Non-Chill Filtered

[Luna56]

After having a few non chill filtered single malts recently it seems to me that chill filtering is a bad, bad thing. The fats and oils in a whisk(e)y seem to contribute a lot to flavor and mouthfeel.

Is there a list of non chill filtered bourbons? I admit, I should have used the search function. You guys have any favorite non chill filtered bourbons?

Cheers!

[drunkenjayhawk]

The ones that come immediately to mind are Bookers, Parkers Heritage, Stagg, WL Weller but that is only a fraction I am sure. I would like to see a much more expanded list myself.

[cowdery]

No, actually, that's about it.

[sku]

It seems that the whole concept of chill filtering is less controversial in the Bourbon world than in the Scotch world, where it has become a big deal. Is there a reason for this?

[TNbourbon]

Some private bottlings, in particular from Buffalo Trace, have been produced without chill-filtering, but the commercial brands are pretty scarce.

[HipFlask]

Does Rare Breed and ODG114 fit? Also I beleive the Thomas Handy Rye is unchill filtered.

[dcb]

chill filtering is one thing, but I sure wish the scots would collectively move away from artificial coloring. Or should I say colouring? A couple of my regular scotch pours I know are coloring-free, Ardbeg and Highland Park. Ardbeg doesn't chill-filter either. I LOVE that bourbon color is natural.

[craigthom]

I've got a couple of private bottlings of Weller Antique that aren't chill filtered (yes, I stopped after the first two, and, yes, I know BT private bottlings have been mentioned).

The Four Roses Jim Rutledge 40th is not chill filtered, and I would guess the new anniversary bourbon is not.

[Luna56]

Thanks for the info, guys.

Bruichladdich is also non chill filtered and uncolored by additives. Not my most favorite SMS but still very good.

Cheers!

[TomH]

Just attended a tasting of Bruchladdich samplings this week presented by one of the owners, Andrew Gray, at one of our local stores. I did like their peated offering (3D 2nd edition, Mòine Mhòr) and picked up a couple of bottles.

Tom

[OscarV]

Does Rare Breed and ODG114 fit? .

nope.

(adding digits so post will be long enough)

[cigarnv]

Has anyone done a side by side of the same bourbon cilled and non-chilled? Would make for and interesting tasting if done blind.

[TBoner]

Handy. Good call.

No chill filtering for that beauty.

The old Yellowstone Mellow Mash was 91 proof. AFAIK, 90 proof and below are always chill filtered (where did I read that?). Was the 91 proof just to one-up 90 proofers (like Beam black) or was it meant to imply lack of chill filtering? Or did anyone give a damn about chill filtration 25 years ago?

BTW, it's been awhile since I've posted here. Been very busy and preoccupied with other stuff. I don't remember everything I know right now, if that makes sense. So forgive me for any inanity in my comments. I have no excuse for inanity in comments made before January 2008.

[Rughi]

Has anyone done a side by side of the same bourbon cilled and non-chilled? Would make for and interesting tasting if done blind.

That was done at Bettye Jo's shindig a couple of years ago.

Only one person couldn't identify the difference.

Roger

[Luna56]

Only one person couldn't identify the difference.

Roger

Interesting indeed. What differences were noted? Were they more oriented towards flavor or mouthfeel?

Cheers!

[cowdery]

The unfiltered sample simply had more flavor. The filtered sample tasted slightly diluted.

[billthewoodguy]

I am also a fan of non chill filtered barrel strength bourbons. Bookers was my first but stagg left a huge impact on me. the handy at first taste was too much cinnamon for me, the wt rare breed is good and the weller and parkers is on my to do list.

[DowntownD]

Booker's, GTStagg 2007, and the 2007 BTAC WLWeller are in my top-5, though I've never though abut it from this perspective. Interesting.

[TNbourbon]

That was done at Bettye Jo's shindig a couple of years ago.

Only one person couldn't identify the difference.

Roger

:blush: A confession, and a (limited) defense: I'm the person Roger references, but it's not necessarily correct to say that I couldn't identify the difference. I was simply the only one who identified which was which incorrectly, and the only one who preferred the standard/filtered one (which is why I got the ID wrong; I, too, assumed that non-filtered would be the better one!). If I had identified no difference at all, I'd have had no preference at all. And, if I'd simply been guessing, I'd have gone alone with the herd to avoid embarrassment.

Alas, the samples were Blanton's, for which I've never really cared, filtered or not (in fact, post-Sampler, I have a 'Straight From the Barrel' and a standard bottling open right now, neither of which thrills me. I mixed some of the latter one with diet ginger ale the other night:shocked:).

[Rughi]

I'm the person Roger references...

Actually, I never even knew who it was.

Your secret's safe with me -- er, um, as long as noone reads your post...DOH!

Roger

[Luna56]

The Four Roses Jim Rutledge 40th is not chill filtered, and I would guess the new anniversary bourbon is not.

Thanks a lot for your thoughts, guys.

As for the Rutledge 40th vs. the standard FR1B; aside from proof differences, what other differences were noted? Just curious.

I appreciate the wisdom of the sages here, as I don't have access to most of the great bourbons up here in NH. Maybe a million dollar online shopping spree at Binny's is in order.

Cheers!

[barturtle]

Alas, the samples were Blanton's, for which I've never really cared, filtered or not ...

For some reason I remember them being ERSB...but I had a bit to drink that day:lol:

[doubleblank]

I recall the filtered vs non-chill filtered taste test. Truman (AKA Etochem here) over at BT provided two samples of 14yo Eagle Rare SB.....filtered and non-filtered. 9 out of 10 picked which were which. Truman was very surprised that the group got it right.

Randy

[mgilbertva]

I was waiting to post, but I wanted confirmation first. All of the Willett releases here in DC (6, 7, and 15 yr barrel proof bourbons, 23 and 24 yr barrel proof ryes) are non-chill filtered. I checked with Jake Parrott, who arranged the bottlings, and he confirmed this was the case.

Thanks Jake!

[Rughi]

The two bottlings of Willett Ryes and the 4yo bourbon of the West Coast/East Bay Study Group were non-chill filtered, as was Doug's Toddy bottling.

Every Willett bottling I know of was a specialty bottling with a base criteria as non-chill filtered, barrel proof and single barrel. The Willett white label/cognac bottle presentation had this very specific meaning through the Doug/Study Group/Ledger/Jake/Ace bottlings.

It'll be interesting to see what the white label/cognac bottle presentation comes to mean over time as other groups/retailers and KBD themselves use it for their own purposes. So far it has also been used by KBD for a 25yo non-barrel proof bourbon.

Roger