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EDINBURGH, Scotland — That discounted bottle of premium spirits might be too good to be true – and potentially deadly. Distilling experts from Heriot-Watt University are warning consumers about a growing crisis of counterfeit alcohol, with fake spirits making up as much as 40% of what people are drinking in some regions and costing the European Union €3 billion annually.
The warning comes as Turkey grapples with 37 deaths from toxic bootleg alcohol, while similar fatalities have recently been reported in Laos and Fiji. Experts stress this isn’t just a problem in distant locations – it’s happening much closer to home.
“I would like to say this is not a ‘first world’ problem but that is not the case,” says Michael Bryan, a researcher at Heriot-Watt’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), in a media release.
“I personally have been drugged and robbed from material put into spirits, so I know how easy it is. In my case, a bar worker offered a free drink of something I would never consume generally – very out of the ordinary – but in the moment it seemed ok, but was not. As we travel to exciting and far-flung places, it pays to be extra vigilant.”
The scope of the problem is staggering. A recent study found that one-third of tested rare Scotch whisky was counterfeit. Just this September, authorities on the U.K. Island of Jersey discovered fake vodka imitating a popular Scottish brand, contaminated with chemicals harmful to human health.
To combat this growing threat, Bryan and his colleagues are developing a revolutionary database of authentic spirits’ chemical fingerprints. Over the past year, they’ve analyzed hundreds of legitimate whiskies, tequilas, mezcals, and bourbons using sophisticated laboratory techniques, including near infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy – tools that can identify the unique chemical makeup of each spirit, much like a person’s DNA.
The goal is to replace expensive, bulky testing equipment with mathematical comparisons that can quickly verify a spirit’s authenticity without opening the bottle. This could provide a powerful tool for authorities and manufacturers in the fight against counterfeiting.
Until this technology becomes widely available, consumers should follow the Food Standards Agency’s “4 P’s” when purchasing alcohol:
- Product: Be wary of unknown brands
- Price: If it seems suspiciously cheap, it probably is
- Package: Check for proper sealing and authentic-looking labels
- Place: Only buy from reputable retailers
“Always buy from a reputable supermarket or off-license,” Bryan advises, warning consumers to never purchase alcohol “under the counter” or from someone’s car trunk.
“If something does not taste right or smell right or is priced right, be suspicious. Look online to see if there is a recall, or just return the item you’ve bought, to the shop – as defective.”
“Our continuing research aims to further increase awareness and to develop accessible and affordable methods to enable wider detection and identification of illicit distilled spirit products,” adds Professor Annie Hill, who supervises the database project at Heriot-Watt.
The message is clear: whether you’re celebrating at home or traveling abroad this holiday season, maintaining vigilance about your alcohol purchases could be a matter of life and death. If a bottle’s price seems suspiciously low, or if something about the taste or smell seems off, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
