Laser tech detects fake alcohol bottles non-invasively

New Atlas | Aug 31, 2026 at 8:03 PM
  • Methanol poisoning from contaminated alcohol is relatively rare in countries with strict alcohol regulation, but it remains a serious problem in regions where counterfeit alcohol is common.
  • Conducting those tests without opening the bottle and sending a sample to a laboratory was impossible until a recent discovery made by scientists from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Adelaide University in South Australia.
  • This is why this particular method of testing doesn’t require the bottles to be opened, which is the biggest breakthrough.