Buckfast sales soar by 40 PER CENT after Nicola Sturgeon’s minimum alcohol pricing

Scottish people drank 40 per cent more Buckfast and its price fell in the year after Nicola Sturgeon’s alcohol minimum pricing was introduced, research has revealed. 

The 15 ABV tonic wine was among the only alcoholic drinks to reduce in price after the base 50p per unit charge was introduced in 2018 under the SNP’s minimum unit pricing (MUP) laws. 

The legislation, which was intended to make high-strength drinks less appealing, led to alcohol prices going up faster than those south of the border, with strong ciders and own-brand spirits rising the most.

But the cost of Buckfast, which has been linked to anti-social behaviour, fell slightly from 67p per unit in 2017-18 to 65p (or £7.30 a bottle) the year after. 

Meanwhile, ‘natural volume sales’ rose by 40 per cent per adult in the first year after the introduction of MUP, Public Health Scotland said. 

The 15 ABV tonic wine was among the only alcoholic drinks to reduce in price after the base 50p per unit charge was introduced in 2018 under the SNP’s minimum unit pricing (MUP) laws

Public Health Scotland said the average price of alcoholic drinks in shops increased north of the border to a greater extent than in England and Wales over the same period.

Average prices in Scotland increased in the first year of the law from 60p per unit to 66p, while in England and Wales it grew from 60p to 61p.

Supermarket prices rose by almost 18%, from 56p to 66p per unit, while in convenience stores they went from 63p to 67p.

The steepest price rises were for strong ciders and perries in convenience stores and own-brand cider and spirits in supermarkets, many of which were below 50p per unit before the law was introduced.

But the research found products which increased least in average price, like some pre-mixed drinks, or those that fell, like some fortified wines, appeared most likely to see increased sales.

Public Health Scotland looked at sales data between May 2016 and April 2019 as part of its investigation into the minimum pricing, which will expire unless MSPs vote to renew it in before May next year.

Changes were also seen in sales across different container sizes, including reductions in the amount sold in larger single-item containers, especially for some ciders and own-brand spirits in bottles of one litre and over, Public Health Scotland said.

The amount of beer and cider sold in the largest multipacks also fell, while sales in smaller multipacks increased.

And, the research found, there was limited evidence that products were being introduced, discontinued or reformulated as a result of minimum pricing. 

Nicola Sturgeon’s legislation, which was the first of its kind in the world,  was intended to make high-strength drinks less appealing

Tess White, the Scottish Tories’ shadow public health minister, told the Telegraph: ‘This report shows that far from discouraging drinking, Mup may just be encouraging people to buy stronger alcohol.

‘This is just the latest evidence that minimum pricing may be doing more harm than good.’

Maree Todd, the SNP’s public health minister, said: ‘This report shows that the introduction of a minimum unit pricing has driven down consumption of cheap high-strength alcohol which is often drunk by people drinking at harmful levels.’ 

Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: ‘The overall effect of these changes has been a reduction of 3.5% in total off-sales of alcohol, according to previous research.’