Whisky collectors are being duped into paying thousands of pounds for fake antique bottles of Scotland’s national drink.
With old and rare whiskies becoming ever more popular among collectors – leading to a rise in prices – the evidence points to an increase in counterfeit bottles being offered for sale.
John Grant, chairman of Glenfarclas Distillery at Ballindalloch, said he has seen dozens of fake antique bottles.
He said: “When the trade first came to our attention, the bottles were mainly miniatures and most of them originated from Italy, but now things seem to have moved on.”
Mr Grant said that while some of the fakes are so amateurish as to be almost laughable, others are highly sophisticated and can only be detected by those with specialist knowledge.
He said: “I spoke to a famous auction house in America and told them that a bottle they were offering for sale was categorically a fake.
“All they did was add the word ‘allegedly’ to their catalogue. I thought that was appalling.”
Mr Grant added that some real bottles were also not as old as they were billed.
He said: “I know of one instance where a bottle of Glenfarclas was sold for about £3,000 at another auction house in New York.
“It was stated as being from the 1940s, but I could tell just by looking at a picture that it could only have been produced between the end of 1964 and January 1967.
“Nobody from the auction house ever bothered to get in touch with us to try to verify the facts.”
Mr Grant, whose great-great-great grandfather bought the Glenfarclas distillery near Ballindaloch in 1865, advised anyone thinking of buying a highly expensive whisky to make contact with the relevant distillery and post a picture of the label.
A Scotch Whisky Association spokesman said: “It is a problem, although it tends to be more overseas than in Britain. Putting an accurate monetary figure on the counterfeit trade is notoriously difficult for the simple fact that you don’t know whether a bottle is fake until it’s revealed as such.”
A spokesman for Trading Standards said: “The higher the value of the product the bigger the temptation for some people to go and break the law.
“Because of the high cost of antique whiskies, buyers should always exercise a lot of caution and do as much homework as they possibly can.”
A genuine 90-year-old bottle of Glenfarclas has been up for auction for the past week at www.whisky-onlineauctions.com.
Bids can still be lodged until 8pm today.