This Gin Was Recalled For A Dangerous Reason

I love a nice, crisp gin and tonic, but it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. In Canada this week, Bombay Sapphire gin was recalled for containing almost twice as much alcohol as advertised on the label. Authorities are warning customers with affected bottles not to consume the extra-strong gin and seek refunds instead.

The CBC reports that the recall was first issued in Ontario, after bottles of Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin were found to have an alcohol content of 77 percent, nearly twice the 40 percent alcohol content printed on the bottles’ labels. Bacardi, which owns Bombay Sapphire, said that the company began investigating the bottles due to an “isolated customer complaint,” according to CNN. It was discovered that a batch of the product was bottled before being properly diluted, resulting in a much higher alcohol content than intended.

The CBC reports that up to 1,000 cases of Bombay Sapphire were affected. The gin was sold in Canada only, in eight provinces — Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan — though the recall has been extended across the country. Affected bottles have the product code “L16304” and are all 1.14-litres in size. (That’s just under 40 oz.)

If you have one of the recalled bottles, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency urges you to throw it away or return it to the store. (Bacardi has promised a refund.) Don’t drink it! “Consuming a product with an alcohol content of 77% could cause serious illness,” a spokesman for the Ontario Liquor Control Board told the Independent. Thankfully, no illness has thus far been reported.