How to check the authenticity of alcohol using a tax stamp. How to check alcoholic drinks for authenticity
Stamps come in different colors, such as blue, pink or purple. It depends on the type and strength of the drink. It is not applied to all types of drinks, but only to those that have a strength of more than 4%. Therefore, you will not find this mark on beer, cider, poire and mead. The excise stamp can be checked visually, but not everyone will be able to distinguish a fake just by appearance. The most reliable way to check the brand is through a special server or application! Let's talk about this in more detail.
Checking stamps through your FSRAR personal account online
Any consumer of alcoholic beverages can check the authenticity of the excise stamp on the website fsrar.ru. To do this, you need to go to the main page of the site and find in the menu a service called “Checking Brands”. Or just follow this link: http://fsrar.ru/checkmark
The following window will open in front of you:
1. Look at the series and excise stamp number on the bottle.
2. Lead them to the windows called “Series” and “Number”.
3. There is a captcha on the site, you will be asked to add or subtract numbers, the answer must be written in the window, which is indicated in the picture under the number 6. The verification system may prompt you to select the type of product:
![](https://i1.wp.com/astral.ru/upload/iblock/2fe/2.png)
4. After selecting the product, you will need to enter the captcha again and click the “send” button.
5. A window will appear below, indicated in the figure as number 8. This will be the result of the check. This window will contain information about the product you purchased.
Checking alcoholic beverages through a mobile application
In addition, the Federal Service for Regulation of the Alcohol Market has developed a special application for mobile phones. You can download it regardless of the type of mobile operating system. It is called “Anti-Counterfeit Alco”.
The app logo looks like this:
![](https://i1.wp.com/astral.ru/upload/iblock/17e/%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%20%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BA%D0%BE%20%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BF.png)
The application will help:
- Determine the legality of alcoholic products;
- Determine the legality of selling alcoholic beverages at a retail outlet;
- Find the nearest legal points of sale of alcoholic beverages;
- Report the found violation to the federal service for regulating the alcohol market.
Download the mobile application for FSRAR
Link to download the Android application in Google Play Market:
Link to download the application for iOS in the App Store:
The application works by pointing your smartphone's camera at the brand's barcode. This way you can independently verify the quality of the products you purchase.
An excise stamp on alcoholic products is a confirmation of its quality. The presence of an excise tax on alcohol products should be given close attention - after all, a low-quality alcohol product often becomes the cause of serious poisoning and the use of alcoholic beverages produced “underground” can even lead to death.
It is important not only to make sure that there is an excise tax stamp on the product, but also to keep in mind that unscrupulous businessmen can also falsify excise taxes. Therefore, it will be useful to know how to identify counterfeit alcohol by the excise stamp.
Also find out how to spot counterfeits of popular alcoholic beverages: , | | | |
The meaning of excise tax and useful information about it
An excise stamp or parcel post is a kind of quality mark for alcoholic products (and other types of goods), meaning that the product has been certified, manufactured in accordance with the requirements of state standards and its quality characteristics are at the highest level.
To avoid counterfeiting, excise stickers are printed using various innovative technologies: parcels are made on special paper and have different security systems.
Usually, underground bootleggers, when producing a low-quality alcohol product, do not even try to forge all the protective excise marks, because this requires significant financial costs.
Maximum - the simplest protective levels are copied and therefore, if desired, counterfeit alcohol can be easily distinguished from high-quality products: you just have to look carefully at the pasted parcel. How to distinguish a fake excise tax stamp for alcohol - read detailed instructions in the next section of the article.
How to spot fake alcohol video.
How to spot a fake alcohol tax stamp
Such an important quality indicator as the excise stamp for alcohol can be checked for authenticity right in the store. Special equipment - a special type of scanner that recognizes the authenticity of a parcel is available in any large hypermarket, shopping center or specialized boutique of alcoholic beverages.
To carry out a check, contact an employee of the administration of the retail outlet and ask for a quality test. If the scanner shows that the brand on the product has inconsistencies, you should definitely refrain from purchasing such a product. But you need to know that special scanners do not always cope with their task of determining the authenticity of the excise tax.
If the technology did not reveal any violations in the protection of the parcel, but did not dispel your doubts about the poor quality of the product, you have the right to apply to the Forensic Expertise Center to verify the authenticity of the mark.
The center’s specialists will conduct an expert study and, based on it, will issue you a conclusion, which will indicate the quality of the product and the presence (absence) of violations in the protection of the excise parcel.
Attention! The examination at the initiative of the consumer is paid for by the consumer, but subsequently the costs of the research may be compensated to you by persons guilty of selling a obviously low-quality product.
