Whiskey flushed down the drain at a bottling plant could have an adverse effect on the treatment of waste water, officials say, after workers accidentally dumped over 6,000 gallons of Chivas from its container.

“We are currently investigating an accidental loss on the 26th of February at our Dumbarton site, where some spirit was released to the local water treatment plant,” the company said in a statement. “There has been no release of spirit to the River Leven or any other local water course. We have informed Scottish Water and all other relevant authorities.”

The incident occurred on Thursday at the Chivas Brothers bottling plant in Dumbarton, Scotland when workers accidentally threw the lever to drain the whiskey rather than the wastewater they were going for. Now, the company faces a huge monetary loss as well as issues with the sewer system.

“Discharging large volumes of alcohol into the sewer network can have an adverse impact on waste water treatment processes, particularly during dry, cold weather,” Scottish Water said in a statement. “We are continuing to closely monitor our Dumbarton wastewater treatment works to ensure treatment has not been compromised.”

It’s rumored that the employees responsible for the accident may lose their jobs, but nothing has been confirmed as yet. The water system in and around Dumbarton is being closely monitored.

Image: Chivas Brothers