How To Tell The Difference Between Real And Fake Bourbon, According To An Expert

When you get a purebred dog, you get the papers. Now, there’s a mountain of difference between a dog and a bottle of bourbon, but the same rule applies. Blatner says any seller worth their salt will be able to provide the buyer with some sort of documentation that proves the bourbon is what they purport it to be. That documentation will also likely show the chain of possession, further assuring those suspicious that the bourbon in hand comes from where it is supposed to. “Ask for authentication,” he urges. “If buying from a licensed retailer they should be able to provide proof of their purchase from a distributor. If buying from an auction house they should be able to provide documentation of how they authenticated the bottle.”

If the seller hesitates at a request such as this, it is time to walk away. This outlines Blatner’s overarching point, which is that the best defense is to be an informed and proactive buyer. Scammers would rather make the sale and move on quickly. By engaging them, asking questions, inspecting the product, and requesting documentation, you can generally suss them out or cause them to pull out of the scam. While they’ll probably say they’re taking the deal elsewhere, rest assured knowing that you probably didn’t get swindled