Famous Whisky Fakes: How They Were Exposed

Famous whisky fakes have been exposed by combining historical research, examination of bottles and labels, and scientific analysis of the liquid. The “Macallan 1878” investigated in 2017 is a striking example: Oxford radiocarbon testing gave a 95% probability that its contents dated from 1970 to 1972, not the nineteenth century.[2]

The cases below show why those different kinds of evidence matter. An old bottle can contain modern whisky, a convincing collection can include counterfeits, and even a producer’s archive can require reassessment.[3][5][10]

The antique Macallan bottles that raised suspicions

From the mid-1990s, the rare-whisky auction market changed noticeably. According to the trade account of the investigation, a trickle of antique bottles became a flood, including previously unknown nineteenth-century bottlings, sometimes in batches of up to four identical bottles in excellent condition.[3]

Investigators included whisky writer Dave Broom, Diageo’s Dr Nick Morgan, archivist Iain Russell and paper conservator Doug Stone. Chivas Brothers, Diageo and Allied Distillers rejected bottles offered to them, while the labels themselves supplied grounds for doubt.[3]

One named “Macallan & Talisker Distilleries Ltd”, a company for which the investigation found no record. Another problem was Roderick Kemp’s description as proprietor of both distilleries: he had sold his Talisker interest to buy Macallan. Misspellings and awkward grammar added to the concerns.[3]

These were contradictions between a label and the documented history, rather than proof based on appearance alone. Someone who suspects a counterfeit can report it to the relevant authorities and seek professional authentication. For the distinction between suspicious details and proof, see warning signs and authentication limits.

What the collection tests established

Between 2000 and 2002, Macallan acquired about 100 antique “Macallan” bottles through auctions and private collectors. Some became the basis for its Replica range, beginning with 1861, followed by 1841 and 1876.[3]

Macallan learned of concerns in December 2001. In July and August 2002, paper expert Peter Bower and glass expert Simon Cottle examined the collection and identified four purported nineteenth-century bottles as fakes. One carried an 1893 label printed on twentieth-century paper, with “John Euring” where the name should have been “Ewing”.[3]

Verdict: Disputed. Macallan said the experts had found the remainder of the collection genuine, but their findings concerned glass and paper, not the contents. In 2003, liquid from 16 bottles bearing dates from 1856 to 1919 was carbon dated, and all contained liquid from after 1950.[3] The earliest source date is not established from the supplied record; the source is listed in entry 3.

Macallan made results public in May 2004. The Scotsman reported that the liquid dated from the late 1980s in some cases, and quoted Macallan’s David Cox describing genuine old empty bottles being refilled.[3][4]

Broom compared an old container with an old painting frame: neither authenticates what it holds. Verdict: Documented. The Replica bottlings were based on bottles subsequently exposed as fakes.[3]

The fake “Macallan 1878” exposed in 2017

The later St Moritz case brought the same problem into a celebrated bar collection. A guest, Zhang Wei, was served a 20 ml measure from a bottle presented as “Macallan 1878” at the Devil’s Place bar in Hotel Waldhaus am See. The bottle came from the collection of Claudio Bernasconi, father of manager Sandro Bernasconi.[1][2]

Collector Serge Valentin of Whiskyfun questioned the cork, the apparently new label paper and the company name printed on it. Emmanuel Dron of The Auld Alliance in Singapore linked it to the source of the earlier fake Macallans, while Rare Whisky 101’s Andy Simpson also identified label problems.[1][10]

The glass itself was from around the turn of the twentieth century. According to the reported examination, however, the label, closure and cork were fake: the genuine period container did not authenticate the whole object.[10]

Laboratory results supplied the decisive evidence about the contents. Oxford’s Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art gave a 95% probability that the liquid was made between 1970 and 1972. Tatlock and Thomson found a strong probability that it was a blend containing 60% malt and 40% grain whisky.[2]

Sandro Bernasconi travelled to Asia to give Zhang Wei the results and a refund. “That’s the only right thing to do,” he said; the hotel also considered keeping the fake on display as a warning.[2]

Story box: an old bottle, modern contents

“Laphroaig 1903” and the importance of sample identity

Rare Whisky 101 acquired a bottle presented as “Laphroaig 1903” at auction in 2015. Its investigation lasted six months and combined glass dating, cork and capsule assessment, sensory examination, chemical analysis and radiocarbon dating at Oxford.[6]

RW101 reported a 75% probability that the liquid was made between 2007 and 2009. Its December 2016 announcement also described two fake part sets of Macallan Fine and Rare, showing that the investigation extended beyond supposedly Victorian bottles.[6]

Verdict: Disputed. RW101 reported a 75% probability of a date between 2007 and 2009, while a later SUERC sample pointed to a date after 2011.[6][7] The sources do not establish whether the samples came from the same bottle. The earliest source date is not established from the supplied record; the sources are listed in entries 6 and 7.

