What is this? Dark whisky Scottish or Polish?

Yesterday evening i was looking at getting some samples of good whisky to give to some clients of mine. One of the samples i was given was this. The sales rep told me it was made in Poland...whisky...Poland....surely?

It is called "Dark Whisky", but on the front it is written. "Blended Scotch Whisky, distilled and matured in Scotland"
Then i checked the back, to see that it has the address of Zielona Góra S.A
Anyone heard of this rip off?

• 
  Fake or Ok?
  

Sorry fella, I'm no connoisseur. I'm abit of a rock 'n' roll cliche when it comes to it... I drink Jack Daniels or Jim Beam Black. I went to Inverness once though and they have store there dedicated to whisky. They had one bottle for £1000 and it was 100 years old. Imagine that.

for a decent 100 year old whisky, your looking into many thousands. For example, i sampled a glass once which was around that age...to be told it was worth over 5k! The problem i have with it, is that it actually tastes quite good. But if it is made in Poland....the term Scotch cannot legally be used on the bottle.

surely its an import o_0

I am a fan of Polish beer, I might just throw in here. They sell Tyskie at my local offie. It's 5.6% and a single £ a can! Can't argue with that!!! :D

I prefer beer myself, occasionally Gin or Vodka.
It appears to be legit produced by V&S Group

Still, being produced in Poland is fine, but being called Scotch aint, i would like to find out where exactly they make it.

I wonder how it tastes with Orkney Oak-Smoked Cheddar.

Are you sure that's not just the address of the company who imports it?

I'm not sure, but i have been assured that it is "made" in Poland.

I think it might be the importer's address (it should say "imported by") because it can only be called "Scotch" if it's distilled in a Scottish distillery and it must be matured in Scotland.

But

I have just read that this legislation regarding Scotch was to be reviewed in the spring of 2008 which has obviously passed. So it may be that there are different laws. I hope not.

no sign of imported by, in English or Polish

I would assume that if it was adressed in


then that is where it was made. Where did you buy the whisky from?? or where did somebody else get it from???


lol, Misty, laws are you serious, what does the law control properly now a days when it comes to produce??? Everything you can buy that is authentic you can buy a knock off price copy.

You don't say. That's what we're trying to establish here, is it real or fake? If it wasn't distilled in Scotland and matured for at least 3 years and 1 day, it's not real Scotch and shouldn't carry the label.

maybe there is a hidden scottish distillery somewhere in the deep dark depths of Poland ;-P

lol, of course its fake, there is no doubting that!!!!! Of course it should not carry the label and of course it should not be sold. However back to my point about the law, it is never enforced, the authorities just do not have enough time and manpower to enforce the law.

This means that millions of fake goods are produced and sold everyday to an unsuspecting public. The problem has out grown the solution, what i mean is, there are more people willing to take the risk of profits by producing fake goods than those willing to stop it.

Therefore there needs to be some sort of 'priority goods system' where by the most valuable and more expensive goods are policed so the resources are not spread over such a wide field. Better to succeed in some areas than in none??

Tornado is right, when the product says "scotch" under international law it or one of its main ingredients needs to be made in Scotland.

Misty is also right to say that its main product can be made in Scotland, but matured in Poland. Technically its still Scottish, just "rested" in Poland.

I havethe answer now, but it seems a fun "game" to find out why it is sold here as a Polish "Scottish" whisky:) - Which to me, makes it fake.

lol, hahahaa.


well its better trying to explain a googly to a non-cricket fan :)


well actually dear i did :)

Then it can't be called a Scotch. It must be distilled in a Scottish distillery and matured in Scotland for it to be called a Scotch. If it's matured elsewhere, it's not Scotch.

What is the proof on the label? Above or below 40%?


Yes, it's a pity sarcasm doesn't come across so well in type! ;)

Do you talk about alcoholic proof? or true proof?


Well yes it can. This is the point im trying to make, that even under this law, alot of brewery's are still calling it scotch. In Krakow, the most popular whisky is.... mr walker...and whats on the label...."scotch Whisky"

hang on a minute, what happens to produce that i made in the UK and then exported, that sits in other countries. For example if cheese is made in the UK and then exported what do they put on the label, English mature cheddar matured in England/Poland, lol??? Come on if its made in Scotland then its Scottish?? no??


i know the effect is rubbish isn't it, from both sides :)

Alcoholic proof.


Imported most likely.


Well, does that make of cheese have it's own legislation? Scotch does and in order for it to be legally called Scotch it must be made in a certain way, as I have described above. If you doubt me, look it up.

I think you will find she is agreeing with you;) For example spring water. all spring water in the uk must be named after the spring. Legally. If 2 springs are in the same area, usually there will be a battle between both companies about who can sell it.

Same is with Whisky. More exact Scotch, there are loop holes in the law, but generally, Scotch must be from Scotland. No if, buts or maybe's:)

i would assume all food products have 'copy rights' or 'pagents' for their design, ingreedients used etc. I didn't doubt you i was just giving you a theoretical situation that was all. Would i doubt you Misty??


holy you know what, Misty, agreeing with me, hang on a sec while i get my housemate to pick me up of the floor as i suddenly fainted when i read that, Ouch my head hurts :)

Ok, so the both of you have argued passionately about it. Is it Scotch? on the bottle it says 40%, but to my taste, its more like 35% i also get no background taste.... Plus should such a widely known product (whisky) be protected by law? and why?

all 'brands', 'products' and 'labels' are protected by law. For example take Kellog's Coco Pops. Nobody but Kellog's can produce 'Coco Pops' in name, design, ingreedients used etc. It is the same therefore for the Whisky, if the law was not in place you could have 20 different versions of the same product witht he same name, design etc etc. Usually there is something in a product that differentiates it form any other, making it individual.

I understand what you're saying there. Anyone can make whisky but they can't call it "Scotch" whisky unless if adheres to the legislation which can be found here. There is another good website here. Dark Whisky is a fake.

well i think between us we have solved the mystery misty :) we can now delcare this case 'closed' :) we didn't even get paid either

Paid? So what about if i said the comapany which makes this, probarly produces Scotland's most famous Whisky? still fake?

you can't say it and by law if you advetised that you would be taken to court and prosicuted either for 'false advertisment' or breaking 'copyright' law :) So i wouldn't do that, lol.