But is it possible to check such a quality mark as an excise stamp for alcohol independently, without the use of technology and the involvement of experts? There are ways to independently check the excise parcel on alcohol products - let's talk about them in detail.
There is microtext at the top of the stamp. The word “brand” is written in the negative, and “FSM” is written in the positive.
The hologram is a complex pattern, in the center of which the inscription “RF” is located in rhombuses.
Check alcohol by excise stamp online
It is much easier to take advantage of the achievements of modern information technology and check alcohol using the excise stamp online. The Rosalkogolregulirovaniya service has created a special online service called “Brand Check”.
On this resource you can check the existence of a particular excise tax and find out whether you purchased a quality product or not. There are other resources where a similar service is available.
Check the excise stamp for alcohol by number on the website service.fsrar.ru
A quick online excise tax check will allow you to find out whether you have purchased a quality product, and thereby avoid the tragedies and troubles that come with consuming an illegal alcohol product.
Unscrupulous manufacturers use various methods to save on the production of vodka. For its production, low-quality alcohol is used, the number of filtration stages is reduced, and harmful substances are added. The consequences of consuming counterfeit alcohol will always be negative: you cannot avoid a severe hangover, health problems, and in especially severe cases, death is possible. How to check the authenticity of vodka yourself?
Alcohol classification
The alcohol that is the basis of vodka comes in several categories. Types differ in the quality of purification from methanol and impurities, as well as in manufacturing technology. The alcohol category is indicated on the product label. Using this classification, you can determine the approximate quality of vodka. There are 4 categories of alcohol.
- Economy Such vodka can attract only its low price. It's easy to spot by its cheap bottle and simple label. Vodka of the “Economy” category is prepared from highly purified alcohol, but few filtration measures are carried out during the production process. Many harmful impurities remain in the drink, including an increased percentage of methanol. Vodka in this category is the easiest to counterfeit.
- Standard. This drink is prepared on the basis of “Extra” alcohol, which goes through more degrees of purification. The quality of this vodka is acceptable, it is bottled in more expensive bottles and uses interesting labels.
- Premium Vodka in this category belongs to elite drinks. It is prepared from “Lux” alcohol, which contains an acceptable percentage of methanol (0.02-0.03%). The water used to make such vodka is completely purified from toxic impurities.
- Super premium. It’s clear from the name that this vodka contains absolutely no harmful additives. To make it, they take the highest quality alcohol, and also use some secrets. It is highly valuable and very difficult to counterfeit.
Vodka made from Alpha alcohol belongs to a separate category. It contains a very low percentage of methanol: 0.003%. This alcohol is made from rye, wheat or a mixture of these cereals. You should choose vodka with Alpha alcohol, which does not have additional ingredients. The price will be lower, and the quality will suffer.
Excise stamp
A distinctive sign such as an excise stamp will protect consumers from purchasing low-quality alcohol. How can you independently identify a fake from this sticker?
First, you need to carefully examine the excise form. It must contain information about the manufacturing plant, production date and brand number. The excise tax also necessarily contains a barcode and a holographic image. Bottles with low-quality or counterfeit vodka usually do not have such data.
Secondly, checking using a scanner is possible. Such a device should be present in any large store selling alcoholic beverages. Currently, there are applications that can be installed on a smartphone in order to be able to scan the excise stamp online at any time (on the website https://service.fsrar.ru/). This process will allow you to obtain all the data about the product and determine whether its sale is legal.
Thirdly, the excise stamp must be assessed externally. A bottle with a high-quality alcoholic drink will have a neat sticker with strict dimensions: 90 by 26 mm or 62 by 21 mm.
Other verification methods
How to determine the quality of already purchased alcohol? You can check the authenticity of vodka at home using a number of indicators.
- Weight. The vodka label indicates that its strength is 40 degrees. This means that water and alcohol are present in it in a strict ratio of 60:40. You can check the correctness of these proportions at home in a simple way: just weigh the vodka. If alcohol and water are added in the specified volume, 1 liter of finished vodka will weigh 953 g.
- Smell. The first glass you pour must be judged by its smell. The aroma of vodka should be inhaled deeply: if it turns out to be sharp, very unpleasant, this product should not be consumed. Most likely, the drink turned out to be counterfeit; in addition to food grade alcohol, it contained industrial alcohol, which is dangerous to human health and life.
- Combustion. How to check the quality of vodka using fire? You need to pour the drink into a spoon and set it on fire. Burnt vodka will flare up sharply or not at all. High-quality alcohol will produce a low blue flame. The sediment remaining in the spoon after burning real vodka will not have an unpleasant odor.
- Freezing. It is common knowledge that alcohol does not freeze. However, if you keep vodka in the freezer for an hour or two, you can see pieces of ice in it. This proven method will show: if there are a lot of ice floes, the vodka is fake, since it is the foreign impurities and water that freeze.
