CHILL FILTRATION

THE WHISKY PURIST'S NIGHTMARE

Chill filtration has applications in several beverage categories and in many industrial processes. When it comes to whisky, chill filtration involves chilling matured whisky to between -10⁰C and +4⁰C Celsius, then filtering by adsorption (not absorption), which is the adhesion of dissolved particles to a surface. In the case of whisky, these particles are things like fatty acids and proteins.

The whisky is chilled, as this helps to precipitate (clump together) the particles so that they can be easily filtered from the liquid. Not every distillery chill filters in the same way, and in the winter months, some distilleries even chill filter at the high end of the range (3⁰C to 4⁰C), without actually chilling the whisky first. Temperatures around zero are typical, with the higher temperatures being less effective in removing all the fatty acids and proteins than lower temperatures.

Why Do Distilleries Chill Filter?

Not all distilleries chill filter their whiskies and many that do, still have non-chill filtered releases in their range. Regardless on your views of chill filtration, it is fair to say that there is a passionate and growing demand for non-chill filtered whiskies. So if most distilleries spend money to chill filter most of their whiskies when a growing group of people are demanding that they don’t, there must be some advantages to chill filtration to the distillery, as indeed there are.

In essence, whisky is a mixture of ethanol, water and just a little bit of other stuff that contributes to the colour, aroma, mouth-feel and flavour. That ‘other stuff’ includes a host of different chemicals including esters, ketones, congeners, aldehydes, phenols, tannins, furfurals and many more. A typical commercial whisky is approximately 40% alcohol (principally ethanol), 59% water and 1% other stuff. But here’s the rub. Everything organic contains something called lipids, which are also known as fatty acids or fats. Some of the lipid content of the barley used to make whisky persists all the way through gristing, steeping, fermentation, distillation and maturation, and is found in the resulting whisky. They certainly aren’t a problem in terms of health or calories, and their contribution to flavour and aroma is part of that argument I don’t want to get into, except to say, plenty of people love to drink whiskies with the lipids left in.

When whisky is above 46% alcohol at room temperature, there is no issue with lipids. But if you add enough water, if you chill the whisky or if you do both of these by adding ice to your whisky, something significant happens; the whisky goes cloudy. This does not mean the whisky has gone bad or doesn’t taste as good, it just means that it loses the classic bright golden shine that is associated with whisky. People who aren’t familiar with this phenomenon could be excused for thinking they have an inferior or flawed whisky if it goes cloudy when they add ice. In short, lipids are removed through chill filtration for almost purely aesthetic reasons. Whether chill filtering noticeably changes the flavour or mouthfeel is a subject of much debate. You can easily do some cloud formation experiments yourself with a bottle of non-chill filtered whisky, preferably with an alcohol percentage between 46 and 50% ABV.

Experiment 1: Pour some of the whisky into a glass and add twice as much pure water. You should see the whisky go cloudy fairly quickly.

Experiment 2: Put the bottle of whisky in your freezer. After a few hours of cooling, you will see that the entire bottle of whisky has gone cloudy, even without dilution. Leave the bottle at room temperature and the cloudy haze will slowly disappear, with no negative effects.

Experiment 3: While your whisky is still cloudy from the freezer in Experiment 2, pour some of it through a coffee filter paper to replicate the chill filtration process, and then seal it in a smaller bottle to prevent oxidation. Once the bottle and the chill filtered sample have both returned to room temperature, you can do your own taste comparison.

It’s worth noting that just as each whisky has different levels of esters, aldehydes or phenols, they can also have different levels of lipids, and some will exhibit this behavior more strongly than others. For an incredibly stark example of the same principle, try the same experiments with some Greek Ouzo, which goes from clear to opaque white. Absinthe also gives a very strong result.

So Why Does it go Cloudy?

The appearance and disappearance of cloudiness in whisky comes down to the properties of lipids, the properties of the water-ethanol mix, temperature, and something called micelles. 

Diagram 1 - Representation of a Lipid

Fig.1

The lipids in whisky are basically fats, and like most fats they have a hydrophilic (water loving) ‘head’ characterised by an electrically charged -OH group, and a hydrophobic (water hating) ‘tail’ characterised by one or more long carbon chains (see Diagram 1). It is the dominance of these long hydrophobic carbon chains that prevent oil (oil being fat that is liquid at room temperature) from mixing with water. Ethanol, on the other hand is a slightly stranger character. It also has a hydrophilic -OH group at one end and a carbon chain at the other, but the carbon chain is very short. The charged -OH group is therefore able to dominate the short carbon chain, allowing it to mix easily with water. In contrast, alcohols with longer carbon chains than ethanol, like hexanol, do not mix readily with water.

Fortuitously, the short carbon chain of ethanol is still sufficiently friendly with the long carbon chains of lipids to allow them to mix together as well. So, in a mixture of water, ethanol and lipids, ethanol ensures that everything is hunky dory. But if the ethanol drops sufficiently, there will no longer be enough of it to keep the oil and water mixed and they will separate. This starts to happen when the ethanol drops below the magic number of 46% ABV at room temperature. At lower temperatures, the party mood is dampened, and the oil and water will separate even with higher concentrations of ethanol. This is what happens when distilleries chill filter, and it is also what happened in the freezer experiment above.

As the lipids and the water stop mixing, the lipids form something called micelles. A micelle is basically a spherical clump of lipid molecules, where the hydrophobic carbon chain ‘tails’ all point in to the centre, away from the water, while the hydrophilic ‘heads’ all point outwards  towards the surrounding water (see Diagram 2). 

Fig.2

Though these clumps of lipid molecules are still tiny, when there are millions of them scattering  light in the same glass, the result is a cloudy suspension of solid particles in a liquid, known as a colloid. Incidentally, the cell walls in a human body are constructed in an almost identical way. 

