Hundreds of bottles of fake Glen’s Vodka seized
The counterfeit alcohol was seized by Police Scotland, Trading Standards and Environmental Health teams in the Moray and Highland Council areas.
A distributor of the 236 bottles of counterfeit vodka has not been identified, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said.
If further information on distribution became available, local authorities would be advised accordingly, it claimed.
Spelling mistakes
The FSA advised consumers to be vigilant and check closely for spelling mistakes on the labels of Glen’s Vodka.
The fake bottles could be identified by checking for two mistakes on the labels, the FSA advised.
The word ‘bottled’ is misspelt on the front label text reading ‘Produced and botteled in Great Britain'. The text below the statement 'ENJOY GLEN’S VODKA RESPONSIBLY' on the rear label should read 'DRINKAWARE.CO.UK' rather than 'D-RINK AWARE.CO.UK'.
Geoff Ogle, director of FSA in Scotland, said the safety body continued to work with enforcement agencies across the UK to stamp out the trade in counterfeit alcohol.
“A very cheap bottle of vodka may seem like a fantastic bargain,” he said.
“But the safest thing to do is not buy it and if you have any concerns report it immediately to your local authority Trading Standards.”
Local authorities typically found the counterfeit products on sale in small independent retailers, corner shops and petrol stations
A spokesman for Glen’s said it had recently changed the labelling on its bottles to include embossing, which makes it more difficult for counterfeiters to copy the packaging on its product.
“At Glen’s, quality is our number one priority and we want our consumers to enjoy the authentic Glen’s product,” he said.
“Counterfeiting is an issue that affects the whole spirits industry and we are working closely with all relevant agencies, including the FSA and trading standards, to tackle these isolated incidents relating to Glen’s.”
Fake vodka in Derbyshire
Earlier this week, it was revealed Trading Standards officers in Derbyshire had seized a whopping 27,000 bottles of counterfeited vodka from a fake bottling plant over Christmas.
Working in connection with HM Revenue and Customs, the enforcement officers also found 1,215l of Coolex, filtering equipment and branded bottles tops and cardboard boxes.
The site in Heanor, Derbyshire appeared to be a factory for bottling counterfeit 70cl bottles of ‘vodka’.
The FSA said there appeared to be no link between the site in Derbyshire and the fake vodka on sale.
If you are concerned that you may have bought any counterfeit vodka, you should contact the FSA’s Food Fraud Team by calling 020 7276 8426 or emailing sbbqsenhq@sbbqfgnaqneqf.tfv.tbi.hx.
Local authorities should report any finding of counterfeit Vodka by sending a completed Intelligence Report Form to the same email address.
