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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

The Finn Whiskey Glass by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins Is Granted the Silver A' Design Award in Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design

Tiago Russo and Katia Martins acknowledged for bakeware, tableware, drinkware and cookware design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ The Finn Whiskey Glass by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins, designed for The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Silver A' Design Award Explained

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Regarding The Finn Whiskey Glass

The Finn was designed as the ultimate tasting glass for the whiskey aficionado, where every element has been carefully conceived to allow the drinker to taste and nose the whiskey. The stem allows the drinker to elevate the whiskey, toast and proceed to nosing with optimal control, whilst the thicker glass density ensures the environment has no effect on the temperature of the whiskey. The Vortex Point, bulb and chicane come together to remove the ethanol vapour, ensuring the drinker can detect every layer of flavour and aroma that have developed through decades of time, craft and skill.

About Tiago Russo and Katia Martins

Tiago Russo is the Chief Design Officer at The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., a premium & luxury Irish spirits brand that aims to elevate and return to Ireland its former glory and reputation as home of the best whiskies in the world. Building an empire with a global mind-set and Irish heart. Over the last decade Russo has designed for some of the most respectable brands in the world. His impressive portfolio spans the luxury lifestyle domain from spirits to cosmetics, automotive to timepieces including: The Macallan, Dewar’s, The Dalmore, Craigellachie, Bacardi, Louis Vuitton, Patek Philippe, Coty Inc. and McLaren, to name a few.

Award Record

Tiago Russo and Katia Martins is a winner of 8 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards span the editions from 2020 - 2021 to 2022 - 2023 of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design Award

The A' Kitchenware Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good kitchenware designs by best kitchenware brands and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to kitchenware designers, product designers, industrial design studios and kitchenware brands from all countries. Entries typically include pots, pans, cutlery, plates, bowls and glasses. Awarded kitchenware designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/kitchenware

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
The Finn Whiskey Glass
Function
Whiskey Glass
Category
Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
Discipline
Industrial Design
Industry
Furniture & Home and Food & Hospitality
Colors
Black, Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray and Gray
Images
5
Client
The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.

The Recognition

Laureate
Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
Country
Portugal
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2022 - 2023
Design ID
#149362

Credits

Team
Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
Image Credits
The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.

Design Details

Unique Properties
The design of the glassware plays on gravity and geometry to enhance the absorption of the ethanol vapour into the soda-lime glass. At the base of the glass, a conical shaped depression sits, waiting for the whiskey to be poured, controlling the flow. The bulb design complements and encourages this dissipation, by creating a chamber and more wall space for the ethanol vapour to be transferred to, whilst a thick base allows a comfortable grip without heating the liquid.
Inspiration
The Finn was conceived to elevate nosing and tasting experience to the heights demanded by the whiskey’s complex flavour profiles. Eighteen months of scientific research were poured into the design, resulting in a stemmed glass that have revolutionised the experience, by merging science and design into achieving a product that alters the ethanol effects by absorbing it through the glass properties, whilst following a specific shaping that fully enhances nosing and flavours.
Research
For such a competitive and complete field such as glassware, an exhaustive and extensive research was crucial not just to understand the market itself, but the science that could improve the performance of the whiskey. A combination of scientific studies, and design techniques over the ages led to the definition of a product that could clearly dissipate the ethanol effect in the drink, leaving only the phenol compounds, guaiacol and eugenol, and the pure whiskey notes to scent and taste.
Challenge
The main challenge when developing The Finn glass was to design a product that can truly assist in removing the ethanol vapour and subsequent burn from the whiskey drinking experience. From the initial inhalation of the aroma to the last sip, the flavours must be as intended; richly complex, intriguing, and vibrant. The ultimate goal is for the drinker to detect more of the phenolic compounds and flavours that would otherwise have been hindered by the overpowering ethanol in any other glass.
Realization and Technology
With smell responsible for around 80% of taste and the experience of flavour, the focus when designing the glassware was to remove the ethanol vapour that hinders this experience. By triggering the nerves in the nose and creating a burning sensation, this vapour detracts from the true flavours and enjoyment of the whiskey. In removing and lessening the effect of the ethanol, the whiskey drinker can appreciate the full complexity of flavour and layers of taste generally masked by the vapour.
Operation and Interaction
Once the liquid hits the bottom of the glass in its Vortex Point, a swirl is created, spinning the ethanol down to the base and out to the sides of the glass where the vapour can be absorbed into the walls. As the aroma continues its journey up the glass, the bulb arches in-and-out in a chicane-like curve, slowing the movement of the ethanol. In doing so it allows the glass time to absorb more of the vapour as it makes its way towards the nose, whilst an elevated stem promotes an optimal grip.
Project Duration and Location
Developed for over 18 months, and tested and prototyped in several iterations to achieve the perfect shaping, design, ergonomics and performance, all the way to performance testing and achieving the grounds for its innovative patent, The Finn glass and subsequent range was a revolutionising exercise over two years that led to a full product development that can fully revolutionise not only the whiskey / whisky markets, but the perception of such spirit to its core.
Specifications
In order to enhance the shaping and drinking experience, soda-lime glass was chosen as the main material as its amorphous molecular structure allows it to absorb the ethanol, leaving less vapour for the nose. The molecules in soda-lime glass are in constant movement, meaning it more readily absorbs the ethanol vapour from the liquid. The profile of the glass itself was built around this capability, by creating curvatures that promote a liquid flow that facilitates ethanol absorption.
Keywords
Whiskey, luxury, design, craftsmanship, experience, immersion, glass, product, exclusive, drinking

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