Why is my whisky cloudy?

Whisky contains various compounds such as fats, proteins and esters after fermentation, distillation and barrel aging. Some of these substances are referred to as 'congeners'. They can react to low temperatures by partially precipitating or clumping together. This can manifest as cloudiness in the whisky when it is consumed with ice or exposed to wintry temperatures. This resulting 'Scottish Mist' generally dissipates as the whisky warms up, but some suspended particles may remain.

It's worth noting that this cloudiness typically occurs in whiskies with an alcohol content below 46% vol. Whiskies with higher alcohol content, especially those at cask strength, generally don't require chill filtration.

Updated on: 22/07/2024