Chinese entrepreneurs have teamed up with North Korean government officials to brew a fake version of a beer that can trace its heritage back to Trowbridge in Wiltshire.

Taedonggang beer is the most popular brew in North Korea and the brand had built up a firm following abroad, primarily in China but also in South Korea, before international sanctions halted shipments that served as an important money-spinner for the regime.

With the government in Pyongyang desperate to raise hard cash for its weapons programmes, it appears that one of the North’s organisations tasked with acquiring funds has struck a deal with a company with a factory outside the Chinese city of Dandong to produce a knock-off version, Radio Free Asia reported.

“The shape of the bottle and even the taste are similar to genuine Taedonggang Beer, but beer experts can distinguish the difference in taste”, a source in Dandong told the broadcaster. “But the taste is very close to that of the genuine product, so ordinary people cannot tell the difference”.

The fake beer is being sold to restaurants and karaoke bars, with anyone curious as to how the beer is available in China being told that it is being smuggled over the border from North Korea.