Label 5
Part of:
La Martiniquaise
About the brand
Label 5 is a 100% Scotch blended whisky owned by La Martiniquaise, France's second-largest spirits producer. The brand was created in the late 1960s to meet France's huge appetite for Scotch; today Label 5 regularly sits in the world's ten best-selling Scotch whiskies and is sold in over 100 countries.
To free itself from suppliers, the group made two key moves in Scotland:
- Glen Moray — a Speyside malt distillery bought in 2008, now the heart of the blend (smooth, fruity-vanilla spirit).
- Starlaw — a large grain distillery built from scratch in 2010, providing the base and the maturation hub.
The profile is balanced and very drinkable — malt, bourbon-cask vanilla and orchard fruit with the faintest hint of smoke. The range spans Classic Black, bourbon-cask single casks and an older 12 YO. Browse it in the Label 5 catalogue.
Timeline
- 1969 La Martiniquaise launches Label 5 — a smooth, affordable blended whisky for the European market.
- 2004 The brand passes one million cases a year.
- 2008 Purchase of the Glen Moray distillery — a dedicated in-house malt source for the blend.
- 2010 The Starlaw grain distillery opens; the group controls the full grain-to-bottle cycle.
- 2020 The "City Light" rebrand — a turn toward urban culture and mixology.
