226 - EXCLUSIVE: Confessions of a Bourbon Counterfeiter

In this Bourbon Pursuit exclusive, listen to a story from an admitted bourbon counterfeiter. This episode dives into the motives, operation, and recourse of a bourbon counterfeiter. Listen to how an addiction contributed to a cycle of refilling empty bottles and reselling them on the secondary markets and the ultimate price he had to pay. We hope this interview will serve as a lesson for not only folks connected with these circles, but also for whiskey producers to implement new packaging to protect their consumers. DISCLOSURE: As a part of the agreement to come on the show, we are not revealing the identity of our guest as he wishes to remain anonymous. Any comments regarding the guest’s name will be deleted and anything shared is not factual and is considered libel. Show Notes: This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about online alcohol sales. How did you get into the bourbon market? When did you start thinking about counterfeiting? What made it easy to counterfeit? Why aren't you in jail? How were you caught? What happened when you got caught by the community? Why did you not turn yourself in? Did you feel remorse or just bad because you got caught? How many counterfeit bottles did you create? How long have you been selling counterfeits? Did you ever counterfeit a Van Winkle? What was the fall out after you were caught? What kind of threatening phone calls did you receive? What was it like facing your family? Are you still with your wife? How can someone spot a fake? What did you refill with? Now that some time has passed, how are things going? Did you ever talk to any other counterfeiters? Did you consider it fun? Did you need the money? Are you starting to move on? Have your parents been able to look past the situation? How much revenue did you make? How were your kids affected? What would you say to someone thinking about counterfeiting? What did your friends think? What if you didn't get caught? Would it be worth the money? Would you ever try to counterfeit again? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices