Dye-free

Why add colorants?

The first reason is that adding colorants unifies the color of a whisky production. It can happen that not all whiskies of the same reference are exactly the same color, depending on the cask used. Adding colorant ensures that all the bottles in a production run have the same color and appearance, whatever the production.

The second reason is purely aesthetic and marketing. When it comes out of the still, it has a golden, amber or mahogany color, depending on how it is aged. These colors are sometimes less sellable when you consider that the longer a whisky stays in a cask, the darker it will be. Many people think that the darker a whisky is, the older and better it is. It's a natural reflex on the part of the consumer to go for a darker whisky.

Does this change the taste?

No. The colorant used is E150a, but this has a slight bitterness to it that doesn't alter the taste of the whisky. So don't close the door on colored whisky.