Even Premium Tags Full of Chemicals: FSL Unmasks 50% Adulteration Rate In Gujarat’s Illicit Liquor Supply

Gujarat may be a dry state, but the chemical risks hidden inside illicit liquor are anything but dry statistics. More than 50% of liquor samples sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Ahmedabad, for examination contain chemicals, according to officials from the laboratory’s Toxicology Department.

The finding assumes greater significance in the backdrop of the recent spurious liquor tragedy in Bhavnagar, where the dangers associated with chemically adulterated liquor have once again come into sharp focus.

Forensic officials say the threat cannot be reduced to methanol alone. Cheap or illicit liquor can contain a range of chemicals, some of which are industrial substances never intended for consumption.

The concern is not merely that chemicals are being found in seized liquor. It is what these substances can do to the human body when they enter a drink in concentrations that are not meant for human consumption.

The Ahmedabad FSL examines nearly 8,000 alcohol-related samples every year, sent by police agencies in connection with prohibition raids and cases involving suspected illicit, adulterated or spurious liquor.

More than half of those samples, officials said, contain chemicals.

The real danger is what is inside the bottle

In a prohibition state, an illegally sold bottle of liquor already exists outside the regulated system. But forensic officials say the health risk becomes far more serious when chemicals are introduced into that liquid.

“Methanol is not the only concern. Other chemicals can also make the liquor hazardous, particularly when they are added in concentrations that are not meant for human consumption,” officials from the Toxicology Department said.

That distinction is important.

The presence of a chemical does not automatically mean that a liquor sample is poisonous or counterfeit. Toxicologists have to examine the substance, its concentration and the overall chemical composition of the sample before determining its significance.

But when industrial chemicals enter liquor in unsuitable quantities, the consequences can range from irritation and vomiting to confusion, unconsciousness, respiratory problems and, in severe cases, collapse.

Methanol is only one part of the problem

Methanol remains one of the most recognised toxicants associated with spurious liquor.

It is an industrial alcohol and is not intended for human consumption. Its presence in liquor is particularly dangerous because poisoning can initially be mistaken for ordinary intoxication.

Methanol poisoning can cause nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain. As the chemical is metabolised in the body, it can lead to severe metabolic acidosis.

In serious cases, this can result in low blood pressure, respiratory failure, kidney failure and damage to other organs.

Forensic studies of methanol poisoning cases in India have documented severe acidosis leading to respiratory failure. Some fatal cases have also shown brain swelling, kidney failure and damage to internal organs.

But toxicology experts warn against looking at methanol in isolation.

The chemicals detected in adulterated liquor can have their own effects on the body, depending on what they are and how much is present.

What chemicals can do to the body

The FSL officials highlighted several substances that can be relevant in cases involving adulterated liquor.

Common Chemical Additives and Their Biological Impact

• Methanol (Methyl Alcohol): An industrial solvent frequently mixed to build volume or mimic alcohol strength. Once ingested, it metabolizes into formic acid, leading to severe metabolic acidosis, nausea, vomiting, acute abdominal pain, low blood pressure, respiratory failure, kidney failure, permanent optic nerve damage (blindness), and death.
• Isopropyl Alcohol (Isopropanol): Used to induce rapid intoxication. High concentrations cause gastrointestinal irritation, severe abdominal pain, vomiting, confusion, drop in blood pressure, central nervous system depression, and cardio-respiratory collapse.
• Acetone: An industrial solvent affecting the nervous and respiratory systems. Ingestion leads to severe headaches, nausea, mental confusion, throat and lung irritation, and loss of consciousness.
• Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK): Exposure or ingestion induces dizziness, heavy drowsiness, gastrointestinal disturbance, and long-term peripheral nervous system damage.
• Ethyl Acetate: An industrial solvent that occurs naturally in low amounts in fermented beverages. When introduced in high industrial concentrations to create fruity aromas, it causes severe irritation of the mucous membranes, eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory tract, along with central nervous system depression.

