Spirits firm causes stir by selling Turkish tea cups as ‘the perfect whisky glass’

ISTANBUL

'Slender-waist' cups have been marketed as 'the perfect whisky glass' by a US spirits company and sold online.

Pious Turkish tea junkies are upset after glasses identical to the traditional, Anatolia-bred “slender-waist” cups were marketed as “the perfect whisky glass” by a U.S. spirits company and sold online.

The company claims that the “eccentric” whisky glasses were discovered “after years of research in Scotland with the best Scotch distillers in the world.” But keen-eyed Turkish tweeps were not deceived by such promotional “plagiarism,” as pictures of the so-called whisky glass caused a stir on social media.

The company, which praises the glasses for perfectly distributing whisky’s “alcohol and aroma,” sells them for $25 apiece. However, those looking for a cheaper way to get their hands on such glasses can find them sold for a fraction of the price in almost any Turkish market.

A popular social media meme in Turkey shows a photo of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli surreptitiously sipping from a glass of tea. Meanwhile, Pope Francis, who visited Turkey on an official trip 10 days ago, was also photographed drinking tea with one of the “slender-waisted” glasses, with pictures showing the pontiff quickly adopting the typical Turkish manner of holding the glass and sipping.



It is true that the glass is used sometimes “out of purpose” - often to drink alcohol, such as a small shot of rakı. Since the anisette flavored alcohol lost its “national drink” status, after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan bestowed that honor on the yogurt-based Ayran last year, this alternative use of the glass has perhaps become less fashionable.

Nevertheless, the American firm seems to have discovered new qualities of the sensually shaped glass. Cheers!