Whisky · Explainer
What is natural colour and what is E150a in whisky?
Natural colour means that the colour of a whisky comes only from the cask. E150a is plain caramel, besides water the only addition the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 permit. Drinks above 1.2 percent alcohol do not have to carry an ingredient list under Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, which is why that caramel usually appears nowhere on the label.
In brief
The key figures
| E150a | plain caramel, colouring |
|---|---|
| Permitted additions to Scotch | water and plain caramel |
| Legal basis of Scotch | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, regulation 3 |
| EU legal basis | Regulation (EU) 2019/787, Annex I, category 2 |
| Ingredient list for drinks above 1.2% vol | not mandatory, Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 article 16 |
| Group ADI of EFSA for caramel colors | 300 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day |
| Separate ADI for class III | 100 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day |
| Mention of natural colour on the label | voluntary |
What exactly is E150a?
E150a is plain caramel: a colouring that is created by heating carbohydrates under controlled conditions.
There are four classes of caramel colouring, E150a to E150d, which differ in the processing aids used during heating. E150a is the class without ammonium and sulphite compounds.
The European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated the four caramel colours and set a group ADI of 300 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day, with a separate value of 100 milligrams for class III.
Why is caramel allowed in whisky?
Besides water, the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 permit only plain caramel; any other addition means the drink may no longer be called Scotch Whisky.
For whisky sold in the European Union, the standard is in Regulation (EU) 2019/787, Annex I, category 2. It contains the same key points: maturation in wooden casks of at most 700 litres, at least three years, and a minimum of 40 percent alcohol.
Caramel is therefore not a back door but an addition that the legislator has expressly named and limited.
Why is caramel not on the label?
According to article 16 of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, drinks with more than 1.2 percent alcohol by volume do not have to carry a list of ingredients or a nutrition declaration.
As a result, a bottler does not have to report that caramel has been added. Anyone who does mention it does so of their own accord.
If you look at a bottle and see no word about colouring, that tells you nothing: it can mean that nothing has been added, and it can mean that the mention has simply been left out.
What does natural colour mean on a bottle?
Natural colour on a label means that the bottler has not added caramel and the colour comes entirely from the cask.
Other wordings that say the same are no colouring, natural colour and uncoloured. It is a voluntary statement and there is no legally prescribed wording for it.
Independent bottlers often put that mention on the label, together with details such as the cask number and the number of bottles from the cask.
Does the colour say anything about the age of whisky?
Colour comes from the wood and from any caramel, not from the number of years in itself.
A cask that has previously held sherry releases dark tones quickly. A cask that has already been filled two or three times before gives much less colour, even after long maturation. Two whiskies of the same age can therefore differ greatly in colour.
If you want to know the age, read the number on the label. According to the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, it always refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle.
Where do you find whisky with natural color?
Independent bottlers mention more often than the distilleries themselves that no coloring has been added.
An independent bottler buys casks from distilleries and bottles them under its own name. According to regulation 9 of the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, the name of a distillery may only be used as a brand name if the whisky was fully distilled there, and the label must not mislead about the origin.
If you are looking for a bottle with a stated natural colour, ask for it in the shop at the Brink in Bathmen or call 0570 541 278.
From the shop in Bathmen
Which independent bottlings are there in Bathmen?
The shop in Bathmen stocks 513 bottlings from independent bottlers, from 48 different brands in 10 countries. Prices range from € 5.99 to € 11,750.00. Alcohol strength ranges from 40% to 66.5%.
- A Highland Distillery 2005 – 16 Years Old – First Cask 58.3% · 70 cl · Scotland
- Aberdour Piper 0.7L 40% · 70 cl · Scotland
- Aberdour Piper 1L 40% · 100 cl · Scotland
- AD RATTRAY WILLIAMSON 12 Years Old 56.4% · 70 cl · Scotland
- AD RATTRAY WILLIAMSON 14 Years Old 53.8% · 70 cl · Scotland
- Adelphi Ardnamurchan Cask Strength 2025 57.7% · 70 cl · Scotland
- Adelphi Blended Scotch Whisky 40% · 70 cl · Scotland
- Adelphi Bowmore 1997 55.5% · 70 cl · Scotland
- Adelphi Breath of Speyside 15 Years Old 2009 58.1% · 70 cl · Scotland
- Adelphi Breath of the Isles 58.3% · 70 cl · Scotland
Related questions
What is rye whiskey?What is Scotch whisky?What is single cask whisky?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- Does E150a change the taste of whisky?
- Caramel is added to keep the colour the same between batches. Opinions differ on the influence on flavour; without measurement we make no statement about it.
- Why do producers add colouring to whisky?
- To keep the colour the same from batch to batch. Casks differ from one another, so the same bottling can turn out a different colour.
- What are E150b, E150c and E150d?
- The three other classes of caramel colouring, made with other processing aids. In Scotch only E150a is permitted.
- Does every bottle say whether it contains colouring?
- No. For drinks above 1.2 percent alcohol by volume, an ingredients list is not mandatory, so listing is voluntary.
- Does dark always mean sherry cask?
- No. Dark colour can come from a sherry cask, but also from added caramel. Without a statement on the label, you cannot tell from the colour.
The reasoning
Sources
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, regulation 3, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Verordening (EU) 1169/2011 betreffende voedselinformatie aan consumenten, artikel 16, EUR-Lex (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of caramel colours (E 150a,b,c,d), EFSA (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, EUR-Lex (accessed 2026-09-07)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, regulation 9, legislation.gov.uk (accessed 2026-09-07)
This page was written and checked by ’t Bockje Bathmen, wine & spirits shop at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Last updated on 10 September 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.