Animal cell walls have an outer layer of lipid molecules, with the hydrophilic heads pointing outwards, and a reversed inner layer, with hydrophilic heads pointing into the cell. The hydrophobic tails of the molecules in each layer point to each other between the layers. Quite bizarrely, non-chill filtered whisky and cell biology have much in common. Maybe that’s why whisky makes me feel so good!!

Does This Always Happen?

Some whisky lovers believe that if a whisky is bottled at say 43%, it MUST be chill filtered. Others will even go so far as to say that chill filtered whisky is an inferior product, not worth drinking. I disagree on both counts but I will only address the former, the latter being somewhat more subjective.

All non-chill filtered whisky has some level of lipids, and lipids will always contribute to cloudiness when the ethanol content is low enough. However, as mentioned above, not all whiskies have the same lipid levels, and cloudiness does not appear en-mass when whisky first drops just below 46%. The length of the hydrophobic carbon tail (or tails) varies between different lipids, and it is the length of this carbon tail that determines their solubility in ethanol. Longer carbon tails make lipids less soluble, and these lipids form micelles just below 46% ethanol. Others need the ethanol concentration to drop further.

Experiment 4: Take a non-chill filtered whisky and add just a little bit of water at a time, allowing time for the micelles to form between each addition. You will see that gradually more water brings out gradually more cloudiness, until you reach a maximum.

The magical 46% is not a switch that flicks cloudiness on and off; it simply marks one end of the micelle forming range as each lipid has its own critical micelle concentration. There are a number of non-chill filtered whiskies bottled at 43%. This is low enough for micelle formation to begin, but sometimes for it to be less than obvious. Nonetheless, putting one of these whiskies side by side with a chill filtered whisky of similar colour often reveals that the 43% non-chill filtered whisky is not as bright and shiny, a fact that may not be obvious when it is observed alone. Alcohol strength alone is usually not sufficient to determine whether a whisky is, or is not, chill filtered. 

For those who wish to delve deeper into Chill Filtration and whether it affects people or not, check out this experiment:

Spontaneous Cloud Formation

That’s not the end of the story for cloudiness in whisky, as there is another notable effect that can occur as the result of another property of ethanol. A person who grows up in a very hot but dry city like Bikaner who moves to Mumbai will notice a strange new phenomenon in non-chill filtered whiskies – spontaneous cloudiness.

What’s the explanation? The first was oxidation in the glass, but cloudiness did not seem to coincide with the appearance of notes associated with oxidation, nor could I identify any specific oxidation reactions that would induce cloudiness in whisky. Higher evaporation of ethanol than water in accordance with Raoult’s Law on vapour pressure* was another suggestion, but some very careful measurements indicated that evaporation of ethanol could not have been sufficient to drop the ABV below 46% in the time elapsed. In fact, the volume had marginally increased! Those anomalous measurements and that this phenomenon is prevalent in Mumbai but not Bikaner, led to another hypothesis.

While Bikaner and Mumbai are both known for hot weather, the former is famed for a very dry heat while the latter is renowned for intense humidity. Could the whisky be somehow taking atmospheric water vapour from Mumbai’s humid air? Further investigation revealed another relevant property of ethanol. Due to its molecular structure, particularly that –OH group discussed earlier, ethanol exhibits a force known as ‘hydrogen bonding’. This means that ethanol is hygroscopic, which in turn means that it readily absorbs water vapour from air. BINGO! While ethanol certainly evaporates from a glass faster than water, providing a contribution to the curious observation of spontaneous cloudiness, the whisky simultaneously pulls water molecules in from the atmosphere, and it does so more quickly in humid Mumbai than dry Bikaner. 

With falling ethanol content and rising water content, a cask-strength, non-chill filtered dram in Mumbai can quickly drop below 46% ABV and become cloudy, without a detectable loss of volume. No doubt this would eventually happen in Bikaner as well; I just never left it in the glass long enough!

YET ANOTHER DISTILLERY IN SCOTLAND

 THE EDEN MILL STORY

The Eden Mill story started with a mission to revive the lost art of distilling and brewing in St Andrews.  As Scotland's first single-site distillery and brewery, Eden Mill spirit is created by distillers in copper pot-stills and exhibits a wide range of flavours from botanicals sourced from the local area, as well as from around the world. As creators of whisky, craft gin and beers, the team of distillers have the opportunity to marry the best practices from all these disciplines. The team is challenged with applying modern techniques and understanding to time honoured traditional methods. An appreciation of the intricacies of barrel ageing and quality wood is one benefit enjoyed from this special status.

THE ST ANDREWS LINK

St Andrews is the renowned home of golf, and the arts of brewing and distilling were once integral to the town. Based on the site of a historic distillery on the banks of the River Eden, Eden Mill were the first to make spirits in the region for 150 years. In 1810 the Eden Estuary was offering its crystal clear waters to the legendary Haig brothers, helping them distil and lay down some of St Andrews' finest whiskies. Before them, this same site hosted the Seggie Brewery, known for their strong connections with local farmers and agricultural workers

In 2012, Eden Mill resurrected this fine tradition with its own take on Scottish craft brewing and distilling. Eden Mill was Scotland's first single site brewery and distillery –benefitting from the best of local water sources, regionally grown barley and a dynamic, international team with some of the best education and experience the world can offer. Their distillers are at the forefront of experimental wood ageing and distillation methods to bring out more of the outstanding flavours found in their products.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is at the heart of everything done in the aim to build Scotland’s first carbon neutral distillery by 2022, 29 years ahead of the UK’s carbon neutral target. The state of the art distillery will be located within the University of St. Andrews’ Eden Campus; power and heat for the stills will be supplied by the University’s biomass plant and solar panels on the distillery’s roof. Building the new distillery aligns with their want to decrease our carbon footprint as much as possible, and they are always striving to create new, innovative and unique ways to improve the sustainability of products and packaging.

