Buy, Booze, & Break: Avoiding counterfeit whiskey.

Used spirit bottle used as a candle

The stories are true. Fakes do happen, and from what I can tell, they seem to be happening at an increasing rate. As much as many secondary groups attempt to safeguard fake bottles circulating in the market, it can be difficult to notice if a label, foil, or plastic wrap is incorrect about your bottle without having an extra for a side-by-side. And I don’t know about you, but I’m guessing you don’t have a closet full of AH Hirsch 16yrs to line up and note any differences.

One of the ways we can all contribute to avoiding the situation is to stop selling our high-end bottles on the secondary market dispose of our empties properly. I’m a big fan of the break and recycle option, but it’s just as easy to remove a label with hot water or scratch it out with a marker and toss it in the bin. I will say I prefer the first two suggestions given that I often see bottles missing some but not all of their labels which can be just due to age, but for me raises somewhat of a red flag.

If you can’t bring yourself to part with your coveted EH Taylor Bourbon bottle, simply drill a hole in the bottom in case it ever passes hands, or hell – I hear there’s a pandemic, and candlemaking can be a great pastime using your empty bottle as a free candle jar.

What about you?

What’s your go-to method for disposing of sought-after bottles once they’re finished? Have you ever purchased a fake? Drop a comment below and let’s discuss.