Hi Spirits recalls whisky over US/EU formulation error
Operators who stock Fireball cinnamon whisky are being urged to remove it from bars after it was found to contain higher than permitted levels of a chemical.
The slogan associated with Fireball is "tastes like heaven, burns like hell".
Hi-Spirits said it would send out a form for stockists who are being asked to advise how many cases they have and where they can be collected.
In a statement Fireball UK said: "PG is a regularly used and perfectly safe flavouring ingredient. PG has been used in more than 4,000 food, beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products for more than 50 years.
"It is used in the Fireball flavour in very small quantities, less than 1/8th of the amount allowed by US FDA regulations. However, the EU regulations permit a lower level of propylene glycol than other territories of 1g per kg."
Hi-Spirits chairman Jeremy Hill said: "On behalf of Sazerac, we sincerely apologise to all Fireball stockists and their customers. We have been working for the past few days with a public analyst and the FSA to ascertain which recipe had been shipped to the UK market, and regretfully, we have now been informed that a withdrawal is necessary.
"We deeply regret the inconvenience to our customers, particularly as we approach the busiest time of year for spirit sales, and we are committed to making sure the collection process, and in due course replacement with new stock, is undertaken efficiently and with the minimum of disruption."