- Chemical analysis. To determine the presence of harmful impurities in vodka, you will need sulfuric acid. Mix equal parts of alcohol and sulfuric acid. If the liquid turns black, it contains an increased amount of fusel oils. Such a drink will be harmful to the body. If there is no sulfuric acid, you can check the quality of vodka using litmus paper. It is necessary to dip its edge in alcohol and immediately evaluate it. If the paper turns red, the vodka contains acids that are added to the drink during the production process in order to increase the degree.
These methods are proven and the most effective for independently determining the quality of vodka. But even after making sure of the authenticity of the drink, you should drink it in moderation, assessing your state of health, age, and body characteristics.
Alcohol products sold in the Russian Federation must undergo mandatory labeling. This helps control the turnover and quality of alcoholic beverages. The type of brand depends on the place of production of alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic drinks produced in Russia are marked with special federal marks; its presence means acceptance of the product during certification by Rosalkogolregulirovanie.
What is a tax stamp?
The following information is applied to the excise stamp:
- type and name of the product;
- ethyl alcohol content in the product;
- its volume;
- information about the manufacturer, including addresses;
- country of manufacture;
- confirmation of product quality.
The presence of an excise stamp on alcohol indicates not only the quality of the purchased cognac or vodka, but also the legality of the trademark.
But there are still a lot of counterfeit products on the market with fake tax stamps. When regulatory authorities detect such goods, stores are subject to heavy fines, and the alcohol is confiscated and destroyed.
Verification methods
- 1. Using a mobile application. To check excise stamps using this method, you need to download the “Anti-counterfeiting info” application to your smartphone; it is designed for the Android operating system and was developed by specialists from Rosalkogolregulirovanie. To check the stamp, you need to scan the barcode of the excise stamp or the QR code on the receipt using your phone camera. After this, detailed information about the manufacturer will be displayed on the screen. Also, using the application, you can find the nearest licensed stores and notify law enforcement agencies about the discovery of counterfeit goods.
- 2. On the website http://fsrar.ru/. This method is only available to organizations that sell alcoholic beverages. On the Rosalkogolregulirovanie website, in the electronic services section, you can check excise taxes using the information base of this organization. To gain access to the service, you need to confirm your license.
- 3. On the manufacturer's website. Some companies are developing their own services for decoding excise stamps. To check, you need to go to the manufacturer’s official website and enter the excise label number using a special scanner in the store.
Alcohol products, along with such consumer goods as tobacco and gasoline, are subject to excise tax - a special type of tax. With the help of excise tax, the state can regulate prices, sales volumes and quality of products, which is especially important in relation to alcohol.
In light of recent events related to mass poisoning of the population, quality control of alcoholic products is an important area of the country's policy. What consumer protection mechanisms are currently in place, from what date are sellers inspected, and what rules for the sale of alcoholic products are mandatory for the market of alcohol-containing products?
Excise duty value
According to the Tax Code, namely Chapter 22 “Excise Taxes”, alcohol is recognized as an excisable product, which significantly affects pricing in this area.
Because this type of tax is included in the final cost of products sold, changes in the cost of the excise tax are felt primarily by the end consumer.
Ethyl alcohol, according to a special list, is classified as excisable goods, which obliges the inclusion of excise duty in the price of the following products:
- alcohols (anhydrous ethyl, food, non-food, denatured);
- distillates (whiskey, calvados, fruit, wine, grape, cognac);
- guilt;
- liqueurs;
- cognacs;
- vodka;
- beer.
The excise tax rate on alcohol increases annually, as reflected in Article 193 of the Tax Code. So, for example, since 2107, rates for alcoholic products (ruble per liter) are as follows:
523 | |
Drinks containing ethyl alcohol<9% | |
Wines with Protected Geographical Indication |
5 |
Wines other than beverages with protected geographical indication | |
Sparkling wines with protected geographical indication |
14 |
Sparkling wines, excluding beverages, with protected geographical indication | |
21 | |
Beer with alcohol content >8.6% | |
According to current legislation, any alcoholic product, except beer and its derivatives, must contain an excise stamp on its packaging. Excise stamps can be obtained by organizations that have permits for the production or sale of alcohol-containing products. In addition, the organization must be able to document a shipment of excisable goods.
In addition to the fact that alcoholic products are designated, as well as the fact that the product meets current quality and safety standards, The excise stamp carries very important information about the product:
- manufacturer country;
- Name;
- proportion of ethyl alcohol content;
- packaging volume.
Legislation in 2019
In 2019, alcohol trade must be carried out by persons connected to the Unified State Automated Information System (USAIS).
