Some time ago, my wife made the wonderful suggestion that I try to preserve the labels from each bottle and put them into some sort of scrapbook. What a great idea!
I learned very quickly that whisky labels are particular, feisty, and tenacious. Of course, this comment is made even as a postlude to research. I learned what I thought were the standard techniques for separating the paper from the glass, but because the glues used during the labeling process are different, I wasn’t necessarily successful, often tearing the label in the process to my tearful disappointment.
Most sites (and even the advice I will offer) include the technique of boiling the label, but again, that doesn’t always work very well. The label will eventually come off, but it will be in pieces.
I think that I have discovered a way that works in all circumstances. If you do it, the label will actually fall off of the bottle into the water.
Be sure to wear oven mitts throughout the entire process.
What you need to do is:
Find a six-quart stainless steel saucepan.- Fill the empty whisky bottle with water. Fill it to just above the top portion of the label you are trying to preserve. Put the bottle into the empty saucepan. (Do not fill the pan with water yet.)
- Cook the bottle on the stove for about 10-12 minutes on high. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come to a boil. In fact, it probably won’t.
- Remove the bottle from the saucepan and fill the pan with very hot water, being careful not to get any cool water on the bottle nearby. This could make it shatter.
- Put the bottle into the saucepan, only lay it at an angle, that is, so that the bottle’s neck is resting on the edge of the pan. There should be enough water in the saucepan so that when you lay the bottle at an angle, the label you are trying to preserve is submerged.
- Bring the water to a boil and watch carefully. The labels will fall off. If they don’t, it may only take the careful nudge of a pair of tongs.
- When the label does finally come off, turn the burner off so that the boil stops, and then retrieve it right away. The longer some labels sit in the water, the more they fade. (I’ve noticed this with Glenfiddich labels in particular.)
This is the way I have been doing it for quite some time, and I will say that it has been 100% successful. Give it a try!
By the way, if it becomes necessary during the process to use a straight blade (be careful, by the way) and the label gets a bit scrunched, not to worry. Finish getting the label off as best as you can, doing your best not to tear it, and then simply drop it back into the boiling water. It will straighten itself out again. It will only take a few seconds, so be ready with some tongs to remove it from the water and lay it flat.
Also, I preserve the bottles, but after the process of removing the label, there can sometimes be a lot of glue residue. This is easily removed with a little bit of elbow grease, some Goo-Gone, and a dish scrub brush. When you are done, you should be able to polish the bottle into a wonderful trophy. Enjoy!
So, I spot a Glenmorangie label. Well worth preparing the bottle … the fun part … for label removal.
It sure is…and was! Thanks, for the note, Tom!
I remember when I was young my wise old grandmother would remove the labels from all her bottles and then fill them with colored water. They made great decorative items for odd places throughout the house.
Great idea. Except my children would undoubtedly knock them over.
Have you tried to use steam instead of boiling the bottles in water. I used to collect stamps and the best way to remove a stamp from paper was with steam. May work well with bottles.
I’ve never tried to steam them off. The process I’ve described here seems to be the most successful way, working with almost every label and glue type. I might get a steamer, though, just to try it.
Hey there! Just wanted to say a big ole THANKS! My husband is a scotch collector & I’m a scrapbooker, so naturally we concluded that we should start collecting the bottle labels! But at $80-200 a bottle in his collection, we can’t afford to mess one up. And whiskey/scotch labels are not only more expensive but often much different than wine labels. So I did a bunch of research then came across your blog – we took the leap of faith & sure enough first time we tried it, your method worked perfectly!! Thanks for posting the step by step in such detail!!!
My pleasure and privilege to help!
I’m looking forward to trying this method, but let me make sure I understand this correctly: you put the mostly-filled bottle into a DRY pan and then heat it for 10-12 minutes — wouldn’t that ruin the pan?
I’ve been scrapbooking my whisky labels for several years, and I always struggle, with it, but most of them come off without too much damage. One method I’ve used is to wrap the bottle in a towel and then run hot water over it. I’ve also put the bottle, wrapped in a wet towel, in the microwave for 3-4 minutes on high. And I’ve soaked the bottles in hot water. Some distilleries do seem to use a more indomitable glue than others. But my principal line of attack following any of these softening methods involves a SINGLE-EDGED RAZOR BLADE. Of course you should get a handle for it (that’s a poor word for it, but it’s a case that allows you to extend and retract the blade with your thumb). BE CAREFUL, especially if the bottle is hot, but with that blade I can generally work my way under most labels without too much damage once the glue is softened.
I don’t usually save the whisky bottles: saving the labels was a way of preserving pleasant memories without cluttering the whole house with empty bottles. If I were to save the bottles, I would want to save them with the labels intact. But, when I have wanted to save a bottle, I find the residual glue comes puts up very little resistance against hot soapy water and a sturdy metal pot scrubber. In extreme cases (read “Glen Fiddich”) a bit of ammonia can be helpful.
It was nice to find this site and see that other people are doing the same thing. My partner made me a really nice little book of where we put the labels from all the bottles from all of our annual Burns suppers. I don’t even know how many we are up to, but I’ve had to number the pages and create an index in the back. Can’t wait to add a few more in just a few weeks!
That’s correct. Put it into a dry pot first. It hasn’t appeared to ruin the pot I’ve been using. In fact, it still makes wonderfully flavorful mac-n-cheese. As far as the method in general, it seems to work almost every time. Additionally, for some labels, I too use a similar blade. Same kind you described. If the label doesn’t slide off into the water on its own, this helps to offer some motivation. But be careful (as I’m sure you already know), because when the label is wet, the blade can curl the label as you push and sometimes tearing is a result.
I wonder if placing the bottle in a warm oven (say, 250-300F) would work to heat the bottle as well? Might take longer, though…
I think it would, but I’ll admit, I’ve never tried it so I don’t know. My process seems to be working splendidly, so if you decide to try the oven idea and it produces similar results, let me know.
Won’t the bottle explode?
Reading your item about removing label from a whiskey bottle – my wife insisted that the bottle will explode while in the saucepan. Won’t the bottle explode without water in the pan?
I’ve done this hundreds of times. The bottle does not explode.
I never reply to blogs, but I would like you to know that I have successfully removed a stubborn whiskey label by following your steps!
Glad it worked for you.
Have you had any luck removing a Gentleman Jack label by chance??
Never tried that one. But I’m sure if it’s a paper label, it’ll come off just fine.
Could you please advise what the point is to heat the bottle in the dry pan with water in it for? Is it to have the bottle warmed up ? If so- why not use warm water in the bottle and then bring to boil?
I don’t know what the point is. And I’m sure there are plenty of variables based on different factors peculiar to your context. I’ve experimented, trying different methods. This seems to work better than most.
Your method just worked flawlessly for me. Thank you.
Glad for that!
Just tried this, I have a scrapbook and had been using another method. This is by far superior. Thanks for posting this!