Warning issued over fake Glen’s Vodka in UK

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned consumers about fake bottles of Glen’s Vodka that are being sold across the UK.

A statement released by the agency claims that investigations by enforcement officers and information supplied by Glen’s Vodka, along with its own intelligence, has revealed that counterfeit bottles of the vodka brand have been sold in small independent shops across London, the Midlands and North Scotland.

The FSA has warned consumers to “be vigilant” and check the labels of all bottles of Glen’s Vodka closely for spelling errors, a sign the bottles are counterfeit.

On the identified fake bottles, the word “bottled” is misspelt on the front label text reading “Produced and botteled in Great Britain”. Meanwhile, the text on the rear label should read “DRINKAWARE.CO.UK” rather than “D-RINK AWARE.CO.UK”.

“The Food Standards Agency continues to work with enforcement agencies across the UK to stamp out the trade in counterfeit alcohol,” said Geoff Ogle, director of FSA in Scotland.

“A very cheap bottle of vodka may seem like a fantastic ‘bargain’, but the safest thing to do is not buy it and if you have any concerns report it immediately to your local authority Trading Standards.”

Authorities have not yet identified the distributor of the fake bottles, but the FSA claims most batches have been found in small independent retailers, corner shops and petrol stations.

A spokesperson for Glen’s Vodka said: “At Glen’s, quality is our number one priority and we want our consumers to enjoy the authentic Glen’s product.

“Counterfeiting is an issue that affects the whole spirits industry and we are working closely with all relevant agencies, including the FSA and trading standards, to tackle these isolated incidents relating to Glen’s.

“We have recently changed the labelling on bottles of Glen’s to include embossing, which makes it more difficult for counterfeiters to copy the packaging on this product.”

It was revealed in July last year that the amount of counterfeit alcohol seized by UK authorities has increased fivefold in the past five years due to the prevalence of international criminal gangs