EDEN MILL WHISKIES

The Eden Mill story encompasses the uncompromising approach in making their whisky. With the history of distilling on site, the heritage and reputation of St Andrews and the industry experience of the founder, they are on a mission to create the ultimate small batch Single malt whisky ranges for discerning drinkers to enjoy.

In 2018 Eden Mill released the first Single Malt whisky to be distilled in St Andrews in over 150 years. The First Bottling was sold at auction and broke the world record for a first release, at £7,100.

The distillers immerse themselves in Eden Mill’s hands-on process: No computers or vast production tanks – just a personalised approach of creation, tinkering and experimenting. They touch, taste and smell their products every day to make sure everything reflects the Eden Mill ethos.

Most ingredients and botanicals are sourced ethically and locally from the verdant fields and wild coasts of Scotland and the recipes are designed to excite the palate and tantalise the imagination. With every sip a new layer of complexity is revealed and the true craft nature of their approach can be enjoyed.

The Eden Mill story encompasses the uncompromising approach taken in making whisky. Inspired by the pioneering spirit of the Haig family and many other greats who have carved their name on the town's illustrious history, Paul Miller and a team of three began alcohol production from the old derelict site in 2012.

There is a realisation, now more than ever that the value of good whisky is no longer just about its age. Re-determining value and quality is opening up a whole new world of adventure for  enthusiastic, increasingly knowledgeable and discerning whisky loving friends.

They initially launched the new make spirit which was followed by 1-year old expressions; Their 2-year old expressions followed and these were the prelude to the launch of their maiden Single Malt whisky in 2018. They also released a series of four blended whiskies, Art Of The Blend, which are now sold out.

Single Malt - Hip Flask Series: In April 2018, their Hip Flask Series was launched in a progressive and pioneering range of single cask expressions of Eden Mill single malt scotch whisky. To date, 17 different expressions have been released.

SINGLE MALT ANNUAL RELEASES

2018 also saw the release of their very own single malt whisky for the first time. For the 2020 release single malt, they have produced a limited run of 800 bottles of single malt scotch whisky. This edition of their single malt showcases the evolution of their casks and spirits, bringing out light vanilla and toasted cinnamon from bourbon barrels, combined with the rich fruit and subtle spice from their distinctive range of sherry casks, leading to a creamy biscuity finish.

The 2020 Release is the fourth single malt whisky by Eden Mill in three years, since the unveiling of the first bottling in 2017. From the moment they realised their site in St Andrews was founded on the same site as the Haig Family, they knew the whisky world is where Eden Mill belonged. 2022 will be a huge year with a new distillery a work-in-in progress, where whisky is at the forefront of their future plans.

2021 SINGLE MALT WHISKY HAMPER

Eden Mill unveiled a limited number of ultra-premium 2021 Single Malt Hampers in celebration of St. Andrews Day 2021.

This Luxury Hamper Includes:

-One of 800 bottles of the 2021 Single Malt Whisky

-A luxury tasting pack that includes 2 x previous releases of Eden Mill whisky alongside first access to 2 x miniatures of exclusive unreleased Eden Mill Single Malt.

-Bespoke Eden Mill whisky glass.

2021 Release Single Malt is crafted using a perfect marriage of first-fill bourbon casks and ex-oloroso sherry casks, incorporating spirit distilled using pale malted barley. The result is a beautifully rich dram that carries notes of caramelised pears and fruit crumble with undertones of hazelnut praline and a long-lasting peppery finish.

The tasting pack within this luxury hamper includes Eden Mill 2018 and 2019 Releases of Single Malt as well as 2 x miniatures of unreleased Single Malt, giving you first access to sample these exclusive liquids before they are released.

NON AGE STATEMENT WHISKIES BECOMING THE NORM

 NO AGE STATEMENT WHISKY: FOOL’S GOLD OR THE NEXT GOLD MINE?

As time and demand catch up with the declining stock of aged whiskies worldwide, Master Blenders are bringing out No Age Statement (NAS) whiskies that are younger than the whiskies they are replacing, but decidedly more expensive. In Scotland, Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Kilchoman and Bunnahabhain from Islay and Talisker from Skye have quite a number of expensive NAS Whiskies on the market, making the most of the peated-whisky boom. Benriach and Tomintoul from Speyside are also into peat as are Jura, Edradour, Springbank’s Longrow family and other distilleries, not only in Scotland but also across the globe. Highlander Glenmorangie, with its extra-maturation, innovative wood finishes and exotic Limited Edition Single Malts (SM) has more NAS expressions than age labelled and adds a couple or more every year. These are just a few of the 130-odd distilleries with 2016-17 NAS expressions in Scotland. The balance has evidently tipped towards marketing at the cost of the consumer.

In 2009, Seven years ago Chivas Regal, along with Glenlivet and Ballantine's launched a global campaign, “Age Matters… Look for the number. Know the age. Know whisky.” But today, they have the Chivas Regal Ultis, Extra and Mizunara Blended Malt NAS Whiskies to combat the JW Blue, Island Green, Gold Label and Double Black NAS Whiskies. Their Icon is more than three times the price of JW Odyssey Blended Malt. NAS is evidently more than just an acronym and cannot be wished away by mere pronouncements.

