It’s part of a UK-wide crackdown by brand owner Mast-Jägermeister SE.
Enquiries by private investigators revealed that the bars, located in the Midlands and northern England, served substitute products in place of Jägermeister, when Jägermeister was asked for by name, according to the company.
The findings were confirmed by laboratory tests, Mast-Jägermeister SE added, and in some cases substitute products had been poured from Jägermeister-branded bottles.
“Lawyers acting for Mast-Jägermeister SE have written to the five bars advising them that they have evidence from visits to the bars of passing off or pouring over. The bars are asked to cease and desist from these practices or face legal proceedings,” the company said.
“Mast-Jägermeister SE has been monitoring the situation in the on-trade in the wake of its phenomenal growth in the UK – total sales rose more than 100% in the last 12 months.”
Pubs, bars and restaurants can face stiff penalties for passing off, with fines sometimes running into thousands of pounds.
Bars can also be issued with injunctions to prevent them re-offending. Failure to adhere to the injunction could mean imprisonment for contempt of court, Mast-Jägermeister SE said.