The Newest Bootleg Liquor – Counterfeit Bourbon

If you rang in the New Year with that hard-to-find bottle of bourbon you had been hunting down in off-the-beaten-path stores or through a private social media collectors’ group, you might have been getting more than you bargained for… you might have gotten counterfeit.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, the sale of counterfeit bourbon has skyrocketed over the past few years. This development is certainly unfortunate, but also entirely foreseeable.

Criminals had already been in the business of counterfeiting alcohol and liquor, but had previously been focused on fine wine, champagne, and single-malt scotch, since these products are sold in significantly larger volumes. But driven by growing global wealth, the demand for American whiskey, or bourbon as it is commonly known, has increased exponentially.

Data from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States shows that the volume in super premium American whiskey more than doubled between 2015-2020 and more than quadrupled over the last 10 years. Super premium is defined as bottles above $50 in retail price.