Chivas Regal started off as an extremely successful expensive 25 year old (YO) Blended Whisky in the USA in 1909, a quintessential symbol of early 20th century luxury. Chivas closed shop during Prohibition in the USA (1920-33) and reappeared there only in 1939 as the most expensive 12 YO, nearly twice that of its competitors, prompting the unique theory explained below. Chivas Regal 12 YO was the most expensive Blended Scotch in its class in the UK post WWII, but at a drop in price to accommodate a clientele slightly out of pocket due the war. The Chivas Bros 21 YO blend, Royal Salute, first produced in 1953 using most of the aged whiskies left over once the 25 YO faded into memory, was also the most expensive in its class.

The Chivas Regal Effect: One interesting note from popeconomics/marketing culture is the ‘Chivas Regal Effect,’ which occurs when a product sells more because the price of that product has been increased. The Balvenie 12 YO Doublewood has seen a price hike of more than 50% this year and a 15% increase in sales. Since people often equate price with quality, consumers, who otherwise would not have purchased a product, might choose it because it is more expensive (and thus ‘better’ quality). Wine (St. Emilion 1982 @ US$ 220-2,200) is a good example of this effect in the world of alcohol and LVMH in branded consumer goods. NAS whisky distillers were canny enough to implement this concept, which left many consumers in an ambivalent frame of mind, with some annoyed enough to hurl brickbats at NAS whiskies.

Glenlivet, which campaigned along with Chivas Regal in 2010, announced in 2015 that they would belaunching an NAS Whisky called The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve to replace The Glenlivet 12 in Germany and the UK. Pernod Ricard issued a statement: “The Glenlivet 12 Year Old remains, and will remain, the biggest reference in The Glenlivet portfolio globally and the core reference for the brand.” Necessarily so, since Drumin's George Smith built his life and the eponymous brand on this very word. As may be recalled, 21 other distillers in the Speyside region took Glenlivet to mean Speyside and tagged that word as part of their brand name. They added that some countries would stock both and other countries one or the other. As an explanation, they said that they felt they owed 'loyal fans' something new, a Long John Silver explanation, at best. Their other NAS, the Master Distiller's Reserve of 2011 has since sold out.

Ballantine's have two NAS Blended Scotch Whiskies, the time-honoured Ballantine's Finest and the new Ballantine's Hard Wired, first produced by Chivas Regal for owners Pernod Ricard in November last year (2016) to provide their 'loyal fans' some novelty with a masculine whisky (??) Ballantine’s Hard Fired whisky is named after the hard-fired finishing casks for this blend. The whisky is extracted from its second-fill American oak barrels, which are then charred by hard firing and refilled ̶ as soon as they simmer down ̶ with the very same extract and stored for 6-8 months. An interesting twist using a legal loophole: nothing is added to the contents, which would debar it from gaining the sobriquet 'Scotch Whisky', but the container is modified! All perfectly legal.

The furore stoked among some aficionados by the preponderance of No Age Statement whiskies may no longer be sustainable, now that it is known that stocks of malt whisky older than 11 years have been reducing by about 6% per year since 2011. Such an outcome was anticipated decades ago by prescient producers such as Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, where Dr Bill Lumsden is the Master Blender. As said, the increased demand for old age single malt whisky stocks have left the whisky baories running a little dry, but it is the perceived lack of transparency that has infuriated a few. The labels on the bottles and the artistic presentations on the cartons have little to reveal to those who believe that old is gold.

Diageo’s PRO Nick Morgan agrees, “There’s increasing demand for Scotch malt whisky, but it is a finite product, and in the face of increasing demand, it becomes increasingly difficult to guarantee a supply of aged stock.” Companies – including Diageo – are responsible for the notion that age = quality: “When the rush towards single malts occurred some 40 years ago, the easiest thing to create a credential was putting numbers on bottles. It justified higher prices and gave them 'integrity'. The industry decided to teach people that age equated to value and now it’s bouncing back on us. The bond of trust between consumers and distillers is breaking.” That said, he thinks most critiques are based on ill-informed views emanating from puritans who don't understand the working of the whisky industry. Must comments are driven by impetuous ignorance. This is one factor that I, from past experience, must agree with.

“We’ve successfully been releasing NAS whiskies for20 years with Glenmorangie and Ardbeg and they are doing very well,” says Lumsden, who has blended a plethora of successful NAS whiskies for both LVMH brands. His theory is simple: if you have the makings of a good whisky, all you need is good wood to make a good barrel or acquire a bespoke barrel. The Ardbeg Kelpie, Corryvreckan, Uigeadail, Ardbog, Galileo, Supernova, Perpetuum, etc., from the Islay stable and the Glenmorangie Signet, Bacalta, The Tarlogan, Dornoch, The  Duthac, Companta, Astar 2017 and many more from the Highlands distillery have kept their tills ringing while accumulating awards galore, proving his posit. Their Ardbeg Uigeadail, a cask strength multiple award winner, reportedly has 6 and 15 YO SMs in its make up, as I've heard so often. Lumsden, however, states that it contains only 8-12 YO whiskies. He should know more.

For Glenmorangie, he makes copious use of the Devil's Cut, or ‘indrink’, the liquid absorbed by the wood during maturation mainly in the Sherry industry. Some distillery workers used to make “swish” by putting hot water into the barrel and rinsing out as much of that whisky as they could for “unofficial” use. Today, distillers use steam to deliberately extract the remaining whisky from barrels, then blended that back in with the rest of the whisky to get a slightly woodier taste. But canny Master Blenders leave the Devil’s Cut intact. Nearly 60L of Sherry awaits the whisky in a 500 L Sherry barrel finish, in a 2 YO Sherry barrel. He adds a note of caution, “Regardless of what you are doing, young whisky in bad wood will be ruthlessly exposed.” GlenDronach, MacDuff, Macallan, Highland Park, Aberlour, Glenfarclas, Dalmore, Ardbeg, Tomatin, Balvenie, Strathisla, Glengoyne, Knockando, Bruichladdich, Glenlivet, Kavalan, Yamazaki and numerous other distilleries are producing excellent Sherry finish whiskies, both NAS and with Age Statement.

