Is there caramel coloring (E150) in... ?

Laphroaig 18? Laphroaig Triple Wood?

I wouldn't know about those two but Id like to know if Aberlour DC 12 and the DC 16 have (E150) in them.

The Pernod Ricard rep I asked assures me that the A'Bunadh does not have any caramel. He conspicuously did not mention the others in the range.

HP says they don't use it in any of their whiskies but the 12 looks pretty branded.

And, of course, no colouring adds to any Bladnoch produced by Raymond Armstrong...

The HP 12 is coloured (try Googling: "DistilleryName mit farbstoff" ). By German consumer law, any use of artificial colour must be mentioned on the label. The ensuing reasoning is that if a common whisky brand is coloured in Germany, it is probably coloured everywhere (it would not make sense to only add caramel colouring for the German market - why would any distiller go out of their way to ensure "mit farbstoff" was printed on their labels - they wouldn't).

Aberlour 12 DC and 16 DC appear to be coloured.

@systemdown, thanks for the Google tip! Based on that, it appears that Laphroaig uses e150 in almost everything. I seem to recall reading somewhere though (and the colour of the QC and Cairdeas 2012 bottles would seem to bear this out) that they only use a small amount to acheive a more consistent colour, and not for the purpose of acheiving a deep colour.

@systemdown, thanks for the Google tip! Based on that, it appears that Laphroaig uses e150 in almost everything. I seem to recall reading somewhere though (and the colour of the QC and Cairdeas 2012 bottles would seem to bear this out) that they only use a small amount to acheive a more consistent colour, and not for the purpose of acheiving a deeper colour.

@rigmorole definatley in the lap 18 not sure about the triple, but it would not surprise me

My Laph 18 says: mit farbstoff. But... its in a green bottle and its lighter in colour than the 10yo, weird huh. So I think, in the 18, its only for a consistent colour through succeeding batches. not chill filtered though and at a good strength so still quite enjoyable if u ask me. I truly adore the 18, its great :)

@PeatyZealot Yeah they only need to add one drop of E150 into a vat and they'd have to put "mit farbstoff" on the label. I agree that some distilleries would only use it for consistency between batches, even for very (naturally) lightly coloured whisky like Laphroaig. If the whisky is any shade less than "brown" and says mit farbstoff then you can be sure that there'd only be a trace of it in there which pretty much equates to "no colour" in my books. The only ones I really worry about are some of the mainstream 10 or 12 year olds that are a very deep brown (think Dalmore, for example).

Bowmore 25 - 'Farven justeret med karamel' which I believe is actually Danish for 'Colour adjusted with caramel'

It's a 25 year old whisky that cost over £200. Why, why, why did Bowmore feel the need to add caramel to something this great?

@systemdown Yeah it does look a little suspect, but then it also depends on what kind of casks were used. I wish they'd state on the bottle, instead of mit farbstoff; "this whisky was aged in refill bourbon barrels, so the color is a little lighter than a noob would expect" Or something like that

@PeatyZealot I think it's only a matter of time before they start doing what you suggest (explanation of casks used to explain the lighter colour) - the mass re-education of colour vs. quality is already happening and I hope it hits the mainstream soon.

@Nemesis101 Yes I've seen that one as well (I think it might actually be Danish?). I think various countries in the EU have their own versions. Yay for EU regulations on additive labeling!

@systemdown @systemdown Yeah its strange they even put caramel in great older whiskies. Luckily we can always find natural expressions of the big brand Scoth in an Independent bottling. Some of those companies bottle only cask strength, unfiltered and natural colored expressions and sometimes they are even cheaper than the official bottlings. And some lesser known distilleries chose to leave it out for their whole range lately, like at Tobermory for example. They seem to be catching up with the customer quicker than the big boys. I think all single malt should be without artificial coloring or needless chill-filtration. A simple: "Single Malt Whisky is a natural product. Color may change a wee bit over time". should be enough right?

@PeatyZealot - I think that is the best synopsis of the whole caramel/chill filtering argument I've ever heard.

The only time I can argue the case for it is in mass-produced sanitized blends for the masses in night-clubs that couldn't care less about the taste and character and only want to get drunk on it, (which ironically means they probably wouldn't even be aware of colour variance).

For the majority of us, (ie those of us with taste and interest the hobby), it just creates annoyance that we're not drinking the natural product at its best. But I have come to love some of the Signatory range recently. Their Un-chillfiltered and Cask Strength ranges really do beat down some of the official distillery expressions. I've had some great Laphroaig and Clynelish from them in recent months.

Oh, I also used to be so scathing of the original Tobermory 40% release which I thought was horrible. I have now tried the newer 46.3% un-chillfiltered expression and it was a vast improvement. Still not my style - I don't think Tobermory or Jura will ever do it for me no matter what they do. But this release was drinkable, with a bit of character and at least mellow and pleasant. Just shows what keeping it as nature intended can do!

