An investigation by Dunfermline-based whisky broker Rare Whisky 101 claims to have identified two bottles of Macallan Fine and Rare, one valued at £500,000 and the other around £250,000 - both of which were fake. Scientific analysis of a bottle of Laphroaig 1903 which showed that it was in fact plain blended Scotch, bottled in all likelihood more than a century after it was alleged to have been made. Rare Whisky 101 attempted to establish the authenticity of the "1903 Laphroaig" and undertook a six month long series of forensic tests, including dating of the glass and the cork, analysis of peat-derived compounds to ascertain whether these originated in Islay, and chemical analysis which could determine whether the liquid was a single malt or blended Scotch. A final test using carbon dating suggested a 75% chance that the liquid was created between 2007-2009.