There is palpable fear among consumers that the arrival of a new NAS whisky presages the death knell of a much-loved bottling: Macallan’s 1824 Series spelled the end of the 10, 12 and 15 YOs; The Founder’s Reserve is replacing The Glenlivet 12 YO in the UK and Germany; The Talisker 10 may soon disappear, now that the Talisker Skye has followed Talisker Storm, Dark Storm, Neist Point, 57° North and Port Ruighe into the NAS market. Morgan denounces the ‘rumour’ vociferously.

People from the industry like Morgan believe that NAS whiskies were born out of necessity and make life easier for distillers and blenders. The flexibility of producing NAS whiskies gives them much greater creativity when producing a blended single malt – 99% of single malts are ‘blends’ anyway. It is undeniable that age-statement SMs and Blended Scotch are increasingly becoming rarities in an NAS world. Almost 80% of Scotch whisky sold does not have an age statement. All basic Blended Scotch brands rarely spell out their age, although there are many that do, including 3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10 year olds and more. Almost all 12 & 12+ YOs do, barring a handful. Also, creating NAS whiskies is one way of preserving stocks of aged whiskies for the popular age-stated brands, a concept hard to digest, but true.

George Grant, Sales Director, J&G Grant, disagrees. “Twenty years ago we told people what made Scotch whisky different from Cognac and Rum, etc., and why we were putting an Age Statement on the label: We wanted the customer to understand what they were buying. Of our 71 brands, only one is an NAS (?). When we ran out of aged stocks, we pulled our 30 and 40-year-olds off the market until we had enough. Compared to Cognac with its vague terms like XO and VSOP, I think age statements have been a huge strength for Scotch." So how can one turn 180° and tell the same people that one's whisky no longer carries an age statement? The interesting aspect I foresee is that in another few years, these distilleries will have aged stock again, lots of it. How will they cloak this change? Rediscover age statements and put them back on? Or carry on regardless, blending SMs in the €100-200 and more price range?

There are many reasons to justify NAS whiskies, but in some cases the whisky hasn’t come up to expectations in terms of quality. Taking younger but good SMs and blending them with older ones is not a problem, since technological advancements over the years have markedly improved distillation and wood management techniques, but the whisky still needs to be satiating in a market where the customer is king and has become picky and demanding. Reviews of single malt Scotch whiskies between August 2015 and July 2016 confirm that age is a good indicator of quality – but not necessarily a perfect one. Whiskies 6-11 years of age are capable of scoring as high as far older whiskies. In other words, age does tend to improve whisky – but exceptional younger whiskies are capable of very high scores. “People should make a judgement on quality alone and not be swayed by the importance of age,” says Euan Mitchell, MD at Arran Distillers, a distillery that is just 21 years old and already pushing for NAS Whiskies.

I am not prepared to accept Mitchell's "summing it all up" statement. There are far too many brands out there, veritably slugging it out in a tight market, a major portion of which is reserved for the VIP Brands. If NAS whiskies will actually help ensure the long-term survival of those classic age-statement whiskies – I’ll gladly raise a toast to it. But I cannot get over my nagging fear that there is bound to be the less scrupulous distiller or private bottler who will cut corners. Such products that do not meet quality standards dictated by their price must be brought to book. But how? Who will dictate or define standards, as one man's uisge could be another man's hooch?

Macallan is an active proponent of NAS Whiskies, so I’ll let Ken Greer, Creative Director at Macallan, who faced derisive remarks on the introduction of the Macallan’s 1824 Series, have the last word. He says that his Master Blender has carte blanche in picking out any whisky for bottling in every category. This is done when he feels that the whisky is at its peak, like picking an apple when it is ripe, and not on some pre-decided date. For Greer, Scotch Whisky is about exceptional quality. It is about the integrity of the Scotch Whisky owners, distillers and producers, who, as guardians of that precious elixir, make sure that the right quality goes into the appropriate bottle at the right price point, whether it carries an age statement or not. Nobody will try to to hoodwink some poor soul. That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?

DOES ALCOHOL ADD DANGEROUS SUGAR TO YOUR BODY?

 STAY AVERAGE: DRINK IN MODERATION

While drinking too much alcohol is never a good idea, it can be part of a healthy diet when you drink in moderation. What you drink does matter, though: Certain alcoholic drinks contain a large amount of sugar, which decreases their value in your healthy eating plan. Other types of alcohol don't contain sugar, which makes them a better choice if you enjoy a drink on a regular basis.

Sugar in Alcohol

VERY ENTICING

A 4-ounce pina colada is one of the alcoholic beverages with the most sugar. It contains 28 grams of added sugar, though it all comes from ingredients other than the alcohol. A 4-ounce daiquiri has 6.7 grams of sugar, again none of it from the actual alcohol. Gin, rum, whisky and vodka don't contain any added sugar. Beer doesn't have added sugar either. A 1.5-ounce shot of creme de menthe contains a whopping 21 grams of sugar. A 5-ounce glass of red or white wine contains about 1 gram of sugar, which comes from the grapes rather than from added sugar.

Dangers of Sugar

You need some sugar to fuel your body, but it should come from healthy foods, such as fruit, rather than foods that contain added sugar such as desserts. Too much added sugar puts you at a higher risk for weight gain and dental decay. It'll also elevate your triglycerides, which raises your chances of developing heart disease. According to the Mayo Clinic website, women shouldn't consume more than 6 teaspoons of sugar each day and men shouldn't have more than 9 teaspoons. That's equal to 24 and 36 grams, respectively. Choosing beer, wine or hard liquor rather than mixed cocktails can help you consume far less sugar.

