Jack Daniel’s under fire from Russia

Jack Daniel’s has defended itself against claims by a Russian consumer watchdog that “chemical substances not common to whiskey” had been found in bottles of its Tennessee Honey Liqueur.

Last week Brown-Forman’s spirit became the subject of an investigation by Russian consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor after it claimed it had found potentially hazardous chemical substances in the liqueur and that its labelling did not conform to Russian regulations.

According to reports in the Moscow Times, under Russian law, alcohol packaging should include a list of ingredients written in Russian, the location where it was brewed, and the length of the distilling process, all of which a spokeswoman said Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Liqueur lacks.

She said the authorities were continuing their inspection and planned to confiscate the Jack Daniel’s whisky currently in circulation.

US-based drinks group Brown-Forman, which owns Jack Daniel’s, said it had been selling the spirit in Russia for 15 years, complying with all regulations during this time.

A spokesperson said: “Regarding Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, it is a liqueur (or “spirit beverage” in Russia), so it is not registered as a whiskey and therefore should not and cannot comply with whiskey specifications. But it does (or has until recently at least) complied with Russian specifications for liqueurs/spirit beverages.”

This follows the ban on Ukranian drinks brands being imported in to Russia, which came into effect on Friday following similar claims of labelling issues and apparent discrepancies in nutritional information.

Earlier this month, imports of Kentucky Gentleman bourbon, were suspended after the same watchdog claimed it had found signs of a harmful organic chemical, in some bottles.