Chinese and Indian Counterfeit products to be Scotched

The temptation to exploit the whisky industry's unrivalled reputation for quality and brand association by passing off bogus products as being of Scottish origin is nothing new. Read full article

But what is worrying is that the battle to protect scotch's reputation from such fraudulent activities is now at its fiercest in two of its most important markets: China and India.

Chinese exports have been expanding at more than 80% a year while the Indian market boasts almost limitless potential for growth despite the fact that high import tariffs currently restrict scotch to a minimal market share.

Growing Chinese wealth is a magnet for firms but it also brings problems

But of the 50 counterfeiting cases that lawyers for the trade body the Scotch Whisky Association are pursuing at any one time, many involve either China or India.

The common denominator linking these cases is the rapid economic growth enjoyed by both countries, which has boosted personal wealth and given more people a taste for and the means to acquire a variety of luxury goods, including whisky.

This has, in turn, fuelled a rash of rogue products with seemingly innocent but strictly bogus identities such as Glen Highland Green and Red Scot.

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