OKA Wooden Whiskey Tumbler Like Drinking From A Barrel

UPDATE: As of December 15 this Kickstarter project has been canceled by its founders because of mixed opinions about the product from whiskey experts. If you are a backer of this project, you can read more about this decision here.

Turning to crowdfunding for your revolutionary whiskey drinking glass seems to be a growing trend these days. We saw this recently with the successful Norlan Whisky Glass offering, which is way, way over its initial funding goal. Another one up on our radar as well of late is the OKA, a wooden whiskey tumbler which aims to make you feel like you’re “drinking cask strength whiskey out of the 25 year old oak barrel stacked deep in a cold dark aging cellar.”

Whereas the Norlan seems to be a higher brow whiskey drinking glass, the OKA is a little more akin to hanging out in the wood shop given its design. It is literally inspired by whiskey barrels, being made from white oak which has been charred on the interior of the cup. It also sports a narrowed top that’s said to offer a better tasting experience, and a rounded bottom for a more comfortable fit in your hand.

The OKA is not meant to age the whiskey you pour into it, but rather reportedly designed to enhance its flavors. As those behind it put it, “when tasting whiskey from OKA tumbler you will notice that the scent is much softer and more pleasant compared to a glass tumbler. It is because charred oak interior absorbs part of strong alcohol aroma therefore allowing to feel the true characteristics of whiskey.”

What’s also interesting about this tumbler, in part, is the targeting for it: the male drinker. While women are obviously welcome to drink from it, marketing material associated with this project states “a mouthful of whiskey sipped from your wooden tumbler reminds you of the man that you are after a long day of doing the hard things in life a man does. The sense of the wood, the scent of the char, they speak to your soul. The soul of a man.”

“Men drink whiskey because they like the taste,” said Kristopher K., COO of ZOOTY design workshop, in a statement. “Our goal was to create experience that’s the closest possible to drinking straight from the cask by enhancing all those sweet, toasty and spicy aromas.”