The cost of vodka, beer and wine is changing.
As we mentioned earlier, the government have announced that they’ll be setting the minimum cost for a unit of alcohol at €1. This means that most cans of beer will now cost a minimum of €2 while a 300ml can will come out at around €1.29 (€30.96 for a slab of 24 cans)
As for wine drinkers, a bottle that has a 14% volume of alcohol will cost around €8.63, that’s €1.15 for a 100ml glass.
The new legislation will also have an impact on supermarket own brand vodka and other spirits. Naturally, spirits contain a higher quotient of alcohol, thus constituting a more expensive unit of alcohol per volume.
For example; a 700ml bottle of vodka (40%) contains 28 units, so it will now be at least €28 for a bottle.
A litre bottle of cider at 4.3% runs €4.30 while a two litre bottle of cider at 7% strength will cost €14.
As things stand, these planned changes are expected to come into effect next summer.
Today FM journalist Gavan Reilly has been covering the story and here are some of his insights.
Minimum alcohol pricing is established at 10c per gram of alcohol, which they say works out at €1 per unit of alcohol
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) December 9, 2015
Royal College of Physicians: Those who drink within safe limits (17 units/wk men, 11 women) should only pay €15.70 extra per year for drink
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) December 9, 2015
Leo Varadkar says plan is to have the legislation implemented by next summer, but that minimum pricing will come in at same time as in North
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) December 9, 2015
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