Bourbon is booming.
Collectors everywhere this time of year are looking for those hard-to-find labels.
The problem is that scammers are out there too, trying to fool you with stolen photos and prices that are too good to be true.
And this modern-day bootlegging can end with no bottle at all, while you are out hundreds of dollars in cash.
Brad Bonds owns the Revival Vintage Bottle Shop, selling hundreds of bottles of rare and old bourbons and other spirits, some over 100 years old.
Every holiday season, though, Bonds hears from bourbon lovers who lost money to a bourbon website scam, or ended up with a fake.
"Unfortunately it is out there," he said. "I would say Pappy van Winkle brand is the most counterfeited one."
He has seen fake $300 bottles of vintage Old Fitzgerald for sale, that someone simply refilled with cheap grocery store liquor.
Other counterfeited brands include Blantons, and any of the hard-to-find Weller labels.
It happens even more with Pappy van Winkle, he says.
"And voila! You have a Pappy."
Warning signs of a scam
The Better Business Bureau’s Melanie McGovern says you can spot a bogus bottle if:
- The price is much lower compared to other sellers.
- The photos are a bit out of focus.
- They promise they can ship it to you with no questions.
"If they say they ship everywhere in the U.S.," McGovern said, "that’s a red flag, because not every state allows you to order alcohol over the mail."
McGovern says ask questions like:
- Do you ship to my location?
- Do I have to pick it up?
- Do I have to show ID?
In some cases, she says, "the more questions you ask, the more evasive they are. If they don’t get back to you, then you want to find another website to do business with."
Shop legitimate stores
Finally, Brad Bonds says be careful of any website selling rare whiskey not connected with a physical store like his.
"You could be dealing with a fly-by-night website that just got set up, that looks legit, and never even made a sale," he said.
Ideally, he says, see and maybe smell or taste that whiskey in person.
"Smells here are free," he said, opening a vintage bourbon bottle.
Purchase from someone you can trust, so you don't waste your money.
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