As any college student can tell you, a typical bottle of vodka has a 40-percent alcohol content. Georgian Bay is no different, at least normally, but improper diluting left one batch with a good deal more alcohol than normal. Georgian Bay brand vodka batch number 19 boasts an 81-percent alcohol content, which would be great for efficiently spiking the party punch, but bad for those hoping to avoid alcohol poisoning.
For safety purposes, the LCBO is pulling every bottle of Georgian Bay in Ontario. LCBO spokeswoman Christine Bujold said that the manufacturer, Toronto-based Georgian Bay Gin Company, is cooperating with the recall.
"There are beverage alcohols out there that are that potent, however they're labelled accordingly," Bujold said in a statement. "With the vodka, the label says it's 40 percent, you might be drinking it neat without dilution. What you're actually consuming is 80 percent, so that's where the risk is."
She stated that anyone can turn over a bottle of Georgian Bay batch 19 to the LCBO for a full refund.
Georgian Bay won the gold medal for best vodka in the 2016 World Spirits Competition. "To ensure this never happens again we've had the distillery re-write their entire QA [quality assurance] procedures and we're hiring a third-party quality assurance expert to evaluate the distillery to make sure every step has been taken," said Georgian Bay spokesman Denzil Wadds in an email statement.
No illnesses have been reported from consuming the industrial-strength spirits, according to the LCBO.
