As winter settles in and the year moves quietly toward its close, certain songs take on a different weight. Cold nights invite stillness, holiday lights soften familiar streets, and the turning of the calendar encourages reflection rather than celebration. In this season of slowing down, “Whiskey Glasses” by Morgan Wallen finds a natural place. Not as a Christmas song, but as a companion to the introspective mood that often defines the final weeks of the year. The track appears on Morgan Wallen’s debut album If I Know Me, released in 2018, a record that introduced his voice and perspective to a wider country audience.
Originally written by Ben Burgess and Kevin Kadish, and produced by Joey Moi, “Whiskey Glasses” centers on a simple but effective idea. The desire to avoid facing emotional truth after a breakup. The phrase whiskey glasses functions as both a literal image and a metaphor. Drinking becomes a way to blur reality, not to celebrate excess, but to delay acceptance. This restrained concept allows the song to resonate quietly, especially during winter months when reflection often replaces distraction.
Lyrically, the song avoids elaborate storytelling. Instead, it focuses on repetition and emotional stasis. The narrator is not searching for resolution, only temporary relief. In the context of year end listening, this perspective feels grounded. As routines pause and memories surface, “Whiskey Glasses” reflects a familiar moment. The recognition that some feelings cannot be rushed away, only endured.
Musically, the track remains rooted in modern country production while maintaining a steady, uncluttered structure. The rhythm moves forward without urgency. Guitar and percussion support the vocal without drawing attention away from it. Morgan Wallen’s delivery is direct and unembellished, his tone calm rather than dramatic. This balance between contemporary sound and emotional restraint contributes to the song’s lasting appeal.
Within Morgan Wallen’s career, “Whiskey Glasses” marked a defining moment. Released as a single in July 2018, it later reached number one on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts in 2019. Its success established Wallen as a consistent presence in country music, not through spectacle, but through relatability and clarity. The song’s inclusion on If I Know Me helped shape the album’s identity as one rooted in everyday emotion rather than reinvention.
As winter nights grow longer and one year gives way to the next, “Whiskey Glasses” remains a song suited for quiet listening. Not a statement of closure, but an acknowledgment of emotional pause. A reflection of moments when clarity feels distant, yet necessary. In the stillness of late December and early January, the song offers a familiar truth. Some feelings linger. Some seasons ask for patience. And some songs understand the space in between.
