[#AllAboutWhiskyph] Worm Tub Whiskies.

Worm Tubs. That's another term that I hear from my whisky friends that I want to learn more about.

A #WormTub is a piece of equipment used in the whisky making process for condensing the evaporated spirit vapor back into liquid form.

Before maybe the 60s and 70s, many whisky distilleries used worm tubs for condensation. But these days distilleries using worm tubs are becoming rarer and rarer. I read that in 2017 of the 116 operational Scottish distilleries, less than 20 were still using worm tubs. Surprisingly, around a third of Diageo's (the people behind #JohnnieWalker) distilleries like #Talisker and #Glenkinchie, and all other classic malts except Lagavulin operate with worm tubs.

These days most condensation is done through Shell and Tube Condensers (S&Ts). So how do these two methods of condensation differ?

Worm tubs involve a wooden or iron tub filled with cold water. Inside this tub is a copper tube coiled like a worm. The spirit's vapor passes through this cooled copper coil and condenses into liquid.

In contrast in an S&T, what you have is a shell containing hundreds of chilled copper tubes. The vapor passes through the shell and is cooled down to liquid form upon contact with the cool tubes.

Copper here is important because it has the effect of taking away sulfuric elements in the distilled spirits. S&Ts allow for more copper contact and a lighter, more delicate spirit.

In terms of taste, less contact with copper means a more sulfuric, heavier, more savory and "meatier" distilled spirit. Of course, before you taste it as a whisky, oak casks will also play its role in drawing out sulfuric elements too.

Honestly, on the basis of taste alone I don't know how to tell a worm tub whisky apart from an S&T. I do still get some meaty, savory notes from peated S&T drams like the Lagavulin 16 and the #PortCharlotte. I also get "heavy" notes from say the S&T #Glenmorangie #QuintaRuban. In contrast I think worm tub whiskies like Glenkinchie and #OldPulteney actually taste quite light and delicate.

I guess there's more for me to learn? Cheers!🥃

Image Courtesy of @WhiskyPH

@WhiskyPH

At its core, whisky appreciation is an exercise in memory. Notes of a whisky enthusiast in the Philippines. 🥃🇵🇭