tasting
E150a — plain caramel colouring
Plain class I caramel, the only colouring permitted in Scotch, Irish and EU/UK whisky, used to standardise colour between batches. It is a colouring, not a sweetener or flavouring.
Where it is defined
Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3(1)(h)(ii); Regulation (EU) 2019/787, Annex I cat. 2(d); US: 27 CFR 5.72(c) and 5.155
Worth knowing
Three things commonly got wrong. There is no UK or EU obligation to declare E150a on a spirit label — spirit drinks are exempt from ingredient lists — which is why German-market bottles carrying 'mit Farbstoff' reveal what the same bottling does not disclose elsewhere. In the US it needs no disclosure below 2.5% except in American single malt, and is forbidden in bourbon and all straight whiskies. And at high additions it is not literally flavourless: it slightly increases perceived bitterness and body.
Related terms
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · All glossary terms