Counterfeit high price whiskey

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Not something I would buy anyway...

[disneysteve]

Not surprising I suppose seeing as old bottles can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars each. While my wife and I are whiskey drinkers, the stuff we buy wouldn’t likely be counterfeited as the most we spend for a bottle is about $100.

[~bs]

its an epidemic. most older style bottles and seals are easy to fake as well. Newer ones have more technology that is harder to replicate.

It's one reason why the empty bottles sell for so much on ebay. Counterfeiters buy them to refill. Theyre also highly desired by people doing art projects and stuff, but they're not paying up to hundreds of dollars an empty bottle. Many whisky enthusiasts choose to destroy (not just throw away) the bottle to prevent this from happening.

[corn18]

I splurged at Christmas eve dinner with the family and bought a 2 oz pour of Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac. $150 / oz. It was tasty. What was interesting is the waiter told us if we bought the last pour out of the bottle, they give you the bottle. I thought that was nice and was curious so looked it up on Ebay. Empty bottles sell for $400. I should have bought the last 2 oz for $300 and sold the bottle for $400.

Never thought that people were buying the empty bottles to sell fake cognac.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

OMG, my only hope to ever have such a bottle to sell on eBay is to dig one up in my garden. The gardens give up their little archaeological tidbits about once a year, and bottles have been among them, so-- who knows? Certainly, I'd recognize such a distinctive bottle when I come across it! That's wishful thinking, eh?

[~bs]

I splurged at Christmas eve dinner with the family and bought a 2 oz pour of Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac. $150 / oz. It was tasty. What was interesting is the waiter told us if we bought the last pour out of the bottle, they give you the bottle. I thought that was nice and was curious so looked it up on Ebay. Empty bottles sell for $400. I should have bought the last 2 oz for $300 and sold the bottle for $400.

Never thought that people were buying the empty bottles to sell fake cognac.

well, if you ever run into the opportunity to acquire the empty bottles, i hope you will consider the ethical thing to do. As mentioned, these fakes are making their way into the most prestigious of auction houses, collections, etc. and not getting caught unless expensive testing that involves opening the bottles. As restaurants use these venues to make their purchase, they undoubtably are in the restaurant industry as well. I feel bad for patrons thinking they're getting to try a special xmas/new years bottle they normally wouldnt otherwise be able to enjoy, then wondering why their $150 shot doesnt taste any different than their $15/bottle stuff they drink at home.

On a side note, i think cognac tastes horrible. lol but that's just me. In fact I told the friend that let me try a very expensive bottle to give me barely more than a sip because it would simply be wasted on me.

[~bs]

ugh.... disney i had another post zapped. Can you unzap for me? Thanks!

[disneysteve]

ugh.... disney i had another post zapped. Can you unzap for me? Thanks!

Done.

[disneysteve]

On a side note, i think cognac tastes horrible. lol but that's just me.

As with many things, whiskey, wine, and other alcoholic drinks are a personal taste.

As for the expensive stuff, typically the more costly the whiskey, the older it is. That means more years in the barrel. Barrel aging imparts the color and aroma and taste of the product, but the longer it ages, the more it gathers certain flavors, especially oak. Personally, I don't like a strong oak flavor so I'm less fond of older products. We bought a bottle of 14-year-old bourbon this year that a local store had specially made for them. It was $90, which is a lot for us to spend on a bottle. It wasn't bad, but it isn't something we enjoy drinking straight. We're using it as a mixer. For drinking straight, we both prefer younger whiskeys, like 4-8 years. They get the oak flavor but it's more balanced without it becoming overwhelming. Of course, the added benefit of preferring those products is that they're half the price.

[JoeP]

I only buy my single malt whiskey from liquor stores or from the duty free when I come back into the states from Canada. My tastes have not evolved to the point where I am ready to seek rare whiskeys (and I doubt they ever will be). I'm pretty much where disneysteve is, spending up to $100 for a bottle that I will nurse for well over a year. My favorites styles are Highland, Islay and Speyside.

[james.hendrickson]

What about...just not drinking high priced liquor and investing the money instead?

[corn18]

What about...just not drinking high priced liquor and investing the money instead?

Well that's no fun!

[JoeP]

What about...just not drinking high priced liquor and investing the money instead?

Sounds kinda judgy!

Some people are willing to pay for things other are not. I know quite a few people who are willing to pay extra money for cars that have better handling, or are fun to drive, or have lots of gadgets, or have fresh technology. Others wish to spend their money going out to dinner frequently. Still others are OK buying expensive phones and plans.

And some people like to spend their money on very good liquor. I'm one of these people, and am ok with this expense because we are completely debt free and enjoy the treat.