The minimum price of alcohol in Scotland is set to rise by 30% as new measures are introduced to tackle excessive drinking.
MPs in the country are expected to approve that the new minimum unit price for alcohol will increase from 50p to 65p from May, reported The Guardian.
The minimum price of a standard bottle of whisky in Scotland will now climb from £14 to £18.20, vodka to £16.90, while a four-pack of basic lager will now cost £4.58.
The new 65p rate, which builds upon a previous minimum price restriction introduced in 2018, has been welcomed by health campaigners who praise the measure for constricting the sale of cheap alcohol.
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Yet the proposed new policy has also drawn criticism from The Wine and Spirit Trade Association, which has called for minimum pricing to be abandoned, citing it as “penalising” to consumers during a cost-of-living crisis and an ineffective way to control excessive drinking.
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association consumers affairs director David Richardson said: “Targeted measures have significantly greater impact without penalising the vast majority who do drink responsibly.”
In 2017 the policy was legally challenged by the Scotch Whisky Association, which ultimately lost when the UK supreme court ruled that it was “a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”.
Scotland experienced a 25% rise in alcohol-related deaths over the past three years, with the number of people using alcohol treatment services falling by 40% over the past decade.
The new measures come after Ireland followed suit and implemented its own minimum unit pricing for alcohol in 2022.
