$740,000 of whisky poured down the drain

Thousands of litres of Scotch whisky worth $740,000 has been lost after being accidentally washed down the drain at a bottling factory in Scotland.

About 18,000 litres of the spirit was flushed out last Tuesday when the fluid was mistaken for waste water.

Chivas Brothers of Dumbarton said it was investigating an ‘accidental loss’ after sewage workers reported the strong smell.

‘We are currently investigating an accidental loss on the February 26 at our Dumbarton site, where some spirit was released to the local water treatment plant,’ it said in a statement.

‘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.’

Chivas

Chivas Brothers employs over 600 workers and produces the world’s second biggest-selling brand, Ballantine’s.

A Scottish Water spokesman said: ‘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.’

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