The dangers of fake alcohol

There is no way of knowing for certain the ingredients contained in fake or illegally produced counterfeit alcohol, which means that drinking it can lead to anything from nausea, to blindness and even death.

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 intended to be sold. 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 that is safe for human consumption.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 license from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).^4,5

What is alcohol? Find out more

Health risks from fake alcohol

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

Only ever drink legally produced alcohol drinks. And to keep your health risks low, make sure you stick to the UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk guidelines - no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days with several drink-free days, and no bingeing.

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 byproducts 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:

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.⁶

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