The dangers of fake alcohol

The production of alcoholic drinks in the UK is regulated to ensure quality and safety standards are met. In contrast, illegally produced alcohol can contain chemicals that aren’t safe for human consumption – putting anyone that drinks them at risk of nausea, blindness, or even death.

What is fake or counterfeit alcohol?

Fake alcoholic drinks are illegally produced in unlicensed distilleries or homes with the intention of selling them. They are often packaged to look like well-known legally produced brands – known as counterfeiting – but there is no guarantee on what they contain.¹

Legally produced alcoholic drinks, contain a specific molecule called ethanol, created by fermenting cereal or fruit. Ethanol is the only type of alcohol which is approved for people to drink.²

According to the Food Standards Agency, fake alcohol can contain other, cheaper types of alcohol that is found in products like antifreeze, screen wash, and nail polish remover. Drinking them can leave you blind, in a coma, or dead.³

It is illegal to distil or sell alcohol to the public in the UK without a licence from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).^4,5

Methanol poisoning

Methanol is a clear, colourless, flammable liquid with a slightly alcoholic odour. It can be found in household products including antifreeze, brake fluid, and window cleaning solutions.^6,7 There have been incidents, usually abroad, where it has been added to alcoholic drinks because it is cheaper and easily available.⁸

Methanol is more harmful than ethanol (contained in alcoholic drinks) and drinking even small amounts can be extremely dangerous. Ingesting methanol, or inhaling methanol vapours, can have serious health consequences including coma, convulsions, blindness, nervous system damage, and death.⁹

Ingesting as little as four to 10ml of methanol may cause blindness with reports of just 30ml (a mouthful) potentially causing death.^10,11

Signs and symptoms of methanol poisoning may be delayed for up to 12 to 24 hours but occasionally up to 48 hours.¹² If you, or someone you are with, have inhaled or ingested methanol seek medical advice immediately either by calling 999 or the emergency services in the country it has happened.

Health risks from fake alcohol

Illegally produced alcohol should never be consumed. There is no way of knowing what chemicals are in it and how it’s been made. 

Only ever drink legally produced alcohol. And to keep your health risks low, the UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines advise both men and women to drink no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days with several drink-free days, and no bingeing.¹³ 

Some of the forms of alcohol that can be found in fake alcohol can’t be processed by the human body and are highly toxic. The by-products your body creates when trying to break them down can cause blindness, coma, and death. 

There is also no way of knowing how strong fake alcohol is, because it hasn’t been produced to the standards of commercially produced alcoholic drinks. So, you could become seriously intoxicated and acutely unwell at much lower-than-expected levels of consumption. 

Learn more about the symptoms and risks of alcohol poisoning.

How to recognise and avoid fake alcohol

There are several ways to avoid fake alcohol:¹⁴

• Make sure you buy alcoholic drinks from a reputable retailer
• Beware of brand names you’ve never heard of and prices that seem too low
• Poor labels and spelling errors are a good indication that the product is counterfeit
• Vodka is the most commonly counterfeited spirit. It should look completely clear, with no white particles or sediment visible in the bottle. Avoid any that is not entirely clear
• If any alcohol tastes or smells bad, don't drink it
• Check the cap is sealed properly. If the seal is broken, don’t drink it. Even if it’s not illegal, it could have been tampered with

If you’re in any doubt, don’t buy or drink it under any circumstances.

What to do if think you have drunk fake alcohol or it is being sold

If you think you’ve drunk fake alcohol, seek medical advice immediately by calling 999 or, if you’re abroad, the emergency services in the country it has happened.

If you’ve seen counterfeit drinks for sale or been offered fake alcohol in the UK, report it to your local Trading Standards office:

Find your local Trading Standards office