ralfy review 841 Extras - The Chill-Filtration Goblin !
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- Опубліковано 31 сер 2020
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"...castrated with chill filtration" Ralfy minces no words here when he describes what chilled filtration does to a good whisky. This is why he's so popular with the on-line whisky anaroaks as he describes them. I love these reviews!
I'm a doctor, working in A&E. At the end of the day these videos are the thing that relaxes me the most. Thanks for your work Ralfy, you're a gem.
. . . happy to share !
I am an ER Doc too in Canada, and i agree completely!! A dram , and a video from Ralfy to review what I am experiencing is my favourite thing to do at the end of a long day!! Thanks Ralfy. Best of all time.
Well I’m not a medical doctor, but as a social worker I think the same.
I'm a retired old redneck living in the sticks and I am just addicted to ralfy videos.
Cheers to the nicest Whisky Snob! 🥃
The flourish of the Correct Filter is gold.
Truly one of the best videos on the current state of whisky, ole ralfy nails it again
I've glanced at some others around the interwebs and its not even close.
I recently did this to all of my open Scotches that say they are non chill filtered. Results:
BalBlair 2005 10 Yr Scotch Mist: Yes
KilKerran 12 Yr Scotch Mist: No
Craigellachie 13 Scotch Mist: Yes
Glenallachie 12 Scotch Mist: no
Bunnahabhain 12 Scotch Mist: yes but almost none.
Glendronach 10 port cask finish Scotch Mist: no
Edradour Fairly Flag Scotch Mist: Yes
Arran 14 Scotch Mist: yes but slight.
I'm also doing the same!! A little disappointing to say the least??
Gregg :-)
please invite me to your house.
Thanks for sharing. I noticed the same results with Bunnahabhain 12, and Glen Dronach 12 both having little or none respectively. Glen Scotia 15 - none, Ardbeg 10 - slightly
@@marcdedecker3400 Very good thanks for sharing your results as well. Of course the results can be diffrent from batch to batch.
Interesting. When a distiller/bottler claimed non-chill filtration, could it mean any of the following that:
1. that the whisky did not undergo any filtration whatsoever,
2. that the whisky did undergo some form or level of filtration which is non-chilled?
And if so with no. 2, depending on the level of filtration, one may or may not observe any mist?
Even for no. 1, the mist may be even very very slight to very obvious?
I hope that someone is going to drink those fine drams.
There's only one true 'fine' dram in that lineup...
Anoraks are swarming outside the bothy
If chill filtration even runs the possibility of compromising taste, why take the chance? No to chill filtration. Enjoyed that Ralfy.
I think a blind testing would shine some light into the problem (uncomfortably sharp light, for some). I have seen people obsessing about caramel coloring, how it ruins the flavor, and when it came to blind tests of colored and non-colored versions of the same whisky, people were unable to tell which is which. That tells a lot - the brain can tell tales to itself. I would be interested to see similar tests with chill filtration.
@@Kamamura2 The thing about coloring, atleast for me, is that it's not authentic. I want a non chill filtered and without added coloring whisky. I don't understand why it's not forbidden to color whisky as the americans forbid with bourbon. When drinking whisky I want an experience, not getting fooled.
@@Swedishbiker Unfortunately most Scotch is produced my multi-nationals these days - no one would want to rattle these companies or their almighty shareholders retrospectively. Once reason for my love of Springbank - no shareholders to massage.
Thank You, Ralfy for continuing to educate me!!
I also noted that Laphroaig quarter cask carries the same barrier filtration statement. Left it for an hour with water added.... the faintest scotch mist appeared - as you say, nothing like Signatory or Adelphi. Their single cask , cask strength whiskies are truly un-castrated!
I once received a Springbank via air. On delivery the bottle contained the most glorious Scotch mist. A picture I'll never forget :-)
What an incredible education you give us, Ralfy! Thank you for everything you do!
Superb Ralfy, this has been needed to wake up the industry for a very long time!
Hum-Dingers beware the parched pallet of many a magnificent malt macerating mist marauders & mash market manipulators!
Hi Rallfy, completely agree with you about marketing and producing methods. That's why I am not buying any Diageo, Fiddichs, Morangies, Livets, Bowmores and etc official bottlings. Always looking for more informative and transparent producers like: Compass box (hugely informative, even micron filter measuring for every bottling), KIlchoman, Arran, Benromach, Glengoyne, Edradour, Bunna-Deanston-Tobermory etc. Little distilleries, independent, or owned by small owner companies are way interesting and treating with respect us, clever costumers.
