Czech distillers hit hard amid bootleg deaths

Czech distillers are facing the first ever dry spell after Prague banned the sale of domestic liquor both at home and abroad after bootlegged spirits killed 23 Czechs.

Under pressure from the European Union, Czech authorities banned exports of liquor with more than 20 percent alcohol content on Thursday on the heels of a sales ban at home imposed on Sept 14.

"The export ban is terrible for my brand," said Anthony Schofield, chief executive of Jan Becher - Karlovarska Becherovkathe, maker of the Czech Republic's world-renowned traditional herbal liqueur.