Web is 'fakers' paradise' for whisky crooks

IT'S A dangerous combination of the mob, money and single malt.

The Italian mafia is targeting the rapidly growing fake antique whisky market by selling counterfeit bottles for thousands of pounds online.

The industry has tried to clamp down on bogus bottles being sold in auction houses. But experts now claim the trade has now moved to the internet – which has been described as a "faker's paradise".

Unwitting collectors are being fleeced after discovering the whisky they have bought is little more than modern-day spirits poured into old bottles.

Whisky enthusiast Serge Valentin has launched a website exposing the dubious trade after paying a "substantial" sum for a bottle of vintage whisky that turned out be a sophisticated forgery.

The Frenchman said the scam had been driven underground and online.

He said: "Internet auction sites like eBay have become a faker's paradise. You can buy old bottles, old labels, capsules and display boxes.

"There is nothing illegal about this, but obviously it can be misused by unscrupulous individuals."

Valentin said fake vintage whiskies online ranged from the downright crude to sophisticated forgeries.

"Labels can be laser copied, tax stamps produced and stains can be added. All that is needed is an empty bottle."

His website, whiskyfun – features a rogue's gallery of dubious bottles.

Whisky writer Dave Broom says the fake whiskies may have been put on the market by organised criminals from Italy.

"When anything becomes collectable, whether it is paintings or whisky, the forgers will move in," he said.

The bottles usually come from distilleries such as Bowmore, Macallan and Highland Park, he said.

"If an offer seems too good to be true then it will be exactly that. But I know of a number of collectors who have been duped by forgers."

Whisky merchant Sukhinder Singh, director of the London-based Whisky Exchange, said: "There have been some classic cases when an empty bottle is sold on eBay. Four weeks later it will appear for sale again, this time filled with whisky.

"I'm seeing vintages being offered for sale that I have never seen in more than 20 years in the trade.

"I'm seeing bottles dating back to 1941, '42 and '43. I have never ever seen them before and, believe me, I have tried hard. If you are in any doubt you should do a bit of research and contact the distilleries directly for advice."

Dominic Roskrow, consultant editor of Whisky Magazine, believes the trade has been fuelled by the rising financial clout of tycoons from the former Soviet Union.

"I understand the new Highland Park 40-year-old is retailing for just under £10,000 and the Russians are more than willing to pay it," he said.

Last year an anonymous Russian collector set a new world record when he bought a bottle of vintage Bowmore single malt for £29,400. The Mutter Bowmore was sold on the basis that it dated back to 1853, but this has been disputed by a number of whisky experts.

Carbon dating has failed to resolve the controversy, although Glasgow auction house McTears, which sold it, insists it is completely satisfied that its provenance is genuine.

Sales of spirits soar ahead of tax hike

Jeremy Watson and Samantha Novick

DISCOUNT retailers in Scotland reported a surge in whisky sales yesterday as people rushed to beat the 59p-a-bottle rise in duty on spirits.

The Costco wholesale chain, which sells to small shops, said sales rose by 20% yesterday as customers tried to avoid the tax rise imposed in last week's Budget.

But a spokesman for the chain said individual customers were also stocking up. One store said it had sold four times more litre-bottles of Famous Grouse whisky than usual.

A spokesman said: "Cases are selling to retailers but a lot of individual bottles are also being sold. It looks like customers are trying to beat the budget changes."

But specialist whisky shops reported little rush for more expensive bottles of single malts in advance of the duty changes tomorrow night.

Some, including Alan Murray, of Cadenheads Whisky Shop in Edinburgh, felt most malt whisky buyers would not be put off by the hike.

Last week, the Chancellor put additional duty of 59p on a bottle of spirits, 14p on a bottle of wine, 4p on a pint of beer and 3p on a pint of cider. The Scotch whisky industry claimed the increase was unfair and would hit sales, exports and jobs.