Potentially fatal batch of Johnnie Walker discoverd by FSA

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is warning licensees and drinkers to be vigilant after discovering counterfeit bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label (JWBL) whisky containing dangerous levels of Methanol.

The London Borough of Hackney alerted the FSA to the problem after a member of the public made a complaint to Diageo, the owner of JWBL.

To date, 50 counterfeit bottles have been found on sale in the Hackney area as well as a small number in Lambeth and Wolverhampton.

Diageo has confirmed that both the packaging and liquid are counterfeit and that the rogue bottles have so far been confined to the off-trade and independent distributors.

A Diageo spokesperson said the company had no information on the source or origin of the fake batch. She said: "Luckily so far no-one has been hurt. We have been working with the FSA and we have blitzed the area with posters and made more than 5,000 phone calls to retailers and licensees.

"As yet, none of the counterfeit bottles have been found in the on-trade and there is no threat for those buying direct from Diageo."

The counterfeit bottles can be identified from genuine JWBL by a number of subtle differences. These include:

• Spanish language on the rear label
• Fake lot code "L04P24878342" printed on the rear of the front centre label
• The word "Distillers" in the Royal Warrant statement the counterfeit bottles' neck labels is incorrectly spelt as "Distilleries"
• The counterfeit bottles have no "E mark" on their base between "700ml and 73mm"

Andrew Wadge, head of chemical safety and toxicology at the FSA, said: "Tests carried out on the counterfeit whisky show that it has been contaminated with Methanol.

"At these levels detected, consumers would be at risk of harmful effects including severe stomach pain, vomiting and blindness.

"We strongly advise people to check bottles that they may have at home to ensure that they have the genuine product. The counterfeit product should be avoided and anyone who thinks they may have drunk it within the last 24 hours should contact their doctor."