This system allows you to collect information on each unit of alcohol sold, from its composition, strength and volume, to the country of origin, as well as the date and place of sale.
In the future, EGAIS should become a universal tool for identifying counterfeits and maintaining records of all alcoholic products in the country. Connecting to a single system complements and in no way cancels compulsory licensing. Both manufacturers and sellers of alcohol-containing products are subject to licensing.
License
The state organization that monitors the circulation of alcoholic products, as well as performing the functions of a licensing authority, is the Federal Service for the Regulation of Alcohol Products.
A person producing or selling alcoholic products is required to submit an application and the corresponding package of documents to the territorial office of the FSRAR for timely receipt.
In addition to submitting an application, manufacturers and sellers must pay a state fee, which, depending on the applicant, is equal to:
Retail
Changes in the retail trade of alcoholic products associated with the Unified State Automated Information System allowed the state to significantly increase budget revenues in just six months. Thanks to the forced legalization of some manufacturers and sellers, the volume of manufactured products increased by 30%. As for the increase in payments to the federal treasury, they amounted to about 120 billion rubles over six months, which is almost 20% more than in the previous year.
Changes in the alcohol retail trade dictate their requirements already at the stage of purchasing products from suppliers. In order for alcohol to appear on the counter. It is necessary to match the data on the products of both parties to the transaction. If, after verification, the unified system confirms the fact of delivery, then the alcohol can be sold; otherwise, information about discrepancies in information is reflected in the Unified State Automated Information System.
When selling alcohol to the end consumer, the seller is obliged to conduct the transaction through EGAIS. Only after reading the information about the product, the system allows the sale to be made and issues the buyer a receipt with a barcode confirming the quality of the product.
Bottling
Persons selling alcoholic beverages by the glass are also required to join the unified system. In addition to this requirement, sellers must adhere to the following rules:
- Only permanent premises should serve as points of sale of draft alcoholic beverages, with the exception of temporary catering establishments;
- the point of sale should be located away from educational, medical and cultural institutions;
- The point of sale should not be located at gas stations, train stations, markets and other crowded places;
- persons can buy alcohol at least 18 years old, from 10.00 to 22.00.
It is worth noting that the sale of draft beer, cider, mead, etc. can be carried out by individual entrepreneurs without a license, which cannot be said about the sale of strong draft drinks.
How to spot a fake product
Despite the fact that excise stamps are made using various security technologies, bootleggers manage to successfully counterfeit them. At first glance, such brands do not differ from real ones and do not raise any doubts. However, having examined the container more carefully, and also having several recommendations at your disposal, you can easily distinguish counterfeit products from quality products.
Visual inspection
First of all, you should carefully examine the container of an alcoholic product - often this is enough to recognize a counterfeit:
- If, when you touch a tax stamp, the paint on it smears, leaving marks on your hand, you should definitely be wary.
- Stamps are made at Goznak, so their appearance must be appropriate.
Scanner check
In many large retail chains and specialized alcohol stores you can see so-called scanners - devices that read barcodes, displaying information about the product on the screen. Such a check can allow you to check the quality of the selected alcohol without going to the cash register.
Dimensions of current stamps
- Excise stamps have the following dimensions: 9cmx2.6cm and 6.2cmx2.1cm. If the packaging of alcohol contains brands of different sizes, then most likely the product does not correspond to the declared quality.
- In addition, it is worth paying attention to how tightly the stamp holds, and whether there are any uneven or crumpled edges.
Receipt and barcode
When purchasing alcohol in a store connected to EGAIS, the buyer is provided with a special receipt with a QR code. By scanning the code or clicking on the link below it, you can go to the Federal Tax Service website, where detailed information about the product, its seller and manufacturer will be provided.
Among other things, the stamp must have the following features:
- luminescent inscription “alcohol products”;
- microtext negative/positive “brand/FSM”;
- hologram in the shape of a diamond, inside of which is the inscription “RF”;
- fibers, like those used for banknotes.
Sample
In order to easily distinguish a counterfeit tax stamp from a real one, you need to carefully examine a known high-quality bottle of alcohol and pay attention to the signs indicated above. Since a good fake will require significant costs, it is unlikely that all security features will be present on such a tax stamp. For clarity, it makes sense to put real and fake products side by side.
Checking alcohol by excise stamp online
The Federal Service for the Regulation of Alcoholic Products has launched an online service “Stamp Check”, which allows you to use the excise stamp number to compare whether the information in the Unified State Automated Information System corresponds to the information that is actually available. In addition, some manufacturers of alcoholic beverages offer connoisseurs of their brands to check the quality of purchased drinks using their unique services.
Video: Checking the excise stamp