Current Recommendations

Drinking in moderation might actually be beneficial to your health. For example, drinking a glass of red wine can lower your risk of heart disease. That doesn't mean you can drink as much as you want, however. Women shouldn't have more than one drink per day and men should limit themselves to two drinks. One drink is equal to 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, such as whisky or rum, 5 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer. Regularly drinking more than this can lead to weight gain, just as eating too much sugar can. The calories in alcohol are empty calories, which means that the drinks don't also contain essential vitamins and minerals so the calories aren't contributing anything to your health. Over time, too many of these empty calories can cause you to put on excess weight, according to the USDA.

Non-Dietary Considerations

Drinking too much alcohol causes you to become intoxicated, which can make driving dangerous. Being drunk also increases your risk of dangerous and violent behaviour. Alcohol misuse is associated with 88,000 premature deaths each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Regularly drinking too much alcohol is also associated with an increase in your risk of developing breast, colon and liver cancer. You'll also be at a higher risk for cirrhosis of the liver and high blood pressure.

Calorie Count Alcoholic beverages are often high in calories, and most provide no real nutrients. Alcohol contains more calories per ounce than carbohydrates or protein. When you combine alcoholic beverages with high-calorie foods, you may end up eating more than you would have if you had eaten those same foods while consuming a nonalcoholic beverage. If you do drink alcoholic beverages, choose wisely, as some are much lower in calories than others.

Beer and Wine

Since alcohol is fermented sugar, there is a relation between the amount of alcohol and the number of calories. Therefore, if you drink something with a lower alcohol content, you are consuming fewer calories – assuming that both drinks are ‘dry’ (without residual sugar). Beer and wine tend to have the lowest number of calories per ounce among alcoholic drinks. Light beers have the fewest calories, with many containing fewer than 100 calories for a 12-ounce bottle, although some contain almost as many calories as regular beer. Red and white wine are also relatively low in calories, with between 100 and 125 calories per 5-ounce glass. Regular beer contains about 140 to 200 calories per 12-ounce bottle. Dessert wines are higher in sugar and may be reinforced or "fortified" with additional alcohol, bringing them up to about 165 calories per 3.5-ounce glass. Interestingly, a glass of champagne comes out relatively low on the calorie count.

Statistics from the NHS puts the calorie content of a 5% ABV pint of beer at 239kcal – roughly the same as a Mars bar. The average calorie content of a 175ml glass of 12% ABV wine is 133kcal. Logic would therefore dictate that beer might prove to be more fattening, but once again the evidence seems to be unclear at best. A 2015 review of studies cited by the BBC found that neither wine nor beer drinkers tend to gain weight in the short-term. The long term is definitely deleterious to both shape and health.

Hard Liquor

Hard liquor usually has more calories than beer or wine. Each fluid ounce of 80-proof distilled spirits, including rum, gin, whisky and vodka, contains 64 calories, making the typical 1.5-ounce serving about 96 calories. Liqueurs tend to be higher in calories, because they're higher in sugar. For example, a 1.5-ounce serving of chocolate liquor has 105 calories; the same-sized serving of coffee liquor has 175 calories.

Mixed Drinks

Mixed drinks tend to have the most calories of all, but some are better choices than others. A 4-ounce mimosa contains 80 calories, a 5-ounce wine spritzer or an 8-ounce rum-and-diet-cola about 100 calories. A 5-ounce bloody Mary and an 8-ounce Tom Collins both contain 120 calories, a Manhattan has 130 calories, a 3-ounce green apple martini contains about 150 calories and a 2.5-ounce martini or an 8-ounce whiskey sour contains 160 calories. Oversized cocktails, or those containing high-fat ingredients such as heavy cream or coconut cream, can be substantially higher in calories.

Recommended Consumption

Alcohol should only be consumed by people of legal drinking age and in moderation, which means women should have no more than one drink per day and men no more than two. Pregnant women should not consume alcohol and neither should those who have a history of alcoholism.

Can You Get a Beer Belly From Liquor?

A beer belly is just a term for the excess of abdominal fat around the middle, but it doesn't only occur from drinking beer. You can actually grow a belly from any number of foods and drinks. What matters is how many calories you consume, not necessarily where the calories come from. Because hard liquors alone have fewer calories than a beer, it might take longer for a beer belly to grow, but it's always possible when you're taking in more calories than you burn.

Beer Belly

A beer belly is really just the excess of abdominal fat. Beer doesn't necessarily have to be involved for you to develop the infamous beer belly. Drinking beer can certainly contribute to the growth of abdominal fat, according to Mayo Clinic, but it's the calories not the beer itself that causes this to happen. The average 12-ounce beer contains about 153 calories. If you drink too many beers, all those calories will likely translate to weight gain, which often happens around the middle. Many people enjoy unhealthy snacks, such as hot wings and potato skins, while they're having a beer or two. Those calories contribute to the development of a big gut, as well.

Liquor & A Beer Belly

Any type of alcohol can play a role in the formation of a beer belly, according to Mayo Clinic. Straight shots of hard liquor, such as vodka, rum, tequila and whisky contain about 64 calories per ounce, so it'll take longer for the calories to cause a beer belly, but it is possible. Mixed drinks that contain hard liquor can have similar amounts or many more calories than the average beer, however, and that means that liquor might be even more to blame than beer. A pina colada, for example, contains 245 calories, and a daiquiri has about 112 calories. Wine might be the exception, the Clinic notes. Wine may not contribute to a beer belly the same way liquor does, but further research is needed to determine if that's true and why it's the case.

