One bottle of Dirty George vodka from Melbourne IGA contained industrial alcohol; producer denies it is genuine

A bottle of Dirty George vodka purchased from a Melbourne IGA liquor store contained tert-butyl alcohol at approximately 500 milligrams per litre, Abc reported. John Leeder, managing director of Leeder Analytical Laboratory, said the laboratory detected the substance during routine testing of beer, wine and spirits for impurities.

He added that the compound appears in industrial products but not in items produced for human consumption.

Michala Kowalski of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre described the results as quite terrifying. She said the product appeared to be industrial alcohol repackaged and sold as a beverage. Kowalski noted that tert-butyl alcohol on its own with alcohol is usually a base for perfume or hand sanitiser in Australia and stated that consumers should not drink it.

The tested bottle also lacked batch details, carried an incorrect pregnancy warning and had a faulty cap. Abc reported that Kowalski's team visited about 200 stores across the eastern seaboard and found that 30 per cent stocked illicit alcohol products. Two other bottles tested by the team contained methanol and plasticiser.

Eric Hadinata, an addiction medicine specialist, said animal studies linked high doses of tert-butyl alcohol to abnormal movements, kidney and bladder issues, and kidney and thyroid cancers over time. He called for tert-butyl alcohol to be included in emergency-department blood testing in Victoria and for tougher penalties on manufacturers of contaminated alcohol.

Metcash, which owns IGA, stated it believes the independent retailer was unaware the product may have been illicit and said it is working with retailers to raise awareness.