Seychelles Breweries introduces authenticator seal on Johnnie Walker whisky products |22 January 2020
In its efforts to ensure that consumers are enjoying genuine Johnnie Walker (JW) whisky products that are imported by the authorised importer, Seychelles Breweries Limited (SBL) in its capacity as the official importer of JW is introducing products that have an authenticator seal on it.
As of mid-January this year, all JW whisky products imported by SBL have an authenticator seal on each bottle and consumers can scan the seal by making use of any smart phone and/or iPad to confirm whether the product has been imported by SBL and its authenticity.
According to Jon Shaw, spirits development representative for SBL, “the company has introduced this measure because seventy percent of JW whisky products imported into the Seychelles are being imported from unknown markets and not by SBL being the official importer”.
“Almost half of the bottles are being decoded which means that the parallel importers are defacing the bottles to conceal their origin,” said Mr Shaw.
“This is a worrying trend as consumers are not aware whether they are drinking genuine JW whisky products which poses serious health risks as one has no idea as to what they are consuming,” explained Mr Shaw.
“We’ve also had a few complaints from consumers in regard to counterfeit JW whisky products. However, as the official importer, we are limited in the avenues we can pursue in such circumstances as the products are in most cases untraceable due to the removal of the lot code,” said Mr Shaw.
“Introducing the authenticator seal will guarantee consumers that they are drinking the genuine products,” he added.
The new seal will be placed over the bottle cap and has many unique indicators which illustrate to consumers that they are purchasing a genuine JW whisky product which has been imported by SBL.
One of the key indicators is the QR code found in the middle of the seal. This allows the consumer to use their smartphone to scan the code using their camera. Once this has been done, a consumer will be directed to a Johnnie Walker page with a statement informing them that it is a 100% Johnnie Walker product and gives them additional information on the official distributers and details on SBL. All smartphones can be used but certain Android phones may need a QR code app that normally comes on the phone or can be downloaded for free from app stores.
Mr Shaw also stated that new seals can be seen from over the counter and there is nothing else like it in Seychelles so if consumers see the JW holographic seal on a bottle of Johnnie Walker they know that its 100% genuine.
The seals will be placed on all JW bottle sizes from 37.5cl up to the 1 litre bottles and across the range of JW which includes Red, Black, Green, Gold, Platinum, Blue and King George.
Contributed by Seychelles Breweries