Dangers of a Beer Belly

You might be self-conscious about your beer belly, but you should also worry about the implications it has for your health. The abdominal fat characteristic of a beer belly is called visceral fat. Carrying around excess amounts of visceral fat raises your risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, according to Harvard Medical School. Too much visceral fat can also put you at a higher risk for colon cancer and sleep apnea. 

Tips and Considerations

If you have a beer belly, make an appointment with your doctor to create a plan that will help you lose the excess weight and improve your overall health and well-being. Because beer and alcohol can contribute to a beer belly, restrict your intake of both. Cut back to an occasional beer, shot of liquor or mixed cocktail. That will help you reduce how many calories you consume, which can translate to weight loss and the elimination of your beer belly. Eat a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise as additional ways to help you lose your belly.

Are Sugar-Free Beverages Dangerous?

Artificially sweetened beverages may lead to weight gain instead of weight loss. One potential reason for this is that people overcompensate for the calories saved by drinking these beverages and end up increasing their daily caloric intake. The sweeteners may increase sugar cravings, and thus the consumption of more sweets in the diet, which is another potential cause for weight gain. A third theory is that when you eat a sweet food that doesn't contain the calories your body expects to accompany the sweet taste, it isn't as satisfying, and this may cause food cravings as your body seeks out those expected calories.

Increased Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Risk

Drinking diet soda isn't necessarily a good idea for people at risk for Type 2 diabetes. While a causal relationship hasn't been proven, a study published in "Diabetes Care" in January 2009 found that drinking diet soda at least once a day was associated with a 67 percent higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes and a 36 percent higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome compared to not drinking diet soda.

Risk of Preterm Labour

Pregnant women may want to be particularly careful and avoid artificially sweetened beverages. A study published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in June 2010 found that drinking this type of beverage may make you more likely to deliver prematurely. These results are preliminary, however, so further studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

Other Potential Risks

You can save calories by mixing alcohol with diet soda instead of regular soda, but this practice may make you more likely to become intoxicated, according to a study published in "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research" in October 2011. Sugar helps slow down the release of alcohol from the stomach, so removing the sugar from the drink means the alcohol hits your bloodstream more quickly. Artificial sweeteners have also been linked by some studies to potential increases in the risk for low birth weight, cancer, migraines and liver problems, although these results are still controversial and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers artificial sweeteners to be generally regarded as safe.

JOHNNIE WALKER GIVES ITS “SUPPOSED” CORE EXPRESSIONS A MAKEOVER

 LABELS OF THE RED, BLACK, GOLD AND BLUE REWORKED

To celebrate the ones who keep walking, Johnnie Walker has created a bold new look for four of their most celebrated Scotch whiskies: Johnnie Walker Red Label, Johnnie Walker Black Label, Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve and Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

This is a rather surprising definition. From time immemorial, their core whiskies were the 10 YO Red and the 12 YO Black Label expressions. This grew as the era evolved, and the excellent Swing was added. Then the Red Label went NAS, but remained eminently drinkable, right up to the 1980s. In a surprising move, it next underwent a sea change to emerge undrinkable. Apparently, the management had consigned it to the boondocks as an NAS whisky solely for mixing. The 15 YO Blended Malt Green Label was next to appear. Then came its prized expression, the NAS Blue Label. Two more followed suit, the Gold and the Platinum Labels. Both were 18 Years old, an odd confusing decision at the managerial level.

Confusion reigned for some years and the Green Label was withdrawn, while the NAS Island Green Blended Malt was introduced, mainly in Travel Retail. The 18 YO Gold Label was replaced by a Gold Reserve, initially a 16 YO and later, an NAS whisky. In between came the Double Black Label, again NAS. The 15 YO Green Label blended malt was brought back with some changes to the recipe. Platinum Label was withdrawn and reintroduced as Johnnie Walker 18 YO. Finally, the XR-21 made its debut! The new expressions are the same old JW expressions, bottled differently and far removed from the original designs of the Walker grocer family of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.

A limited-edition design on the outside, same old blends within. This bundle includes four basic brands as Limited Edition bottles: One 70cl bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label Limited Edition, one 70cl bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label Limited Edition, one 70cl bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Limited Edition and one 70cl bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Depths of flavour. I keep hoping that the original JW Red Label 10 YO would resurface for some period of time. These whiskies have been examined at great length here.

GLENMORANGIE DANCING FLOWERS 18 YO WINS MULTIPLE GOLDS

 Makuto Azuma's Masterpiece for Glenmorangie

In the 1730s, a brewery was built in the Scottish Highlands on the Morangie Farm, and a hundred years later, it was refurbished into a distillery we all know and the product of which we enjoy: Glenmorangie. Their Spirits are not created equal - they are raised as aristocrats. The water comes from the pristine spring of Tarlogie and the magic that happens is a result of teamwork of dedicated whisky creators, first known as the Sixteen Men of Tain. These knights of Whisky distill the potion in the tallest stills in Scotland, creating a lighter and more refined Whisky. The exquisite purity of single malt Scotch whisky produced by the Glenmorangie distillery is testament to a tradition that dates back to 1843. On the south side of the Dornoch Firth, the Men of Tain follow the mystical art of turning barley and water into this famously complex and alluring whisky. The vintage Highland single malt Scotch whisky’s floral notes are reminiscent to a flower in bloom, reimagining whisky through the language of flowers as the whisky’s floral notes dance on the tongue.

Imagine the blooms of jasmine, geranium and narcissus bounding through a whisky bottle. Part of Glenmorangie’s Limited Edition Range, the 18 Years Old begins with the distillery’s new make spirit, crafted in stills as tall as a giraffe to allow for what’s described as more space for taste and aroma. Next, the spirit is aged in bourbon casks for 15 years. Then roughly 30% is transferred into Oloroso sherry casks for three more years. After 18 years, these casks are reunited to create the single malt whisky’s taste, gilding the fruity floral delicacy for which Glenmorangie is renowned with soft and luscious flavours of vanilla and coconut. This gentle process of maturation takes place in stone-built, earth-floored warehouses to ensure time-honoured perfection.

