The BBC are warning us that there is a lot of fake booze for sale, particularly Vodka as it is easy to make clear spirits as that’s the normal colour of distilled drink. The issue it that you don’t end up with the right type of ethanol, you may get methyl-ethanol or meths/methanol – which is poisonous and potentially fatal as was highlighted by the recent issues in India.
The Beeb have a handy little guide to see if it is fake:
I’d like to add a couple of items to that. Such as:
Don’t buy it at a ridiculously low price;
Don’t buy it from a mate’s car;
Don’t drink if your mate is saying “try this I know the guy who makes it, it’s brilliant”;
Basically an ounce of common sense is all that’s actually needed in this regard, if you are at all unsure then avoid like the plague and drink something else.