Thousands and thousands of gallons of whisky was flushed down the drain this week at a Chivas Brothers bottling plant.
According to the Scottsman , the whisky was mistaken for waste water and was flushed by a night time cleaning crew. The exact amount of whisky lost isn’t known but local media is reporting that the incident involved “thousands of liters” of whisky.
The smell was so strong that the water treatment plant knew about the problem before they were contacted by the whisky maker.
A Scottish Water spokesman told the Daily Mail :
“Staff at our waste water treatment works were already aware of a problem and were working to identify the source when contacted by Chivas Brothers. Our trade effluent team have now visited the company to get an oversight into its failure investigation so that we can ensure all possible precautions are being taken to prevent a repeat. Discharging large volumes of alcohol into the sewer network can have an adverse impact on waste water treatment processes, particularly during dry, cold weather.”
According to the Chivas Brothers, the whisky did not enter the river Leven or other local water sources.
Chivas Brothers said in a statement:
“We are currently investigating an accidental loss on the 26th of February at our Dumbarton site, where some spirit was released to the local water treatment plant. There has been no release of spirit to the River Leven or any other local water course. We have informed Scottish Water and all other relevant authorities.”
In addition to Chivas Regal, the company also produces Ballantine’s, Laphroaig and Glenlivet.
