No one wants a white haze in their whisky or crystal formation at the bottom of a bottle of rum. And yet haze and crystal formation still occur quite frequently in spirits.
It is mostly caused by an inadequate or poorly configured filtration process.
The filtration solution for chill haze
Chill haze occurs during cold storage or when using ice in spirits. At low temperatures, fatty acid esters such as ethyl hexanoate or oleate cause cloudiness in the end product. Occurring mainly in premium whiskies and vodkas, this phenomenon can be prevented by filtering the spirit at the right temperature. At a temperature of between +3 and -10°C, the fatty acids precipitate, following which they can be removed efficiently by a depth filter or module filter. The result: a stable, clear and tasty beverage.
The filtration solution to crystal formation
Crystal formation, or crystallisation, occurs mainly in matured spirits. As the beverage matures, especially when it is left to mature for a long time, white flakes or a white deposit forms inside the bottle. Called calcium oxalate,
this cloudiness can be prevented by using the right final filtration for the beverage. A particularly effective solution is to use absolute filter cartridges. These kinds of filters block microscopic crystals.
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