Sounds like Eco-investing. It's a terrible idea. Focus solely on quality and price. Diagio, etc are good for the price. Maybe they're not as good as they could be, but what matters is if they're as good as their direct competition. No need to encourage the production of worse value products out of spite for chill filtration.
Glenlivet released a 46% non-chill filtered whisky. It's more expensive. I think it's worse. Stripping flavour out is not synonymous with worsening flavour. And I'm even less convinced about the texture being worsened by chill filtration.
If chill filtration is better, then it will naturally become the norm as consumers continue to buy better tasting products (and if it's not it won't).
Excellent Ralphy, thank you. Good example of Scotch Mist is Aultmore 12yo. When is cold it is absolutely misty.
There was an in-depth study done by another channel to see if consumers could taste the difference between non chill filtered and chill filtered whiskey and the result was they couldn’t. I wasn’t a part of that study so I can’t say either way, but I respect both opinions.
Love your passion for whisky as it should be Ralfy. Would love to sit down with you for a dram of that cloudy Daftmill and a chat about motorbikes 👍
Loved it when you pulled put the sieve! Enjoying my un-chill filtered Signatory Vintage Caol Ila while watching this and couldn't agree more.
Nowhere else will you have this wealth of knowledge cheers
Thanks Ralfy por another valuable info, i really appreciate each single one of your videos, especially the extras, that i try not to miss..
The best for you, cheers and my regards from Paraguay!..
Really useful information. Thank you, Ralfy!
Much appreciated presentation, certainly opened my eyes!
I am 66 years old and brand spanking new to single malt . I want to thank you for the wealth of knowledge and the passion of talking about what was and hopefully what will be again. Again thank you.
. . . happy to share !
Your knowledge is invaluable; thank you for sharing your experience and advice. Stay safe, healthy, and enjoy yourself! 🧡
What a video Ralfy! Thank you so much for such an incredible lesson! I learned a ton!
Chill Filtering...the castration of whisky....poetry!!😁😁😁
Thanks so much for that Ralfy; couldn’t agree more. I have reached the point in my journey where I almost refuse to purchase OB bottles because of the doubt associated with the deception of past purchases. Because I have reached a point where mouthfeel has become as important as nosing, taste and finish, I now purchase almost entirely independently bottled whisky’s. Thanks again for your dedication and perseverance to the mission of pointing out to the establishment how important it is to STOP chill-filtration and the addition of colorant; you are an immovable “Oak!” Slainte!
In my opinion chill filtering is far worse than caramel coloring, both processes should be definitely abandoned though.
For me, I really like both.
I Go back in forth between "earthier" natural spirits and the more processed chill filtered, and even caramel colored ones.
In the same way I like my coffee black somedays and with cream on other days. I think both aspects bring out different qualities. That said, If I had to chose either or, I would pick non-chill filtered.
Removing a desirable component is degradation, adding an artificial component is adulteration. I'll take neither :-)
The colouring isn't meant for you, who knows full well that the relationship between colour and taste is weak. And it probably doesn't effect you either, as it doesn't seem to impact taste. Just carry on sipping blind.
Outstanding video Ralfy, a 100% Ralfy mark.
I re discovered whisky 2 years ago after a bad experience in my teens left me with a gag reflex after just a sniff of the stuff.
Mind you that was sh*te stuff.
Since finding you my malt journey is a journey of discovery, I thank you for your passion and experience.
The older-style bottles from G&Ms Cask Strength series we’re the only drams I’ve seen which immediately transformed into a real pea-souper - similar to Ralf’s old Laphroaig - as soon as water was added. Always tasty - I remember a particular Aberfeldy in the range which was fabulous. Cheers.
Puts a whole new spin on the meaning of "Misty Mountain Hop." 😆
Fantastic video Ralfy. I recently noticed this flocking in an 18 year old bottle of Springbank that was from cask 1996-67 and was bottled in 2014 at 59.1%. I received it as a birthday gift over 9 years ago and I was saving it until recently. It's a phenomenal dram, and it's reassuring to see the exact traits that you described here in the bottle.
Great review. I couldn’t agree more! Thanks
Very informative ! Thanks Ralfy.
Distilleries can save money, big money by stopping the industrial chill filtering process, & employing a basic filtration method, and therefore producing a higher quality spirit, all to the delight of Ralfy's malt mates..
That was eye opening, Ralfy!!
Thanks Ralfy. Very interesting stuff 😊
Fascinating stuff, Ralfy! I’ve been wondering why my non-chill filtered whiskies don’t mist up the way I was expecting. Great explanation as to what’s going on with my dram. 🙂 I will say that even at my casual level of maltiness, even I’m educated enough to know how much chill filtering damages a malt and I avoid buying them. If I’m any indication, hopefully consumers will force things in the right direction.
