An Australian gin manufacturer has rushed to apologise and urgently recall bottles sold as gin that were in fact filled with hand sanitiser.
Apollo Bay Distillery sold nine bottles of its SS Casino Gin over the weekend before realising they were incorrectly labelled.
Like many alcohol manufacturers, the company had switched from producing gin to making hand sanitiser to help replenish stores during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But as restrictions have relaxed, the glass bottles of sanitiser got mixed up with the gin and were labelled as such.
The company posted a product recall notice on social media, explaining the error, and asking anyone who had purchased the bottles to return them for a full refund.
"The bottles were incorrectly labelled and had no seal," the company captioned the post.
"We understand they are not toxic."
The recall notice said consuming the hand sanitiser can come with grim side effects.
"Consumption of the product may have side effects including nausea, headaches, dizziness, bloating, vomiting, thirst and diarrhoea," Apollo Bay Distillery said.
"If you experience any of these symptoms please seek medical advice."
A spokesman for the company told ABC one woman had reported feeling nauseous after consuming the hand sanitiser, but had since recovered.
