News
06-January 2012 – LGC helps uphold the
authenticity of high-end whisky brands
New whisky congener reference material provides
confidence in authenticity analysis
As Burns Night approaches, so does the age old
question of which whisky best accompanies haggis. Whilst the whisky
connoisseurs may choose to deliberate on this question endlessly,
you may simply want to be assured that your chosen whisky brand is
authentic.
Bootlegging, adulteration,
counterfeiting – call it what you will, but according to Her
Majesty’s Revenue Commission, revenue lost due to the production of
fake spirit alcohol between 2009 and 2010 cost the UK taxpayer
approximately £440 million*. In support of the global
whisky manufacturing industry, LGC, the UK’s designated National Measurement Institute for chemical and
bioanalytical measurement, has produced a reference material to
help identify adulterated high-end whiskies.
Adulteration is a major
problem for the global drinks industry and, in order to keep
control of this issue and accurately identify adulteration when it
occurs, alcohol manufacturers monitor marker substances in their
products. It is these marker substances which can be profiled to
prove authenticity. Congeners - volatile organic compounds formed
during the whisky fermentation process - are used as marker
substances to help distinguish and differentiate between brands.
They also dictate the unique flavour of whisky brands.
LGC has produced the
reference material specifically for whisky congeners to help
manufacturers uphold the protection of their brand, ensure process
and quality control, and enhance research and development.
Gill Holcombe, Head of
Reference Material Production at LGC explains: “For
manufacturers of high-end spirits to be confident in the quality of
their analysis, they need to be able to validate and monitor
procedures using reference materials close in matrix composition to
the test samples. This whisky congener reference material does just
that, and is yet another weapon in the arsenal against alcohol
adulteration.”
This reference material,
LGC5100, is available from LGC Standards,
the division of LGC that provides products and services to improve
measurement in the laboratory. For further information about this
new whisky congener reference material, or to place an order please
visit the LGC Standards
webshop, contact your local LGC Standards sales office or
email: askus@lgcstandards.com
* Measuring Tax
Gaps 2011 (http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/mtg-tables2011.xls)
-Ends-
Notes to editors