This was a very informative video. I had been wondering for a while why my non chill filtered whiskies hadn't been clouding up. The Scotch whisky industry is very fond of clouding up the facts though. What absolute BS. These whiskies may accurately be described as non chill filtered, but have been so heavily barrier filtered that the distinction is all but meaningless. Being honest is probably the best marketing strategy they could employ, but that doesn't seem to register. It's near enough to fraud that it makes no practical difference. And as you say, we are paying increasingly higher prices for this stuff.
Shortly after WW2 my farther was a trainee Tax inspector based in the Liver Buildings. As part of his training he would go along for field spirit testing, where the practice for every one involved to take some empty bottles. They had long ladle handled cups that removed far more than was need to check the alcohol level that they needed to measure to work out duty payable. It wasn't permitted to return residue to the barrels. So the inspection party would gather some unique blends that would otherwise need to be disposed of.
As another of my favorite YT'ers likes to say (paraphrased); "if you ever want an answer, don't ask for it. Just post up the wrong answer on the internet, and someone will come along shortly to correct you."
I totally agree on your assessment of the proper filter mesh. So long as it filters out anything larger than a BB, it's good enough.
IMO, about the closest thing to 'natural' spirit we see here in the US, are the truly wonderful mezcals coming up from Mexico over the last decade or so. Un-aged, not barrel matured, yet truly fantastic. Flavorful, complex, authentic. I have all but abandoned tequila in favor of mezcal.
A vast amount of the flavor is in those particles so there is no doubt that chill filtering strips out so very much of the flavor. I'm spending my money on those who leave the flavor in the bottle. Thank you for educating us and all who really want to know.
The filters in the troughs of the disgorging unit I worked in were a lot finer than your sieve, and when the charcoal backed up, it made it even finer still, and everything, malt, grain and blends get the same treatment.
Thanks Ralfy. Great info. One suggestion on showing the Scotch mist: use a card/background with some large font text to demonstrate the opacity of the whisky. Easier for us to see on video.
Coffee is a useful analogy here. If you use a French press, all it does is push the most coarse grounds to the bottom of your carafe. The coffee you pour out is still loaded with all of the oils and fine particulates. Coffee from a French press is absolutely richer, more flavorful, more robust than any other cup you'll get. The instant you switch to a paper filter, you strip out all of the fine particulates and a fair amount of the fatty acids. The flavor is not the same. It just isn't there. That doesn't necessarily make it BAD coffee. It's often very good and I have no complaints. But for the occasions when one is curious how far the flavors of a specific coffee bean really go... you best stay far away from that paper filter!
We coffee aficionados have it easy. Anyone can grind and brew to their preference with their own favorite methods. Whisky isn't like that at all.
I can sympathize with the distilleries here. Fact: there are competing classes of customer that want different things, and they are mutually exclusive. Distillers do have to analyze their market to death to figure out how they can best give most of the customers most of what they want. It is a compromise. It's smart business, but it's a compromise.
The anoraks are a potentially lucrative market, but we're still niche and I think we always will be. I think you're spot on with the independent bottler idea. That kind of business is more flexible and much better positioned to serve an enthusiast market. Independent bottlers are only starting to get traction here in the US. There are a select few places where we're starting to find them. I've got my eye on an IB Deanston next time I feel the urge to grow my collection.
I was mulling this over since watching. To what extent might other factors lend themselves to misting? For example, a longer vs shorter cut or longer vs shorter fermentation time. I think of the likes of Kingsbarns new Dream to Dram which doesn't seem to cloud yet is non chill-filtered. They have a little glass window in the pipe from the mash tun to ensure they're getting a clear wort. Just some musings!
Never heard of "Scotch mist" or chill filtration until you began to bring up the topic years ago...now, "craft" bottlings are stating the fact clearly on the bottle or at very least making the statement on their website...along with a natural color statement. We don't need to worry about a color statement for Bourbon here in the U.S. as that is a government requirement. Thanks again Ralfy for educating us...
The most Scotch mist I've seen out of my 40 bottles on my shelf was Tomatin cast strength Bourbon/Sherry casks. It's non age statement and says nothing about filtering on the bottle, but the box says non-chill filtered and natural color. It turns into almost a raw apple cider color. I think this has alot to do with the wood. I assume the fresh really good woods would have more oils.
Whisky Broker bottles sometimes come with bits of char floating around in them! Reminds me I need to make another purchase sometime soon.
