A Bristol distillery has apologised for launching a vodka named Novichok a day before the substance killed victim Dawn Sturgess in Amesbury.
The Bristol Dry Gin Micro Distillery apologised to the families of Ms Sturgess and her partner Charlie Rowley – who is now said to be conscious after also being exposed to the Russian nerve agent – and claimed the product had been in the pipeline before the latest tragedy near Salisbury.
The company directors told The Bristol Post: Novichok Edition has been in development for some time, and was only named and released after the Skripals had recovered.
It added: It was intended to lighten the mood and ease tensions, not to cause offence, and reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
We sincerely apologise if any offence was caused, especially to the families of Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley, and understand the timing of the release of this product may have lacked sensitivity.
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The Novichok Edition is a limited edition, which sold out within a hours of being released, and we have no plans to produce any more.
The vodka launched was called an epic fail in comments made online.
Others called the launch classless and too soon.
Novichok was the nerve agent used in the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March.
Both Skripals have recovered from the poisoning and a police investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Ms Sturgess, 44, and her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, were found unconscious after being exposed to Novichok on June 30 in Amesbury, Wiltshire – eight miles from the first attack in Salisbury.
She died in hospital on Sunday and Scotland Yard have since launched a murder investigation.
Police suspect the couple were exposed through a contaminated item left over from the first attack, which Britain blames on Russia.
Russia has denied the allegation.
Public Health England have said the risk to the public following the incident is low.
However, chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies has warned everyone in the area not to pick up any foreign object which could contain liquid or gel, in the interests of their own safety.
Novichok was invented by the Soviet Union and is one of the most toxic substances known to man, it blocks instructions from nerves to muscles and causes immense pain and death.
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