Whisky spill sends £170,000 of Dewar’s into River Clyde
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) is investigating after thousands of bottles’ worth of Dewar’s whisky leaked into the River Clyde. The spill, caused by a machinery failure, could have both financial and environmental consequences.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency is investigating an incident in which the equivalent of 5,200 bottles of Dewar’s 12-year-old Reserve whisky escaped into the River Clyde.
A report in The Sun says that the accident was caused by a machinery failure at the Bacardi-owned company’s site in Glasgow.
Loss valued at £170,000
It occurred during a night shift when the whisky was being transferred between parts of the plant where Dewar’s is aged, blended and bottled. At retail value, the batch of whisky lost into the Clyde would be worth more than £170,000.
In a statement, a spokesperson for John Dewar & Sons said, “As per our official notification to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) last week, no whisky was discharged into the River Clyde and there has been no safety or environmental impact as a result of a mechanical fault that occurred on Wednesday, 17th September. We prioritise safety and go above and beyond compliance requirements to protect the environment, working closely with SEPA and all relevant authorities.”
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Environmental concerns
The environmental agency is concerned that the potentially inflammable Scotch may have caused pollution in the river as it was washed away to the sea.
A SEPA spokesman confirmed they were aware of an incident. She said: “SEPA is aware of an incident at John Dewar’s Westthorn on Wednesday, 17 September.
“We are awaiting a report from the operator and will follow up with any regulatory actions as required.”
Scrutiny of distillery pollution
SEPA is actively monitoring emissions from distilleries amid concerns that they are significant polluters of watercourses. It is also concerning that converting spent grains into bio-based chemicals at the end of distillation may not be as environmentally friendly as has been claimed.
Last year it was claimed by activists that whisky industry lobbyists had succeeded in pressuring SEPA into watering down proposals to toughen up pollution controls on distillers.
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