Outstanding Extras Ralfy. I have to said that seasonal climate and local weather can effect Scotch mist. Also barley variety has a lot to do with the mist factor. 2 row, high protein and low yield barley's will give most oils during distillation. Single Malt distillers should pay attention to barley variety. Follow want brewers are doing with malts and there will timeless whiskies to follow
Ralfy, even labels can be confusing. You are a professor of maltology.
Ralfy, let's open our own distillery. We'll never chill filter, we'll never add color, we'll never advertise, we'll always have an age statement, and we'll always put it all on the label!
. . . and we will always have customers !
Great to see Sherlock Mitchell share is deductions (via his "Steampunker") .. cheers john
Again Ralfy muchas gracias por la información, thanks a lot, always appreciate your time 🤘
Great video Ralfy. Have just purchased a bottle of Ardbeg 10 year old. Cant wait to test this out. I'm hoping its misty. But I have a feeling it wont be very!
Wondering if the mist has to do with other elements like the mash or malt particle size or something like the ardbeg shouldn’t that be non chill filter also no food coloring?
I grew up in maple syrup country, and the situation there is similar to the one with whiskey. The local people all know to purchase the "Grade B" syrup -- it's the only one stocked in most of the stores there -- rather that the "Grade A" version. The only difference is the filtering: Grade A is crystal clear, and Grade B is a little cloudy (and quite a bit more tasty). Now that I live in other places in the world only the Grade A is available, probably because the consumers don't know any better.
Used to travel up to British Columbia every once in a while and stock up on the unfiltered maple syrup in the little porcelain pots. Now I live too far away and forced to subsist on inferior syrup.
I used to make my own maple syrup, and you are so right about the grade! I will purchase a dark amber but miss the smoky flavor of the wood, now it’s electric or propane evaporators.
Thanks Ralfy!
Hi. At the end it sounded like you were going to tell us how to reintroduce the mouth feel etc back into a chill filtered dram. Great post though. Really interesting.
Totally agree about distilleries producing more affordable, from the cask bottlings. Great to see the Laph 10 CS on these shores again, as an example. Producers - do it! They'd go like the proverbial hot cakes ...
Very educational . Thanks.
It's like filtering out a gmo free gourmet coffee with 12 different filters. Great video Ralfy
Producers are already segmenting the markets with price and availability. It seems only natural to include preparation.
Hi ralfy
I am so glad you did this review, I have been drinking scotch for 30+ years and I can't agree more about what you say, I have been looking for and finding a few bottles of whiskeys that are not chill filtered and no coloring added, and even then it's not guaranteed to be what they say once you pour it in your glass, but it's a start, I look for it on the bottle and on the cardboard, and the manufacturer can lie about there whisky, but as a general rule you get cloudy whisky, which is what I look for in all of my purchases, nothing less, I don't buy any new products with out this statement, and if it doesn't turn cloudy in the glass I won't buy it again, and I boycott the brand, thanks ralfy for straightforward review, cheers sir !!!
Frankie, appreciate your comment. Would you mind to share your investigation of what bottlings are truly not filtered ?
@@Itterpirat
Yes will be glad to, let me do my checks and will get back to you later !!!
Longest run on sentence ever 😂
Could discrepancies be partly due to the intrinsic 'oiliness' of each distilleries output though, the type of barley used, still shape and the abv of each whisky as it is presented? I've found that some whiskys, like that old Laffy, turn almost milky but some never reach close to that point.
I guess I'm asking whether some whiskys are simply more likely to produce Scotch mist than others, even if presented ( treated) in the same way?
The Laphroaig 10 CS tin actually explicitly states "the whisky has not been chill-filtered."
Its like good olive oil , it sets in the shop during the winter and it puts people of but really its just a sign of good stuff. Charcoal in the bottle would probably add to the Laphroaig experience
I just had to pause and go to see snowflakes in some of my whisky bottles :D. Nice video Ralfy!
I suppose they call it their safe zone?
This is one of the reasons I'm a big big fan of the Blackadder Raw Cask line. Haven't met one that's disappointed me yet.
There's a lot of whisky there that cannot be funnelled back into the bottle, Ralphy. I hope you had a good time emptying those Glencairns!
It's the same with cider , real scrumpy is cloudy !
The heartbreak moment @17:57: "The only place you can find this now is at an auction."
There is a couple of Australian whisky companies now doing unflocked and non chill filtered (Sullivans Cove) is one but very pricey.
There is nothing snobby in what you say Ralfy.
There are good/decent products and popular/mass products, and these two sets never intersect.
Btw, you should definitely patent this "barrier-filter" solution 👍 😁
Thanks Ralfy 🥃
Most hazy whisky I've ever tasted was Bruichladdich Ten) It's sad that nowadays there's almost no opportunities to try any fine whisky from yesteryears for new malt-generations)
Superb video Ralfy! You should get a knighthood for services to malt mates.