Important: The presence of any one of these substances does not automatically mean a liquor sample is counterfeit or poisonous. Toxicologists have to assess the substance, its concentration and the overall chemical composition before determining its significance.

Why are these chemicals being added?

The motivation is often financial.

According to FSL officials, illicit liquor operators can use chemicals and flavouring agents to make cheap alcohol resemble premium liquor.

The objective is not necessarily to increase the alcohol content.

Instead, certain compounds can be used to recreate the aroma and flavour associated with expensive spirits.

A cheap or illegally produced liquid can be given fruity, vanilla, citrus, spicy, woody or smoky characteristics.

That allows an inexpensive liquid to be presented and sold as something considerably more valuable.

A premium label can hide a very different liquid

Officials have also flagged the suspected practice of refilling adulterated liquor into discarded or counterfeit bottles of premium brands.

That creates another layer of risk.

The bottle may carry the appearance and label of a well-known product, while its contents may be a completely different liquid.

An unsuspecting consumer may therefore have little way of knowing what is actually inside the bottle simply by looking at its packaging.

Flavour and aroma can also be manipulated.

• Ethyl acetate: Added for fruity and sweet notes.

• Isoamyl acetate: Introduced to generate a banana-like aroma.

• Ethyl butyrate: Used to impart pineapple or rich fruit characteristics.

• Vanillin and Ethyl vanillin: Mixed to simulate aged oak or vanilla profiles.

• Other compounds: Mixed to fake citrus, floral, anise, clove, cinnamon, smoky, or woody notes.

Many of these substances have legitimate uses in the food, flavour, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and manufacturing industries.

Their presence, therefore, does not automatically establish illegal manufacture.

The concern arises when they are used inappropriately or in concentrations unsuitable for human consumption.

What happens when seized liquor reaches the FSL?

For police officers, a bottle seized during a prohibition raid may simply be suspected liquor.

At the FSL, the contents undergo scientific examination.

Depending on the case, the laboratory tests for ethanol and methanol, alcohol concentration, turbidity, sugar content and other chemical parameters.

The purpose is not merely to establish whether a liquid contains alcohol.

Scientists also examine the chemical composition and identify substances that could make the liquid unsafe.

This is where a seized bottle stops being just an object recovered during a raid and becomes forensic evidence.

The laboratory can provide investigators with scientific evidence about what was actually present in the sample.

The numbers show the scale

The Ahmedabad FSL examines nearly 8,000 alcohol-related samples every year.

Officials said more than 50% contain chemicals.

That does not mean more than half of these samples are necessarily poisonous. Each chemical has to be assessed according to its identity, concentration and overall composition.

But the number does show the scale of chemical exposure that forensic laboratories are encountering in liquor samples sent from prohibition cases.

And it raises a bigger question: how many of these chemicals are finding their way into illicit liquor before a bottle ever reaches the FSL?

The supply of industrial chemicals is under the scanner

The FSL Toxicology Department has also highlighted the easy availability of industrial chemicals that could potentially be diverted into the illicit liquor trade.

Many of these substances are legally manufactured and sold for legitimate industrial purposes.

An outright ban, therefore, would neither be practical nor desirable.

Officials believe the focus should instead be on better monitoring of their sale, transportation, storage and end-use.

The concern is particularly serious when chemicals intended for industrial applications ultimately enter products consumed by people.

Broader issue

With nearly 8,000 alcohol-related samples reaching the Ahmedabad FSL every year and more than half containing chemicals, toxicology officials say the threat posed by spurious liquor is broader than methanol alone.

In Gujarat, where alcohol is prohibited, the issue is therefore not simply about an illegal bottle changing hands.

It is about what happens when industrial chemicals enter a drink meant for human consumption—and the potentially serious health consequences that can follow.

The recent Bhavnagar tragedy has once again underlined the danger. The FSL's findings point to the larger picture: preventing spurious liquor tragedies may require not only cracking down on those who manufacture and distribute illicit liquor, but also keeping a closer watch on the chemicals that can make their way into it.