I did this, and also used a little razor blade that I bought at the drug store that removes stickers from car windows and other flat surfaces. It is just a normal razor blade with a good plastic holder so your hand doesn't slip and the blade stays locked in.
After I did a 1 hour soak, I used the razor blade to remove the labels and they came off super clean and easy with one try. I was using bottles from 3 different brands too.
I was pulling the razor across the bottle, from left to right, not from top to bottom.