In recent years, the number of counterfeit products on the shelves of our stores has increased several times. This is due to the great popularity of some products. The leading place in their ranking is occupied by imported alcohol, in particular Jack Daniels whiskey. It is sometimes very difficult to distinguish a fake from the original. Its "manufacturers" are trying to keep their "pirate" brand.
Why Jack Daniels
The Jack Daniels trademark has been known in the world for more than 200 years and during this time has never compromised itself. This drink has recently become a cult not only in the United States, but also in Russia.
Its popularity is so high that they drink this whiskey not only in expensive restaurants in megalopolises, but also in cheap "spills" of the Russian countryside. This, in fact, led to the massive fakes of this unique drink.
But how to distinguish a fake "Jack Daniels" from real whiskey? First, let's figure out what counterfeit products are and where they come from.
What is fake whiskey
Most whiskey lovers do not even suspect that they can use not the original product, but the usual fake, which is produced in neighboring countries.
Facts of poisoning with counterfeit whiskey are rare, because this product goes not only to Russia, but also to some countries of Western Europe. Sometimes we get an original, but contraband product, somehow stolen from the factory. Often this is a fairly high-quality alcohol with a taste and smell similar to the original, but it has nothing to do with the American drink.
How to distinguish a fake "Jack Daniels"
There are not so many ways to determine a fake. More precisely, two. The first is a visual one, implying a search for differences from the original on the label and the bottle itself, without opening the whiskey. The second is a comparison of taste and smell.
Let's start with the first method. Most often, fake whiskey is found in 0.5 liter bottles, although the most popular volume in the USA and Europe is 0.7 liter. The relatively low price for half a liter makes it easier for the "pirates" to sell it, and to buy a naive buyer.
However, we have on sale half-liter bottles with original whiskey. But how to distinguish a fake Jack Daniels (0.5 L) from a real product?
The first step is to inspect the bottle itself. At the original, it has 4 faces with Jack Daniels engraved on them. The neck of the bottle is faceted and begins with a convex ring along which the drink is poured.
The bottom contains an engraving of numbers. The cork of the original should only be plastic, wrapped in thin plastic with the inscription "old No.7 brand" and without a dispenser.
The front label should contain information about the name of the drink, the trademark with the mandatory presence of the “®” badge and the batch number of the spill. The back sticker indicates the manufacturer, barcode, importer. The original product must not contain any inscriptions in Arabic, Russian or other than English.
Other ways: how to distinguish a fake "Jack Daniels" (0.5 L) without opening the bottle
There are other indicators that your chosen whiskey is not the original:
- crooked labels or traces of glue from under them;
- smooth smooth bottom;
- the "shoulders" of the bottle are lowered;
- rounded edges
- the presence of a dispenser;
- the presence of sediment at the bottom of the bottle
Well and, of course, the price. The cost of a 0.5 liter Jack Daniels bottle in duty-free shops starts at 13 euros, so any product with the same name and the same capacity cannot be cheaper even on sale.
If the bottle is already open
If you once drank real American whiskey, it is not difficult for you to distinguish counterfeit from the original. But how to distinguish a fake "Jack Daniels" to the taste of an ignorant person in imported alcohol?
To begin with, open the bottle, shake it. When whisking, real whiskey forms large air bubbles along the edge of the liquid. They should not disappear for 5-7 s.
Next, pour the drink into a glass and inhale its aroma from a distance of 15-20 cm. The original whiskey has a slight sweet malt smell, sometimes with barely noticeable notes of flowers and fruits. If you bring the glass close to your nose and take a deep breath, you should feel the aroma of expensive alcohol, reminiscent of red wine. Fake whiskey will always smell like alcohol, and sometimes even moonshine.
How not to become a victim of "pirates"
Now that you know almost everything about how to distinguish a fake Jack Daniels (0.5) from a real two-century American brand in the same container, you can try to identify other alcoholic beverages.
However, it is worth thinking about how to protect yourself and your loved ones from the machinations of "pirates". Indeed, you must admit that it is not always possible to look at a bottle of whiskey in the store by comparing it with the original, or try an alcoholic drink to taste and smell.
The only rule that will protect you from counterfeiting is to buy alcohol only at trusted, licensed retail outlets.