Scotch on the rocks... and the riverbank
WHISKY worth more than £1million has leaked out of a bonded warehouse.
Most of the 60,000 litres – enough to fill 8 ,000 bottles – that spilled out at the facility in Catrine, Ayrshire, in June leaked from a vat into the plant’s grounds, but the rest flooded into the River Ayr.
It is the second time in recent years there has been a major spillage at the facility, with a leak of 6,600 litres of whisky in 2011.
The Healthy and Safety Executive (HSE) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have demanded that whisky bosses improve operations at the site.
A SEPA spokesman said: ‘An investigation was carried out at the Loch Lomond Group bonded warehouse in Catrine, following a discharge of whisky from the facility.
‘It’s understood that due to a leak inside the building, a significant quantity of whisky managed to escape through the floor of the warehouse. It’s likely that the majority of the whisky was absorbed by the ground beneath the warehouse but a small amount did enter the drainage system and discharge directly into the River Ayr.
‘Following the numerous assessments of the watercourse by SEPA officers, the discharge was not found to have any significant impact on the surface water environment.
‘As the facility is also regulated under the Control of Major Accidents and Hazards Regulations 201 , a joint investigation was carried out by SEPA and the HSE.
‘As a result, a series of corrective actions have been issued to the operator to ensure this incident does not recur.’
A Loch Lomond Distillers spokesman said: ‘There was an accidental leakage of around 60,000 litres of blended whisky from a vat at our bottling plant at Glen Catrine in Ayrshire. Tests showed no evidence of alcohol in the River Ayr, no visible evidence of impact on wildlife and minimal traces of alcohol on the river banks. We’ve been working with both SEPA and the HSE to ensure that there is no recurrence.’
Loch Lomond Group produces whiskies, including Glengarry, Little Mill, Glen Scotia and High Commissioner.
The previous leak in 2011 occurred when the facility was owned by a different firm.
On that occasion much of the whisky ran into the River Ayr, resulting in a fine of £12,000 at Ayr Sheriff Court in 2014 after the company admitted the charges.
The spillage – equivalent to around 7,000 bottles – occurred when whisky was pumped into a vat that was already full.
The overflow was only noticed when a passing employee came across it.