Abelour A'bunadh?

@rigmorole yes. laphroaig 18 does. not sure about the triple wood.

*side note, quarter cask and 10 year does not.

@KRISTOPHEHART

The distillery assures me that there is no caramel or chill filtration in the elixir of A'Bunadh

@KRISTOPHEHART laphroaig 10, 18, QC and 3W are all colored. I use Whiskybase to check this.

whiskybase.com/whisky/42885/…

whiskybase.com/whisky/42886/…

whiskybase.com/whisky/20113/…

whiskybase.com/whisky/6083/…

Hey, guess what, everyone on the entire planet? If it doesn't say "non-coloured," IT HAS COLOURING! Welcome to 2014!

^^right "if it doesn't say it, assume the worst": Ralphy

Labels in Norway have to mention the presence of E150
Fortunately enough our Norwegian friends have compiled a list of whiskies that don't contain E150: A-... nmwl.no/whiskywiki/index.php/…utenE150&until=Arran+Bourbon+Cask+Edition+1998+fat+nr+655

A-C nmwl.no/whiskywiki/index.php/…utenE150&from=Arran+Bourbon+Cask+Edition+1998+fat+nr+655

C-K nmwl.no/whiskywiki/index.php/…utenE150&from=Carsebridge+1979+28+years+old+Closed+Distilleries K-R nmwl.no/whiskywiki/index.php/…utenE150&from=Kilchoman+Loch+Gorm

R-Y nmwl.no/whiskywiki/index.php/…utenE150&from=Rosebank+1990+18+years+old+Dun+Bheagan

@Pandemonium

Problem with lists is that they are often incomplete, or inaccurate over time. For instance, all the new Bladnoch bottlings since Raymond Armstrong took over are non-chill filtered and caramel free, and I couldn't see the Springbank 12 YO CS Claret Wood.

So my suggestions:

1. Try before you buy. If you like it, it doesn't matter if there is colorant.

2. Contact the distillery. if they reply that there is none, it's a pretty safe bet it's true (can you imagine the scandal if they were found to be lying).

I don't get "hung up" about caramel and chill filtration. Though, I must admit, I am probably biased towards those whiskies that are naturally presented. Is that Ralfy marketing?

@Nozinan, true, but I actually don't mind too much, as long as it doesn't taste like caramel liqueur as some bourbons and cheap blends too I don't mind. And I do see the appeal to make a whisky look darker. A lot of the most popular whiskies on this site like Lagavulin do it and I actually don't know how I would respond if a paler version of the 16yo came out of the bottle

Does anyone know when the E150 is actually added? When its maturing in its cask, after filtering or right after it is vatted and ready for bottling?

I have a few problems relying on the German labeling laws to come to the conclusion that there is indeed caramel coloring in certain products. For one, we don't know exactly what constitutes "Farbstoff" under German law. Farbstoff is literally coloring agent but that might not be synonomous or equate with E150, it might be something else.

I've noted that German bottles of American whiskies also state that there is Farbstoff. Yet by law, American "straight" whisky cannot have anything added. Perhaps something explains this ambiguity? It could be that American law allows for such de minimis amounts of coloring agents that it still satisfies American law to be "straight" whisky but not German law. Or perhaps German law is so strict on what Farbstoff is that even the char from American barrels which ostensibly colors American whiskies constitues a Farbstoff even though there is no E150 added.

Who knows, maybe we need a German food and beverages lawyer to chime in.

Anyone know if these babies have E150a? I think Sprinbank is clean, and I think Edradour migh thave it, not sure though.

Highland Park 15, 18

Springbank 10

Edradour 10

@rigmorole

Highland Park 15, 18 CF, but no coloring

Springbank 10 NFC and no coloring

Edradour 10 CF, but no coloring

@wtrstrnghlt NFC should be NCF, as in No Chill Filtration

I have to agree with @talexander and @nozinan - this e150a thing isn't really worth getting riled up about - there are studies (conducted by the MM and Master of Malt and others) that purport to demonstrate that you either can or can't taste the effects of e150a. If you like the whisky, does it matter? I have a great photo, that I plan on publishing on my blog at some point when I finally get around to writing up my colour study (showing the effects of different casks on different ages of whisky) of an Aberlour line-up: 10yr @ 40% and 43% ABV, 12yr at 40% and 43% ABV, 16yr, and a'bunadh. The only one that doesn't have e150a added is the a'bunadh, and you can't actually tell the difference...they all look like they are the same colour...

@rigmorole I once saw 2 bottles of Edradour 10 next to eachother; one said: Natural Colour and the other didn't. Guess which one I took ;)

@wtrstrnghlt

According to David Allen at the distillery, none of Springbank's products contain any colouring.