That distinction is central to whisky provenance and documentation: a laboratory result needs an identifiable sample as well as a reported conclusion.

What the larger scientific investigation found

A SUERC study for Rare Whisky 101, publicised on 20 December 2018, found that 21 of 55 bottles tested were fakes or had not been distilled in the stated year. Named examples included an Ardbeg 1885 from a private owner, a Thorne’s Heritage blend from an auctioneer and an “Ardbeg 1960s” from a retailer.[8]

Ten single malts claiming origins in 1900 or earlier were found not to be genuine. These were findings about the bottles examined, not a measurement of the proportion of all old whisky that was counterfeit.[9]

The scientific paper supplied further examples: a “Talisker 1863” yielded a date of 2007 to 2014, while an “Ardbeg 1964” pointed to barley grown after 1995.[7]

The important contrast is between the claimed date and the evidence from the liquid. The companion article on scientific assessment of old whisky covers the methods rather than repeating these case histories.

Fakes were not confined to antique Scotch

Verdict: Documented. In 2016, Preston Van Winkle identified discrepancies in purported Pappy Van Winkle bottles advertised through Craigslist. Michael Blanding also reported Pappy refills sold through Craigslist and Facebook.[10]

Verdict: Documented. A separate Finchley raid on 2 February 2017 uncovered hundreds of empty bottles, labels, capsules and stoppers. These cases show that counterfeiting was not confined to nineteenth century Scotch.[10]

Nor did the earlier Macallan investigation settle every archive question. After the new Macallan distillery opened on 2 June 2018, Edrington removed bottles from its Wall of Whisky that “could not be uniquely authenticated”; disputed bottlings included 1841, 1861 and 1879.[5]

Three misconceptions these cases correct

Old glass proves old whisky. The St Moritz bottle combined period glass with modern contents and counterfeit components. Its container and its liquid required separate examination.[2][10]

Fakes are always crude. Some historical contradictions were visible on labels, but other cases required specialist examination and laboratory analysis. RW101’s David Robertson warned that “there are now some very good quality fakes”.[6]

The scandal ended in 2004. Later investigations exposed further examples, and in 2019 Andy Simpson said RW101 had encountered 294 counterfeit bottles during the preceding three years. That was RW101’s reported experience, not a count of every counterfeit in circulation.[11]

Where to go next

• Fake Whisky: Warning Signs and the Limits of Authentication: distinguish a warning sign from an authenticated conclusion.
• How Scientists Assess the Age and Authenticity of Old Whisky: understand what laboratory methods can establish.
• Whisky Provenance and Documentation: follow the records connecting a bottle, its history and its examination.

Sources

1. Scotchwhisky.com. Glass of Macallan “is a fake”. Trade report, 2017; headline figure omitted.
2. Scotchwhisky.com. Glass of Macallan confirmed as fake. Trade report, 2017; headline figure omitted.
3. Scotchwhisky.com. Recalling the great fake Macallan scandal. Trade retrospective, edition supplied in the verified fact sheet. https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/features/15653/recalling-the-great-fake-macallan-scandal/
4. The Scotsman. Macallan duped by Italians in vintage dram scam. Newspaper report, 2004. https://www.scotsman.com/news/macallan-duped-by-italians-in-vintage-dram-scam-2468786
5. Whisky.com. The Macallan pulls back fake bottles. Trade report, 2018. https://www.whisky.com/whisky/news/newsdetail/article/the-macallan-pulls-back-fake-bottles.html
6. The Spirits Business. RW101 unearths fake Scotch. Trade report, 12 December 2016; headline figure omitted. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/12/rw101-unearths-forged-rare-scotch-malt-whisky/
7. Cook, Dunbar, Tripney and Fabel, SUERC. Using Carbon Isotopes to Fight the Rise in Fraudulent Whisky. Radiocarbon, volume 62, issue 1.
8. University of Glasgow. Fake whisky exposed. Research announcement, 20 December 2018; headline figure omitted. https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2018/december/headline_627779_en.html
9. BBC News. Third of rare Scotch whiskies tested found to be fake. News report, 2018. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-46566703
10. Michael Blanding, Robb Report. Is Your Rare Whisky a Fake? Feature, 20 September 2018. https://robbreport.com/food-drink/spirits/rare-whisky-fake-2818361/
11. Andy Simpson, Scotchwhisky.com. The long history of fake whisky. Trade commentary, including the 2019 account recorded in the verified fact sheet. https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/from-the-editors/12184/the-long-history-of-fake-whisky/

This desk-researched article follows verified fact sheet TOP-A548 and its editorial rulings, distinguishing trade reporting from the published scientific findings.

Last checked: November 2026