Thursday, February 5, 2009

Explain about ... Chill Filtering

non chill filtered logoChill filtration is the process where substances in the whisky are removed before bottling. The main reason to chill filter a whisky is purely cosmetic. A non- filtered whisky that is 46% ABV or lower will go cloudy when water or ice is added and when the whisky is cooled. This is seen as undesirable by some consumers and the distillers react by removing the offending particles from the whisky, so that this doesn’t happen. The distillers want their whisky to be seen as a top quality product. Whiskies above 46% ABV do not require chill filtration, as the higher alcohol level prevents this cloudiness from occurring.

The cloudiness is caused by the natural fatty acids, esters and proteins that are present in the whisky. These occur naturally during the distillation process and are also imparted from the cask during maturation. When the whisky is cooled, these fatty acids, esters and proteins clump together to give the cloudiness. A whisky that is not chill filtered is also likely to develop sediment in the bottle if stored in a cool place. During the early 20th century, it was realised that this ‘fault’ with the whisky could actually be used to the distiller’s advantage and that if they chilled the whisky, then these elements could be removed more easily.


The subject of chill filtration is a current hot topic in the whisky industry. It is looked upon badly by some, as consumers demand more natural or organic products in all areas of their lives. The other contentious issue is whether chill filtering a whisky affects the taste. Those against it are convinced that the removal of the natural fatty acids, esters and proteins alters the aroma, flavour and characteristics and leaves you with a diluted product. Those for the procedure argue that the taste and characteristics remain intact and that filtering gives better control to produce consistently high quality whisky. In reality it is difficult to compare as no one releases the same whisky in a chill filtered and non chill filtered form.


Anonymous said...

along with the proteins, etc, a steroid in the barrel isn't soluble at low temperatures. so when poured over ice, the whiskey gets a chill haze. to remove the particulate that occurs at 0C doesn't have to be a mesh under pressure. sub micron cellulose based depth media w/o pressure will remove the particulate matter.

chris said...

i think the choice to chill filter is very subjective. some whiskys may do well do chill filter in order to remove much of the phenols and congeners that impart a harsher bite...but this can usually be remedied by simply aging it longer.

still, i'd leave it up to the distiller to decide whether it tastes better with or without. it's all about taste to me. a messy dish can still be delicious, and so can a cloudy whiskey.

Patrick Leclezio said...

I'm not sure about the 46% ABV watershed. Take a look at Glenlivet Nadurra as an example - ncf at 54% odd, and still very cloudy.

Anonymous said...

Really skeptical of the 46% barrier too. I've had > 60% Amrut Cask Strength cloud up with not a significant amount of cool water. But maybe whiskies will usually cloud up if cooled while below 46%, whether they were watered down or always below that strength. Any amount of water will break bonds between alcohol and congener, and begin the clouding.