Un chill-filtered Scotch Whisky

What is chill filtration or cold filtration? Whisky consists of a variety of compounds, including fats, proteins and esters. Under certain conditions, these can clump together or flocculate, resulting in clouding of the whisky. The Scots call it "foggy". This clouding can occur when whisky below an alcohol content of 45% vol. comes into contact with water or cold. The addition of ice, for example, can trigger this effect. Important to know: Clouding is not a defect of the whisky. On the contrary, cloudiness indicates that the whisky is not chill-filtered. This is because to prevent clouding, major brands in particular use thechill-filtering method to prevent the whisky from clouding. The whisky is cooled down and then pressed through paper filters. This removes the substances that can flocculate and cloud the whisky. Whisky experts disagree as to whether chill filtering has an influence on the flavour of the whisky. After all, fats and esters are known to be flavour carriers. Many whisky lovers therefore prefer whiskies without chill-filtering, known as "un-chillfiltered/ non-chillfiltered whisky". Here is a selection of whiskies that have not been chill-filtered. Enjoy the natural flavour!