Just SUPERB!!! You've surpassed yourself in this video!)
Chill-filtration is a crime to fine whisky. You are a whisky snob. Thank god, you are. Cheers from Germany
Ralfy - you got your Ardbeg 5!
Enjoy!
We live in the super information age. All it would take for someone who is concerned by cloudiness in their whisky, is a quick Google, and they'd discover its a good thing.
Thanks!
Got a bottle of Mcnair CS last winter and there was so much of the "snowflakes" that I thought something was wrong for a brief moment when I opened the package.
great one, pouring the last drops of a good old bottle! And a great correction, proving a point at the same time!
And come on! These days I cannot buy a bottle of cheap apple juice without them telling me that some hazyness is a sign of it being a natural product. Why the F … do Whisky distilleries not do the sam with their high-quality whiskie??!!
+e (same) +s (whiskies)
I'm intending to visit Ardbeg next week - I will have some pertinent questions for them!
Go back to whisky review 24. That 19 year old Signatory Mortlach had the most incredible Scotch Mist. 95/100 malt mark too.
Ralfy, you said near the end that something can be done to partially undo the effects of CF but didn’t follow it up with what.... I’m sure we’re all dying to know 😉
You would think not filtering CS stuff would cost them less and so they would jump on it
That is exactly what I have always thought. With as popular as single malt is now, with the growing popularity of nosing, tasting and appreciating whisky, and with the expanding notion that chill filtering is bad...why would they spend all that money, time and work on a spirit to get those great tastes and elements into it just to spend *more* money to take them out? Let's hope they are listening to us.
I wonder if bottle ageing and oxidation is a factor in cloudiness? I have seen some old bottles of ordinary bourbon turn cloudy after a couple of years with a loose cork and less than half full. I presume the whisky was chill filtered as most bourbon is.....food for thought. I would hope a barrier filter is just a sieve with no pressurization involved!
That is called "contamination" of the opened bottle . 'Loose cork" . SMH
i like my whiskey like i like my orange juice. with all the pulp still intact. which, if you've ever made orange juice and kept all the pulp, you will know makes it more of an orange-pulp slurry. they should take what the filter out for the casuals and add those into a bottle. whiskey you can drink with a fork. now we're talking.
I like a nice cloudy pernod
I honestly don't get it why some distillers/companies still think Scotch Mist would be a problem for their customers. Even the casual whisky drinker likely wouldn't mind. Almost everyone knows the phenomenon from using olive oil, it gets misty as well when cold. Just put a little extra infomation on the label: could get a little misty when cold or after adding water (or ice, if you insist).
You do not think of USA.
@@TheRadivoje , as an American I can say the fix is just to market it as a show of quality. A few add campaigns and all of the sudden the American consumer will be clamoring for it. After, Coors sold millions of cans of "beer" (water with a touch of alcohol) just because their can showed blue mountains when cold. Absolute garbage to drink, but people wanted it because it showed it was cold. Have your whiskey get cloudy as a sign of quality and they will be right there.
Thanks for keeping us educated and informed . Crazy they’d shoot themselves in the foot by focusing on its appearance therefore compromising on quality and taste 🤦♂️
"Posh Goo"
I was listening with the video in the background and was not expecting the actual written words. Gaelic is probably the least intuitve language ever 😂
Hey Ralfy, great video and informative as always. I notice in many of your videos you criticize brands for stating their claims of not being chill filtered or coloured on the box, but leaving it off the bottle. Glen Scotia 15yo in my country for example... pity that, as it makes me wonder then having seen all these bottles showing signs of not being truly unfiltered
Unfined and unfiltered beers are very popular at the moment, hopefully whisky follows the same trend.
Doesn't the degree of mist also depend on the cut of the distillate used for the expression of that whisky? That'll determine the amount of bigger higher carbon molecule, responsible for cloudiness. In other words, will a CS Glenmorangie turn as cloudy as a CS Clynelish?
. . . the cut is certainly an influence, with a fatter cut providing fuller flavour, and more mist.
This makes me think about the bottled beer industry in the UK and the difference between bottle conditioned beer and heavily filtered beer with no sediment. One is a live fresh product and tastes like it and the other isnt and doesn't. Beer in the UK had the hugely successful Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) pushing the industry for this sort of stuff ....I wonder if there is an equivalent campaigning group for whisky. Soon it won't be good enough to say "non chill filtered". Surely a few brands will start popping up and say filtered like x,y and z and that will change the market over time.
What do you think about the "specialists" from EWS that says the chill filtered had no impact on flavour nor density of the whisky?
You are right!