Fireball whiskey recalled in Europe over antifreeze ingredient

Fireball whiskey has been recalled in Europe for containing too much of an ingredient commonly found in antifreeze, reports The Daily Beast. 

The popular cinnamon-flavored beverage contains an amount of the chemical propylene glycol, which is found in antifreeze. In the whiskey, it’s used as a sweetener, but it can also be found in a variety of nonedible products like makeup and antifreeze. The company makes two versions of the beverage: one for the U.S. and Canada — with propylene glycol — and one with a slightly different recipe for Europe that contains less propylene glycol.

Fireball’s European bottler informed the company last week that they were not in compliance with regulations, and a spokesperson told The Daily Beast that the North American formula (with more propylene glycol) has been erroneously shipped to Europe. 

“Finland, Sweden and Norway have asked to recall those specific batches, which is what we are doing,” Fireball said in a press release.

There’s been no word of an American recall, and Fireball says that all of its products are safe to drink.  

“Propylene glycol (PG) is a regularly used and perfectly safe flavoring ingredient. PG has been used in more than 4,000 food, beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products for more than 50 years. Most people consume PG every day in soft drinks, sweeteners,” says the press release.

Propylene glycol has been deemed “generally safe” by the Food and Drug Administration for use in food products. The amount used by Fireball in the U.S. is well within permitted FDA limits.