Whisky Tinkering

Its a very common method in chemistry. The described filter is often called a molecular filter

The effect is best seen when filtering a colored compound out in a "column". Thats basically a tube filled with molecular filters (kieselguhr-like) The coloured compund will make a layer where its stopped, colouring the filter.material. The force used to drag the material is gravity. often this method is used to separate compunds as well, as heavier compounds comes out later in the process. It's 15 years since I did my chemistry degree, so I better stop before I get too technical even for myself :-)

MacDeffe

A difference between what and what? For a meaningful test, you'd need to compare the Leapfrog with a chill-filtered version of the exact same whisky, and where would you get hold of such a thing?

Comparing non-chill-filtered indy bottlings to chill-filtered bottlings (OB or otherwise) is of course meaningless, because they will surely differ on many other aspects besides the filtering. I bet most connoisseurs _would_ taste a difference, but this would have little to do with chill-filtering.

Jock, While MM does not chill filter, I think that you are a little light on your citation of Leapfrog. Leapfrog, distilled in 1987 and bottled in 1999:

"Consumer choice? Owing to recent litigation, we are unable to reveal the name of the Allied Distillers' distillery that produced this "Ultimate bully" of a dram. Our award winning bottling with "pungent peat smoke, oil and seaweed" praised as outstanding in character and flavour comapred to their own bland version which they admit is "shill filtered... - the colour standardised by the use of a caramelised natural coloring agent". McDavid may have run out of a slingshot in the fight with McGoliath - so what are you afraid of Allied? - Purity?, but luckily you can still sample the subject of the spat."

This comes from the label, itself. Yes, the spat evolved to arguments of purity. As I recall, though, it started rather simply: Allied didn't want anyone else to use the name Laphroaig in a commercial venture. So MM changed the name on the bottle and created this enormous maketing mystique. I understand that they have since patched up their differences.

Why between chill-filtered and non chill filtered of course. What else could I have meant?

For a meaningful test, you'd need

I have both Leapfrog here at home and Laphroaigh. But the comparison wont fit, because they are bottled at different vol.alc. levels. But yes, I get your point, we would need to compare the exact same product both chill filtered and unchillfiltered. It would interest me to hear if somebody could do it blind though and actually taste the difference.

Agreed!

I bet

My point exactly. I tend to be quite fussy in many things I eat and drink. I bake my own bread from organic flour that I grind myself. I grow my own vegetables and fruit and do taste the difference even blindfolded between a factory baked bread and a "decent" ground organic bread. But the whole discussion on chill filters has always amazed me in whisky. Even though I dont understand why they do it. I mean if the whisky gets cloudy after being cold, just warm it up and it will get its colour back. I would prefer it if the distillers would not do it. But as Rajmund pointed out, if I was so fussy about only drinking unchilfiltered whisky, I would miss out on many a fine dram

Peace,

Jock

Hi all You will find that there is traditionally no chill filtering or tinkering to any of the top malts that are bottled in Scotland but some may add Carmel to darken the colour. J&B recently brought out a Chill filtered blend called -6oc very pale to look at but it still has a full Scotch flavour without the harshness of a blend Cheers Big D

Thanks for that Jeff. I knew of course from an actuall night of tasting with a manager of MM which I had right here in The Netherlands, that MM Leapfrog was in actual fact Laphroaigh. Yes they tend to be very heavy in what they say. But my choice for being light has more to do with my character than anything else. It would take too long to explain, but I try and not step on too many toes Not that I avoid the truth, but the truth told with diplomacy is often much better than in its nakedness which might offend somebody and just achieve the opposite of what I want to achieve. If I want to convince somebody of something, then offending them is not always the best way to go. But this is going way off topic for this fine newsgroup.

Peace,

Jock

Sounds like a fun evening! I hope that you didn't take anything that I wrote as offensive! Hell, if you call yourself boudinman, then you should know that I was born in Breaux Bridge!

Offensive? Well no of course not. I am a great fan of Louisiana you know. I play accordion and have been to Louisiana a couple of times. I played live on Radio KBON, the Cajun/Zydeco radio show a couple of years ago.

Peace,

Jock