Whiskies of mass deception
Every day, a game of cat-and-mouse goes on between licensed venues and those protecting the spirits trade. In the middle is the drinker, who is being conned to the tune of millions. Dominic Roskrow reports
If any Trading Standards officer visiting licensed premises wanted a change in career, they could easily give Hans Blix a call and sign up as weapons inspectors.
They are in the front line in the battle to stop unscrupulous licensees swapping branded spirits for cheap substitutes. And watching the weapons inspectors over the last few months, they will have recognised the alleged tricks of delay and deception.
For, hard to believe as it may seem, thousands of publicans, restaurateurs and club staff are going to great lengths to pass off inferior products to the public and to hide the deception from the authorities.
âThere is evidence that publicans are ringing other pubs to tip them off that Trading Standards officers are in the area,â says Philip Scatchard of the International Federation of Spirits Producers, which protects the interests of major spirits firms.
âThey know that Trading Standards has limited resources and that they are unlikely to visit in the evening, so some replace their spirits only at night and at the weekend. They have become increasingly clever in covering this up.â
âTippingâ is a simple enough crime. You empty a bottle of branded spirits, fill it up with a cheap version as many times you like, and pocket the difference between the spirits youâre selling and the full price the customer is paying for what he/she thinks is a branded product. With inferior
whiskies often available at a fraction of the price of top branded ones, the tempta.....
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By Dominic Roskrow
Section : Whisky Fakes
Page number : 16
