LABEL 5 Scotch Whisky is crafted with true Scottish know-how. Discover our story and our world, our distilleries in Scotland and how we make our whisky.
LABEL 5 was created in 1970 when Jean Cayard worked hand in hand with the Master Blender of the time to find a perfectly balanced Scotch Whisky.
One sample, Blend No. 5, stood out from the rest, offering a perfect combination of smoothness and character. A perfectly balanced whisky, with soft fruity flavours and light peaty notes. This is how our Scotch Whisky came to be called “LABEL 5”.
And still today, the recipe developed in 1970 continues to delight our customers taste buds, thanks to the knowledge and expertise of our Master Blender, Stephen Woodcock, and his team. He expertly selects the finest grain and malt whiskies to create the iconic LABEL 5 blend.
But his knowledge does not stop there. He is constantly considering and studying the best possible blends for future products in the range.
Drawing on the Scottish expertise brought to us by Stephen and his team, and reflected every day in our whiskies, we are committed to moving with the times to best meet the changing expectations of whisky lovers, either through our distillery and the environmental action we take there, through our values of inclusitivity and group power, or through our sense of sharing a special moment around a good glass of whisky or enjoying a cocktail.
The result is a skilfull blend of expertise with a modern touch, which today makes LABEL 5 a Scotch Whisky recognised around the world (ranked 10th worldwide) and a global award winner.
In 2004, we created our own grain whisky production with the First Blending Company in Bathgate, Scotland. The distillery is one of the seven largest in the country and is fully integrated: the grain is distilled at the Starlaw distillery, deep within the industry, then aged in our cellars, blended and bottled. Covering 75 hectares, the site has a storage capacity of 800,000 casks, exclusively ex-bourbon. We continue to use traditional whisky-making methods, while also introducing new techniques and technologies. We invest in their maintenance and expansion in order to meet the expectations of our consumers and to minimse our impact on the environment.
We place great importance on respect for the environment and are taking a number of steps to reduce our impact on the planet.
Our Glen Moray malt distiillery is located in Elgin, in the heart of Scotland’s Speyside region. Since its creation in 1897, the distillery has used traditional skills passed down from generation to generation. Constantly striving for excellence and driven by passion, the distillery produces premium quality malt, which forms the Speyside backbone of LABEL 5.
The term “Whisky” comes from the Gaelic “Uisge Beatha” or “Usquebaugh” meaning water of life. Scotch Whisky is a drink from Scotland, made from three raw materials: water, grain and yeast. To be classified as Scotch Whisky, it must be aged for at least three years in oak barrels and have a minimum alcohol content of 40%. There are several types of Scotch Whisky, depending on how they are produced and the region of Scotland from which they originate.
After carefully selecting the barley, the process of crafting our whisky can start. Barley grains are soaked in water for one day to trick the seed into thinking it is time to germinate. The barley is then laid out and allowed to germinate for 4-5 days. The “green malt”, as it is now called, is then dried in a kiln. The use of peat here can contribute a smoky character to the final product.
The malt is then crushed in a mill to create “grist”. Grist is then mixed with water in a “mash tun” to extract a sugary liquid called “sweet wort”
For a grain distillery unmalted cereals, either wheat or maize, are cooked under pressure using steam to make the starch available for conversion to sugar.
The “sweet wort” is mixed with yeast in a fermentation tank. The yeast will then convert the sugar into alcohol.
After a period of around 3 days of fermentation, an alcoholic liquid similar to a beer at around 8%-10% volume of alcohol, called “wash” is produced.
The wash is heated to help separate the alcohol from the water (this can occur due to the alcohols having lower boiling points than the water).
In a malt distillery, the wash is distilled twice in pot stills. In a grain distillery, the wash is distilled continuously in a culumn still.
After distillation : a clear liquid, at around 70% volume of alcohol, called spirit has been produced.
The spirit is finally put in an oak cask for maturation- this must be at least 3 years. It is during this essential stage that the whisky will pick up its distinct colour, it will also interact with the wood to develop new flavours and aromas. During maturation, the liquid can be placed in different casks (Bourbon, Sherry, Port, Madera …) in order to bring new specificities to the whisky. The final contribution from maturation is a mellowing effect that occurs as the “angels” take their share of the alcohol.
Once maturation is done, Blended whiskies must be blended. The Master Blender carefully combines both Single Malt and Single Grain Whiskies in varying proportions and ages from different distilleries to create the perfect balanced Whisky. Then, the Master Blender adds water to reduce the alcohol content to the desired degree (not below 40%). The blending process requires significant expertise and skill.
Bottling can then take place, marking the definitive end of the ageing process. Unlike wine, whiskies no longer age once bottled.