Makuto Azuma is a famous Japanese flower artist and botanical sculptor who co-founded Jardin des Fleurs. When he got his first whiff of Glenmorangie Extremely Rare 18 Year Old, he immediately thought of flowers in bloom, probably the rich, rounded aromas of dried fruits, and honey that turn into geranium, tube rose, and jasmine notes as they develop. Makoto tasted the softness and sweetness, complimented by Oloroso Sherry cask hints, and created a beautiful floral masterpiece of a sculpture featuring almost 100 different blooming flowers at his Tokyo studio. The art piece was called Dancing Flowers of Glenmorangie. Today, you can get this unique masterpiece imprinted on the bottle.

ABV: 43%

Colour: Deep gold; rich and full.

Nose: Rich, rounded and sweet with dried fruits and a complex floral fragrance. Initially, the aroma has nutty, caramel and vanilla overtones followed by hints of walnuts, honeycomb and dates. Complex floral notes emerge with geranium, jasmine and narcissus. With water, deep oak notes are released, revealing a balsamic character, softened by vanilla. The hallmark Glenmorangie fruity complexity emerges as rich apricots and dates, interwoven with hazelnuts.

Taste: The mouthfeel is silky, smooth and rounded with a full flavor. The taste is balanced between the flavors of honey, malt and flowery scents, followed by Oloroso nuttiness such as hazelnuts and walnuts. Dates and figs emerge in the background with a hint of wood smoke.

Finish: The finish is long and enticing, with the sweetness of dried fruit and subtle dryness of Oloroso nuttiness.

Suggested Retail Price: £90

Awards: Glenmorangie 18 Years Old received a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021, and a Gold Award at the International Spirits Challenge 2021.

Glenmorangie’s Tourism Offering: The Lighthouse & The Hotel

Apart from the 18 YO expression, multiple developments to the Distillery like a lighthouse and its hotel nearby, Glenmorangie House, enrich the experience whisky loving travellers encounter in the Highlands of Scotland. Glenmorangie’s offer includes taking visitors beyond the historic distillery to hosting guests in the boutique hotel and culinary destination, Glenmorangie House.

This summer, both the distillery and the hotel saw a bold transformation, enhancing the overall whisky-led experience in interiors inspired by the whisky making process. The distillery’s new innovation hub was opened in September , after a multi-million-pound expansion of the historic site. Glenmorangie has been pushing single malt boundaries for decades, with its whisky makers endlessly experimenting to dream up delicious whiskies for more people to enjoy. Glenmorangie has opened the doors to a ground-breaking innovation distillery, where they can let their imaginations run wild.

The Lighthouse was inspired by the “What if...?” approach of Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Whisky Creation. Spurred on by his many whisky world-firsts and wondrous limited editions, he conceived the Lighthouse as a sensory playground. Inside this building, the first of its kind, he and his team will seek to redefine every aspect of their craft, and bring a kaleidoscope of delicious new flavours to Scotch whisky.

Named for its landmark approach to whisky, the Lighthouse distillery is a shining beacon on the Highland coastline, at the heart of the distillery. Looking out to sea like an actual lighthouse, the towering 20m-high glass stillhouse can be seen for miles around. Its design is dramatically different from the traditional stone buildings of the main Distillery, established more than 175 years ago. But it reflects their single malt’s creativity – even down to the fragments of whisky casks embedded in its walls.

Within its still house stand two signature copper stills, which enable Glenmorangie’s delicate, fruity spirit. But these new stills have a host of modifications, making all kinds of innovation possible. And above the stillhouse is a purpose-built sensory laboratory, where Dr Lumsden can play with his experiments in the most unexpected ways. The 20-metre-high glass still house is a striking addition to the picturesque whisky distilling site set alongside Tarlogie Spring. The distillery’s hospitality arm, Glenmorangie House is a 20-minute drive from there on an elevated patch of coast overlooking the Moray Firth. First acquired in the ‘80s as a venue for entertaining corporate clients before being made a hotel for guests to the distillery in the ‘90s, this former farmhouse lies within sprawling grounds, also home to ruins of a 13th-century castle and surrounded by fields yielding the barley used for some of Glenmorangie’s whiskies.

Glenmorangie House & Hotel

BACKGROUND

Glenmorangie uses a number of different cask types, with all products being matured in white oak casks which are manufactured from trees growing in Glenmorangie's own forest in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, United States. These new casks are left to air for two years before being leased to distillers Jack Daniel's and Heaven Hill for them to mature bourbon in for four years. Glenmorangie then uses the barrels to mature their spirit. The Original range will mature entirely in ex-bourbon casks for ten years. At this stage, a pentafurcation takes place. About 70% of this new make is extracted to become the ten year old Glenmorangie Original single malt whisky, while the remaining 30% of the new make for the Extra Matured range of bottlings are transferred into casks that were previously used to mature other products such as wine, port or sherry for finishing.

The new make finished in Sauternes sweet white wine barrels will be sold as Nectar d’Or whisky. This used to be a 12 year old but is now NAS. The new make finished in Sherry casks for two years more will be bottled as LaSanta 12 YO whisky, whereas the new make finished for four years in Port pipes will be bottled as the Quinta Ruban 14 YO. The earlier version was bottled at 12 years. These form part of the regular range of products Glenmorangie makes. A fifth NAS expression has recently been introduced, meant entirely for mixing. Glenmorangie also obtains small batches of other casks for finishing and release of Prestige (11), Private (10) and Limited Edition(3) bottlings from these.