents into one of the matching glasses. It catches the eye and reminds you that you should probably be drinking whiskey right now. The Diamond shape and the stand it is held in is not only eye catching but also an immediate conversation starter. For those reasons, it is already great.

Upon closer inspection, it does not hold the same level of quality as it lends you to believe when you initially spot it. Not that is is ‘cheap,’ but it has a certain plastic feel to it that leaves something to be desired. The glasses are fun, and are actually great for nosing and feel nice in the hand. If you forget that they don’t have a flat base, they don’t spill as they settle onto a side. However, they have the same lack-luster touch and a bit too much thickness to feel delicate or luxurious.

In general, it is a nice decanter set that lends itself more towards a fun table piece rather than a luxury item. However, for the price of between $40-$50 online you can’t beat it. Personally, I’d prefer to have a higher quality crystal decanter or something handmade, but this decanter is going to live at my office and hold a nice bourbon for my visitors to enjoy. This could be a fun gift for someone just getting into the spirits world, or perhaps a 21st birthday. At the end of the day, the ritual is what is important when we talk about sharing a pour of your favorite whisk(e)y, so beyond that we’re just nitpicking the details. Which, admittedly, is part of the fun.