Eight telltale signs of counterfeit spirits

Counterfeit products continue to blight the spirits industry, so we put together a handy guide to help you decipher the fakes from the real deal.

We list eight telltale signs of counterfeit spirits

Warnings have been issued by health authorities in numerous countries across the world over recent years following a series of dangerous discoveries of counterfeit alcohol.

In 2012, a study by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) estimated that counterfeit alcohol is costing the UK Treasury £1.2 billion every year.

The issue grew to such a height in Eastern Europe in 2012, that Czech Republic’s government declared that the country would enter a partial prohibition after 23 people died from the consumption of methanol-laced counterfeit alcohol.

Other countries have also claimed to suffer, both financially and medically, from the pervasive counterfeit spirits market. Northern Ireland has been described as the “counterfeit capital of Europe”, while an illegal vodka pipeline was recently discovered in Kyrgystan, and 40 people in India died after drinking toxic bootleg alcohol.

UK charity Drinkaware states that properly produced and certified alcoholic drinks are made with ethanol, but fake alcoholic drinks can be produced using other cheaper alternatives which can have serious adverse effects on your health.

According to Professor Paul Wallace, chief medical advisor for the charity: “Commonly used substitutes for ethanol include chemicals used in cleaning fluids, nail polish remover and automobile screen wash, as well as methanol and isopropanol which are used in antifreeze and some fuels. These other types of alcohol can produce similar effects to ethanol in terms of making you feel tipsy. But they are also potentially very dangerous.”

Consuming counterfeit spirits can cause nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, drowsiness and dizziness, as well as kidney or liver problems and can even induce a coma. Methanol, the substance often found in fake vodka, can cause permanent blindness and, in serious circumstances, death.

Click through the following pages to look at our list of eight telltale signs of counterfeit spirits.

Price

The old fishwives saying “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” rings true for counterfeit spirits.

Spirits marketed at extraordinarily cheap prices are suspect, since fake alcohol often makes large margins by targeting those for who the costs of legitimate spirits are sometimes too high.

As reported in The Spirits Business in 2012, a study from the Institute of Economic Affairs claimed that high alcohol duties were pushing people to purchase fake booze on the market.

Place

Various UK trading and health agencies stress that all spirits should be purchased from a reputable retailer.

Consumers are advised to exercise caution when purchasing alcohol from an unfamiliar website, from individual salespeople, or car boot sales.

It is illegal to distill or sell alcohol in the UK without a license from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Sloppy labels

One of the easiest ways to spot a bottle of counterfeit spirit is by examining its label.

If there are spelling mistakes or the quality of the label looks below par, then there is a high chance that the bottle is a fake.

Following a warning in Northern Ireland about sales of counterfeit Smirnoff red label, health authorities advised consumers to check the brand’s label for text reading “Produced in Ireland” as the genuine products reads “Produced in the United Kingdom”.

Smell

Since counterfeit spirits often contain dangerously high levels of methanol – a substance found in anti-freeze – they often smell different to genuine spirits.

This chemical, which smells similar to nail varnish, has the ability to cause blindness and even death.

Vodka, the most commonly counterfeited spirit, also shouldn’t have any white particles or sediment in the bottle. If you see this, the vodka may have been diluted with tap water.

Stamp duty

By law, spirits contained in bottles 35cl or larger, and those with an abv of 30% or higher, must show that stamp duty has been paid on the contents of the bottle.

The stamp duty logo is usually incorporated on the label, or is stuck on the glass.

Unsealed caps

Fake spirits will often be sold in bottles with unsealed caps.

These bottles often belong to a well-known brand but have been refilled with illicit counterfeit product.

Health authorities also warn that bottles purchased unsealed should never be drunk out whether there are counterfeit concerns or not as they may be contaminated.

Fake bar codes

Makeshift labels often have a fake bar codes or bar codes taken from other products by counterfeiters.

It is possible to download an app on some smartphones which can scan the bar code to see if it is listed as the correct product.

Big name versions

Fake bottles of well-known brands often dupe consumers looking for a bargain.

Spirits companies and health authorities are usually quick to take action against these impostor bottles, but it is usually wise to look out for bottles with a similar design to big brands, but with a slightly different name. Labels, price and the abv content can also clearly indicate if bottles are fakes or the genuine article.

Counterfeit bottles of Diageo’s Smirnoff Vodka have recently been discovered in both Northern Ireland and Singapore.