The tumbler is the classic whisky glass – and whisky itself means, in the old Gaelic, the ‘water of life’
The Whiskey Tumbler in Battersea holds three hundred and sixty-four reviews and a 4.6 – a strong score on a good sample – and it names two things dear to any lover of good spirits: the tumbler, the classic heavy-bottomed glass in which whisky is drunk, and whiskey itself, whose name means, in the old Gaelic, nothing less than the “water of life.”
The tumbler
The “tumbler” is the classic whisky glass – the short, heavy, flat-bottomed glass, also called the “old fashioned” or “rocks” glass, in which whisky is traditionally served, whether neat, with water, or over ice. It is a solid, satisfying, unpretentious glass, weighted at the base, designed to sit heavily and reassuringly in the hand and on the table – the perfect vessel for the slow, contemplative sipping of a good whisky.
The name “tumbler” has a curious and charming origin. The original tumblers, centuries ago, had rounded or pointed bottoms, so that they could not be set down without spilling – they would “tumble” over. The idea, supposedly, was that the drinker had to finish the drink in one go, or hold it until they did, since the glass could not stand up on its own. Over time the tumbler acquired its flat, stable bottom, but kept its tumbling name – a lovely little fossil of drinking history preserved in the name of the everyday glass.
The water of life
The whiskey in the name deserves its own celebration, because its very name is one of the most beautiful in all of drink. “Whisky” (or “whiskey,” with the “e” in the Irish and American spellings) comes from the Gaelic “uisge beatha” (in Scottish Gaelic) or “uisce beatha” (in Irish) – which means, literally, the “water of life.” “Uisge” (water) plus “beatha” (life): the water of life. The name was worn down over the centuries – “uisge” becoming “usky” becoming “whisky” – but the meaning is preserved: whisky is, in its very name, the water of life.
It is a gloriously grand name for a drink, and a telling one – reflecting the reverence in which this great spirit has been held in the lands of its birth, Scotland and Ireland. To call whisky the “water of life” is to place it among the essentials, the life-giving things – a spirit not merely of pleasure but of life itself. (The same idea appears in other languages – the French “eau de vie,” the Scandinavian “aquavit,” all meaning “water of life” – but none more beautifully than the Gaelic original.)
The great spirit
Whisky is one of the world’s great spirits – distilled from malted or unmalted grain, aged for years (often many years) in wooden casks, which give it its colour and much of its complex flavour. Scotch whisky, in its many regional styles (the peaty smoke of Islay, the elegance of Speyside, the richness of the Highlands), Irish whiskey, American bourbon and rye, and now the whiskies of the wider world – it is a vast and endlessly fascinating realm, rewarding a lifetime of appreciation. A dedicated whisky bar, promising a fine range of the water of life served in the proper tumbler, is a genuine pleasure – a temple to one of the great and most contemplative of all drinks.
The bar
A strong, well-regarded whisky bar doing a good 4.6 across a good sample, named “The Whiskey Tumbler” for the classic whisky glass and for whisky itself – the great spirit whose Gaelic name means the “water of life.”
Verdict
Strong, well-regarded, and beautifully named after the tumbler and the whisky – the classic glass and the “water of life” it holds.
Pour a good whisky into a heavy tumbler, sip it slowly, and savour the water of life – the great contemplative spirit whose very name, in the old Gaelic, celebrates it as one of life’s essentials.
Alan Nafzger was born in Lubbock, Texas, the son Swiss immigrants. He grew up on a dairy in Windthorst, north central Texas. He earned degrees from Midwestern State University (B.A. 1985) and Texas State University (M.A. 1987). University College Dublin (Ph.D. 1991). Dr. Nafzger has entertained and educated young people in Texas colleges for 37 years. Nafzger is best known for his dark novels and experimental screenwriting. His best know scripts to date are Lenin’s Body, produced in Russia by A-Media and Sea and Sky produced in The Philippines in the Tagalog language. In 1986, Nafzger wrote the iconic feminist western novel, Gina of Quitaque. He currently lives in Holloway, North London. Contact: [email protected]
Peter Sellers would’ve performed this beautifully. Just flat delivery. All power.