‘Worst kind of publican’ fined for fake vodka

Irish authorities continued their fight against counterfeit alcohol, fining a pub-owner €4,000 for selling below strength vodka.

A bar-owner branded by a judge as the “worst kind of publican” has received a €4,000 fine for selling below strength alcohol

Criticised by an overseeing judge as the “worst kind of publican”, Michael Johnson was handed the fine and ordered to shut down his premises, Johnson’s Bar, in Kilrush, Co Clare.

As reported in Independent.ie, the court heard that Johnson purchased 12 bottles of below-strength vodka from a man unknown to him for €144.

The bottles had an abv of 33%, as opposed to 37% required to be classed as genuine vodka.

Pat Moylan, defending, said of Johnson: “”He has been a good publican and has never been in court before and has an otherwise unblemished record.”

FSAIThe defendant pleaded guilty to not paying the appropriate level of alcohol tax on 14 litres of spirits in June 2013.

“In my view, he is the worst kind of publican you can find and not someone who in my view should be authorised to hold a publican’s licence,” said Judge Patrick Durcan.

“Any publican not knowing the source of alcohol and then dishes it out to their customers – don’t tell the court that he has been a good publican.

He added: “It is extremely important that when people enter a licensed premises that they so with the assurance that the quality of alcohol that they expect is good.”

Ireland has combatted counterfeit alcohol over recent years, with authorities issuing a formal warning to consumers over the Christmas period.

Most recently, The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) issued a warning over counterfeit bottles of Smirnoff vodka in the country.

A below-average abv is just one of way of identifying fake vodka, see our eight telltale signs of counterfeit alcohol to see the rest.