During fermentation, distillation and barrel aging, the flavours of whisky (various lipids, phenols and esters) get absorbed into the liquid, but later appear as sediment or whisps when the alcohol’s temperature drops – usually during storage.
“Chill filtering” is the large-volume producer’s method of removing these unsightly molecules which in turn diminishes the flavour and mouth-feel of the finished product.
Craft and small batch producers are challenging the need for chill filtering, and, at Okanagan Spirits, we choose to present our whisky to our loyal enthusiasts with much of the original flavour profile still intact. We still filter our whisky, sometimes several times over, before it goes in the bottle – but we don’t chill filter as we’re always wanting to give as much of that straight-from-the barrel experience as possible.
With a quick shake of the bottle, these wisps will fall back into suspension and return the whisky to its clear state.