A new law comes into force today setting a minimum price for alcohol in Wales. This means alcohol can’t be sold or supplied for less than 50p a unit.

 

You won’t notice a change in the price of most alcoholic drinks, but high-strength, low-cost products like lager and cider will be significantly more expensive. However, most drinks sold in pubs are already well above the 50p per unit minimum price, and therefore you probably won’t by the law change, but pound-a-pint nights will become a thing of the past.

The policy, introduced through the Welsh Government’s Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018, aims to reduce hazardous and harmful levels of drinking.

Around 10 people die every week in Wales from alcohol related causes. Alcohol causes harm to societies as well as individuals, with taxpayers picking up the bill. Every year, alcohol leads to nearly 60,000 hospital admissions in Wales and costs NHS Wales an estimated £159 million.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething visited an alcohol care team in Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital which aims to support people admitted to hospital with alcohol misuse disorders. He said: “We know when alcohol is cheap and readily available, harmful drinking increases. The minimum price won’t affect moderate drinkers who may be worried about the price of a pint going up. The aim of this legislation is to reduce the harm being done by those most at risk of alcohol abuse.”

Dr Sarah Aitken, Director of Public Health for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “ We see the effects of excessive alcohol consumption on people’s health every day. Aside from damaging the liver, alcohol affects the heart, kidneys and brain. It impacts on hospital services, and on people’s lives more generally. The intervention of minimum pricing will reduce the harm done by alcohol, it’s an important step and will hopefully make people think about their relationship with alcohol.

“In Scotland, where a minimum price was introduced in May 2018, early indicators are encouraging, with a reduction in the annual volume of pure alcohol in drinks sold, and a fall in the volume of alcohol sold at very low prices.”

What does this mean for the price of my drink?

A standard strength pint of beer or cider can’t be sold for less than £1.25 (it contains around 2.5 units of alcohol, so 2.5 x the minimum price of 50p)

A bottle of wine has about 10 units of alcohol in it, so the minimum price for it will be £5 (10 x minimum price of 50p)

A bottle of whisky or vodka contains around 26 units, and so could not be sold for less than £13 (26 units multiplied by 50p).

Strongbow Cider

As Strongbow is 5% alcohol, a 20-pack contains 44 units of alcohol – and would have to cost a minimum of £22 at a minimum price per unit of 50p.

Supermarket own-brand ciders would also be hit hard. Tesco sells a 5% Apple Cider in four packs of 440ml cans for £2.20. That would have to be at least £4.40.

Stella

An 18 pack of 440ml cans of Stella at Asda currently costs £13. But as Stella is a 4.8% lager, such a pack would have to cost at least £19 under a minimum unit price.

Carling

An 18 pack of 440ml cans of Carling cost just £10. Under minimum prices, 18 packs of Carling or Fosters and other 4% beers would have to cost £15.84. A four pack of 440ml cans go up to a minimum of £3.50.

Budweiser

A 20 pack of 300ml bottles of Bud (a 4.8% alcohol beer like Stella) would cost £14.40 under the Welsh Government’s proposal. Such a pack of Budweiser is currently £10 online from Tesco.

Smirnoff

Other 37.5% strength spirits, like Smirnoff, will also go up to £13.10 minimum for a 70cl bottle.

A bottle currently costs £14.50 at Tesco, Asda normally prices Smirnoff at £14.50 but it’s currently on offer for £12.

Wine

Fans of red wine are used to being able to pick up a bottle for under a fiver. But that will have to change.

A 13.5% alcohol bottle of Australian red wine costs £4 a bottle in Tesco if you buy six. Under the Welsh Government’s plans, it would cost a minimum of £5.06.

Lower strength wines would be slightly cheaper. But at a minimum of £4.87 for a 13% wine down to £4.12 for an 11% wine, even Tesco’s £3.50 fruity red bargain, which is 11%, would be a super-cheap bargain no more.