diff --git a/core/src/main/java/io/questdb/griffin/SqlCompiler.java b/core/src/main/java/io/questdb/griffin/SqlCompiler.java
index 0e45256eda84ec0fb707d2d0dca782a386e66388..2e85f9c32a3fa4262f046cfc3a64952d54de1f64 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/io/questdb/griffin/SqlCompiler.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/io/questdb/griffin/SqlCompiler.java
@@ -883,7 +883,7 @@ public class SqlCompiler implements Closeable {
             }
 
             if (metadata.getColumnType(columnIndex) != ColumnType.SYMBOL) {
-                SqlException.$(lexer.lastTokenPosition(), "Invalid column type - Column should be of type symbol");
+                throw SqlException.$(lexer.lastTokenPosition(), "Invalid column type - Column should be of type symbol");
             }
 
             writer.changeCacheFlag(columnIndex, cache);
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/io/questdb/griffin/AlterTableAlterSymbolColumnCacheFlagTest.java b/core/src/test/java/io/questdb/griffin/AlterTableAlterSymbolColumnCacheFlagTest.java
index f0e3e75542ada80b2dbcecad8ecf1ad1d36f8382..14b439b782f6d2410590948cb9c3206f8f25137f 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/io/questdb/griffin/AlterTableAlterSymbolColumnCacheFlagTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/io/questdb/griffin/AlterTableAlterSymbolColumnCacheFlagTest.java
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@
 
 package io.questdb.griffin;
 
-import io.questdb.cairo.*;
+import io.questdb.cairo.RecordCursorPrinter;
+import io.questdb.cairo.TableReader;
+import io.questdb.cairo.TableWriter;
 import io.questdb.cairo.sql.Record;
 import io.questdb.cairo.sql.RecordMetadata;
 import io.questdb.griffin.engine.functions.rnd.SharedRandom;
@@ -35,8 +37,6 @@ import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
-import static io.questdb.griffin.CompiledQuery.ALTER;
-
 public class AlterTableAlterSymbolColumnCacheFlagTest extends AbstractGriffinTest {
 
     @Before
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ public class AlterTableAlterSymbolColumnCacheFlagTest extends AbstractGriffinTes
         assertFailure("alter table x alter column z", 28, "'add index' or 'cache' or 'nocache' expected");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testAlterFlagInNonSymbolColumn() throws Exception {
+        assertFailure("alter table x alter column b cache", 29, "Invalid column type - Column should be of type symbol");
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testWhenCacheOrNocacheAreNotInAlterStatement() throws Exception {
         assertFailure("alter table x alter column z ca", 29, "'cache' or 'nocache' expected");