A batch of Bacardi-owned Bombay Sapphire gin has been recalled in Canada after it was found to have nearly double the alcohol content listed on the bottle.

Up to 6,000 bottles of the gin, famous for its distinctive blue bottle, are thought to have been affected by a production error at the bottling plant for Bombay’s Sapphire, which is distilled in Hampshire, England.

The affected bottles are listed as being 40 per cent alcohol by volume — but were bottled before being diluted, so have a 77 per cent level of alcohol instead.

Bacardi, which is headquartered in Bermuda, said an isolated consumer complaint led to the recall and that it was conducting a review at the third-party bottling plant involved.

A spokeswoman for Bacardi said: “Bacardi is committed to quality for all the premium products within its portfolio.

“The overproof product inadvertently entered the bottling line during a short period of time when they were switching from one bottling tank to another.”

Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan have been affected, according to Bacardi.

The Canadian Food Inspection agency said the 1.1 litre bottles were sold only in Canada.

The agency said customers should throw out affected bottles, which have identifiable product codes, or return them to the seller. Sellers have been told to remove affected bottles from their shelves.

It added that no one had become ill as a result of drinking the gin.

Bombay Sapphire has experienced double-digit growth over the past few years and now makes up eight per cent of sales for Bacardi, which is the world’s fourth-largest spirits producer, making around 300 million litres of its brands a year.