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Chill-filtration has long been a divisive subject, the overriding consensus is often against it, and it is seen as an unnatural and untraditional part of whisky production. Does it reflect the public's preference of looks over real substance, or is it a necessary evil? The process removes cloudiness that appears in whiskies that are less than around 46% abv. It usually occurs when they are chilled, or have water of ice added to them. Chill-filtration removes this unsightly haziness. First the spirit is chilled to around 0?C and congeners and fatty acids clump together, the whisky is passed through a fine mesh filter which removes them. This process is for entirely cosmetic reasons, for consumers on mass have a tendency to shy aware from discolouration and visual inconsistencies; after all, chill-filtration ensures a consistent, replicable product. Punters go for what they understand, there is a great deal of brand loyalty, particularly when is comes to blends and cheaper whiskies. Part of this loyalty is based on reliability. The consumer en masse expects a whisky to look a particular shade of crystal clear amber and doesn't like surprises. We will look at a few chill-filtered whiskies, and try and decide whether it really is a process best done away with. It is important to remember that the particles being removed, the esters and aldehydes ? the polyphenols, are molecular strands of flavour. They bring body and aroma and character. So let's look at a chill-fitlered malt. Take Dalmore, the highland distillery is known for it's richness, and fullness of body. The 12 Year Old is crafted from a mix of bourbon and Oloroso sherry matured whisky. It was awarded a Bronze at the International Wine and Spirits Competition and noted critic Jim Murray rated it with 90 points in his Whisky Bible. Surely, this is a very good whisky. Well it is rather, with a rich nose of warm pastries and espresso beans, atop musty orange. The palate is thick with chocolate orange and Christmas spice. But Jim does say of Dalmore 12 it ?has changed character of late but remains underpowered?. Another example of a famous, classic single malt is Glenfiddich 12 Year Old. It also undergoes chill-filtration, and the Glenfiddich distillery produces some of the world's best-selling single malts. The 12 year old is an award winner, with a gold medal from the 2007 International Wine and Spirit Competition. Glenfiddich 12 offers a honeyed nose with nutty notes and cut hay and sweet cereals. The palate is fruity and fresh with creamy vanilla and notes of juicy malt. Jim Murray even awarded it 92.5 points in his Whisky Bible. This is a rather good whisky. And how about the real best-sellers? The blended whisky brands market their popular products as consistent and reliable. That's partly why they have such a loyal consumer base. Certainly, popular blends like Famous Grouse and Teacher's have not the same capacity for complexity and range of flavour as single malts, but they remain the driving force of the whisky industry. Without them, so many distilleries would be put out of business ? for the distillers depend on the blenders as a ready market for their malt whisky. So, perhaps there is a noticeable difference in chill-filtered whisky, and the process isn't really a nice idea, but there are plenty of examples of great single malts that have been chill-filtered, and perhaps if these are measures that must sometimes be taken to ensure consistency, and ensure a solid market to support the industry, then we can hardly complain. The whiskies mentioned in this article are available from the excellent Master of Malt.
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Tyrone Nodal has been tasting single malt whisky for over 20 years. One of his favourites at the moment is Tomatin Whisky, a single cask single malt whisky.
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