Buying alcohol will be more expensive due to new minimum pricing law across Wales

As of today, Monday 2^nd March, a new law has been introduced in Wales stating that retailers and other alcohol venders must charge at least 50p per unit of alcohol.

The law, passed by the Welsh Government in 2018, will mean that a typical bottle of wine will cost no less than £4.69.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said it will tackle “harmful and damaging” drinking. Opposers of the new law, however, argue that it only targets those from lower income backgrounds and isn’t sufficient to tackle the high alcohol consumption amongst some of Wales’ more affluent areas.

In response to the scepticism, Mr Gething said: “It’s not about making alcohol unaffordable, it is addressing the most harmful and damaging alcohol – high-strength, cheap alcohol.” While the Welsh Government reiterated the point that people would only notice the change in “high-strength, low-cost” products.

For reference: What is a unit of alcohol?

1 unit is the equivalent of 10ml of pure alcohol.

A singular shot of spirits is around 1 unit.

1 VK contains 1.1 units.

A 125ml glass of wine contains roughly 1.5 units.

A pint of lower-strength lager contains roughly 2 units.

How this will this affect me?

Your average drink at a pub or restaurant isn’t likely to see much (or an) increase in price. Where students will be most hit is buying drinks before a night out at a local store. The price of a 1 litre bottle of supermarket own-brand liquor could potentially double as a result of the new law.

In the long run, the result of this new law may not be as drastic as you may think. So, I wouldn’t worry about rocking up to Juice sober just yet. And remember, if the price of VKs increase, then we riot.