FALSELY LABELLED

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 37, 12 August 1927, Page 10

FALSELY LABELLED

WHISKY \U WRONG BOTTLE

LICENSEE FINED £25

A fine of £25 was imposed on John Berryman, licensee of the Pier Hotel, who was charged in the Magistrate's Court to-day with having used a whisky bottle of a recognised brand to bottle .draft whisky, without destroying the original label. Mr. H. F. 0 'Leary, who appeared for the defendant, entered a plea of guilty.

Mr. P. S. K. Macassey, who prosecuted, said that Inspector Cowdrcy purchased at the hotel a bottle of whisky bearing the original label. This bottle had been uncorked and had apparently been in U3e. Later the inspector purchased another bottle bearing the same label, and the contents of both bottles were analysed. The certificate of analysis showed that the whisky in the first bottle was lower in alcoholic strength than that in the second bottle, which was correctly labelled.

Mr. O'Leary submitted that it was not the. practice of the defendant to put draft whisky into bottles without destroying the labels. His explanation of the offence was that during stocktaking recently, some person engaged in the bar had mixed together several small quantities of draft whisky left in the decanters and poured all the liquor into a bottle still bearing the original label. Subsequently this bottle was purchased by the inspector. Counsel pointed out that the defendant had not previously been convicted for a similar offence.

Mr. Macassey: "It does seem extraordinary that the stock-taking should take place just before the visit of the inspector."

The Magistrate (Mr. E. Page, S.M.), imposed a fine of £.25, and also ordered the defendant to pay costs.