It’s certainly debatable if angels really take part in whisky’s evaporation process, but one father and daughter duo are ensuring everyone else gets their fair share...

It all started with The Angels’ Share, Ken Loach’s film named after the phrase which describes the small percentage of whisky that evaporates from a cask over the course of the maturation process.

This concept sparked a conversation between Tom Young and his daughter Karen Somerville that ultimately led them to design the Whisky Angel, a small glass figure that holds a dram within it. 

“Distilleries all over Scotland talk about the angels’ share and we thought about creating something that represented that. What would it look like? That was the catalyst for our business, we used our glass-blowing expertise and design tools to personalise the figures. It was a gift that represented whisky and Scotland,” Karen says. 

To capture a measure of whisky in molten glass was an innovation: “It was a difficult process but once it’s in there it’s never going to evaporate. It’s always going to be the end share.

"Some people have heels of a bottle left and they will work with us to put it in an angel that’s belongs to them forever, it might be connected to a wedding or a favourite dram for somebody that’s passed away. There are collectors who are interested in the special editions we create with distillers but also it can be a very personal gift.”   

The Herald:

The glassblowing process, above, means each Whisky Angel is unique and can be engraved with a small inscription

 

The family business continued to develop a range of glassware based around the angels’ share legend and other accessories for whisky drinkers: “I started going to whisky festivals and that is where the water dropper came from when I was watching the tasting experience.

"It’s become our best-selling product which we ship all over the world. We designed our own spirit glass which was part of my own love of whisky and understanding of the industry. We are always thinking about little gadgets and things that are part of the ceremony of enjoying whisky.”
angelsshareglass.com