The entirety of “Broken Whiskey Glass” is sort of a blend of Post Malone’s love for hip-hop and rock music. He said in an interview:

I was really into rock, like Metallica and Megadeth. But also Ice T, N.W.A, Ice Cube, all that good stuff. I’m thankful that my dad put me onto music, and that he showed me a lot of music growing up. I was into everything. As I grew up, I got more into the folk vibe with Johnny Cash, Hank Sr., Charlie Feathers. I love every type of music. Whatever is on, I’ll rock with it.

The first half of the song has acoustic guitar chords played, by himself, in a slow tempo and with a heavy emphasis on Post’s singing. After the chorus, the instrumental changes to a more hip-hop style one and Post starts focusing more on rapping.