UK trading standards warn of fake vodka ‘brand’

Trading standards in the UK are warning consumers to be aware of a new ‘brand’ of fake vodka that could put their health at risk.

The new brand of vodka contains t-butanol – a chemical often used in industrial solvents. Drinking the chemical could lead to stomach, heart and respiration problems, headaches and seizures. The bottles have black labels with a red star and little other writing.

Despite warnings, Staffordshire County Council’s communities' leader Mike Lawrence said the work of Trading Standards was having an impact on the circulation of counterfeit alcohol in the UK:

“We have seen a big decrease in counterfeit alcohol and offending businesses are now complying with the law.”

“However we know there will always be a potential problem and we are asking people to be vigilant, spot the signs of counterfeit alcohol products and inform us if they spot any on sale.”

Lawrence also said that counterfeit alcohol can be spotted in a variety of ways, such as unfamiliar or unheard of brands, misaligned labels and/or spelling mistakes, and different fill levels within the same variety.


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