Whiff of almond falls victim to terror alert

An advertising campaign that wafted the aroma of almond liqueur through the London Underground was suspended yesterday amid security fears that the smell was similar to cyanide gas.

Amaretto Di Saronno, an Italian brand, called a halt to the idea, part of a £1.5m Christmas marketing campaign, after Home Office advice about the heightened threat of terrorist activity. The scent of the sweet-tasting drink was replicated using aromatherapy oils, but, unfortunately for the manufacturers, cyanide gas also smells of almond, albeit bitter almond.

Jon Evans, the brand manager, said: "The production of aroma is only one element of the campaign, and whilst we regret that Underground passengers will no longer enjoy this aspect, security issues are clearly more important than marketing activity."