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I just purchased this Glencairn glass from Amazon and I think it may be knock-off. The etching on the bottom is different than the majority of the ones I've seen elsewhere. The ones I've seen online I have a standard non-cursive font.

The QR code on the bottom of the box also links to a WeChat app download 🧐

Does anybody know if these are legitimate?

The Amazon post is here.

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  • Purchased two "Glencairn" glasses a couple weeks ago from a thrift store. (.99 each!Couldn't not buy 'em) Neither had the etched words on the bottom of the base. One has "Bunnahabhain" (also a "TM" after the brand) stenciled on it. This glass was of decent quality...but not as fine as the original. The other glass was atrociously 'clunky' Thick walls and no real 'ring' to it. Interesting...The patent must have expired, leaving the market open to crude knock-offs
    – Willmann
    Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 15:14

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Happy to confirm this is indeed a legitimate Glencairn Glass.

The design on the base stamp was updated in 2019, along with the box design with the latest QR code specifically introduced for those users on "We Chat" in the eastern market. All sellers on amazon linked to our Glencairn Glass store are legitimate resellers.

If you are ever in any doubt please send a message to us through one of our social media platforms, our marketing team will always be happy to answer any of your queries.

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    Thank you for responding. Now perhaps you could clarify whether the term "Glencairn Glass" is a generic term potentially used by any manufacturer or an actual trademark only legally manufactured by Glencairn.
    – Eric S
    Commented Oct 10, 2021 at 16:10
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I don't know if it is real or a fake, but if you are in doubt, I'd return them and buy from a reputable vendor. The same glass is available from Crate and Barrel at a reasonable cost. There are plenty of counterfeit goods on Amazon. I am not saying these are counterfeit, but you do need to be careful.

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If you are asking if the glass was made by Glencairn Crystal, then the answer is: no, not likely.

For one, the URL on the top of the box in your photo is different than the one that you will see if you follow the link above. For two, Glencairn Crystal is in Scotland - since the UK is no longer part of the EU (as the bottom of your box displays where your glass was manufactured,) it probably does not come from there. Then, there is the business with the trademark...

Patents expire, and while this may not be manufactured by "ye ol' Glencairn glass works incorporated," the glass is legitimate even if it does not contain the trademark etching of the company.

As long as it has the actual shape as the glass on the box, then it is the real thing.

What makes a glass a Glencairn is the design, in this instance:

GlenCairnGlass

So, the design has become the thing.

For instance, if I made a plastic flying disc, one could argue that it isn't a frisbee because it doesn't have the right trademark and wasn't made by an authorized party. But, as soon as we ask an objective third party 'what is this flying plastic disc thing that I am holding?' They would say, 'duh, it's a frisbee.'

Just as if you ask someone (who knows what they are looking at,) 'what kind of whiskey glass is this?' They will say, 'it's a Glencairn.'

So, does the glass have the authentic trademark? Probably not. Is it a Glencairn glass? Yes, it definitely is.

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    Patents expire, but trademarks don’t. If it’s marked with a fake trademark it’s a fake or a counterfeit.
    – Eric S
    Commented Mar 19, 2021 at 20:49
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    The glass is a glencairn by design - the trademark is irrelevant. The question is not "is this a real Glencairn trademark."
    – Tim Burnett - Bassist
    Commented Mar 22, 2021 at 8:28
  • You could buy a $20 Rolex from a street’s corner. It wouldn’t make it a real Rolex. Quality and glass composition can vary. Also, if Glencairn is a trademark, it is illegal to mark a knockoff as such. The OP wanted to know it it was the real article and not a fake. He knows it’s shaped right.
    – Eric S
    Commented Mar 22, 2021 at 14:06
  • The two are not comparable. If you are saying that the only authentic Glencairn glass is made by Glencairn crystal in Scotland, then the glass that you reference in your own post from Crate and Barrel is "fake and counterfeit," by your own logic... since it is made in Germany. It's even possible that the Crate and Barrel glass comes from the same manufacturer considering the photo from the OP shows that theirs is made in the EU - considering that the UK is no longer in the EU.
    – Tim Burnett - Bassist
    Commented Mar 22, 2021 at 15:47
  • Take a Nelson Bubble Lamp, for example. They were manufactured by Modernica, now they are manufactured by Herman Miller... same design, different brand. It does not make one or the other fake or counterfeit.
    – Tim Burnett - Bassist
    Commented Mar 22, 2021 at 15:47

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