Natural colour

Not a legal term

No whisky regulation in Scotland, Ireland, the United States, the EU or Japan defines this. It is a trade or marketing term, so it is only actionable if its use is actively misleading.

Worth knowing

Undefined and unaudited everywhere. Because colour comes from wood extractables it correlates with cask type and fill history far more than with age — pale is not young and dark is not old. Note the asymmetry: the absence of colouring is an unverified claim, while its presence need not be disclosed in the UK or EU at all.

Related terms