IMPORTANT INFORMATION

NEW ALCOHOL MINIMUM PRICING LAWS

In an effort to combat irresponsible drinking throughout Scotland, the Scottish government has introduced legislation, enforcing a minimum price that alcohol can be sold for.

From May 1st 2018 the minimum price of an alcoholic drink sold in Scotland is £0.50 per unit. All licensed premises are now unable to sell alcoholic beverages at a price that equates to any less than this.

To ensure our auctions are compliant with this new law our starting bid for all lots is now £20 without exception.

You can read more about this on the Scottish Government’s website.

WHAT EFFECT DOES THIS HAVE ON ME?

Will this change the price I pay?
The majority of the lots sold at auction exceed the minimum alcohol price, this will not change. In order to comply with the law, we will no longer be selling any lot for less than £20. This starting bid is to cover whiskies which may be higher than 40%

What does this mean for sellers?
This change to our starting bid means that no individual lot can sell for any amount less than £20.
If you feel an item will not exceed the minimum price set out by the Government, we would not recommend sending it to us.

If you are unsure please contact us at Scotch Whisky Auctions for further advice.

HOW TO CALCULATE THE MINIMUM PRICE OF ALCOHOL

The minimum price can be calculated like this:

(ABV * Bottle Size in CL) / 100
*
0.5

Example: (Regular bottle of 40% whisky):

(40% abv * 70cl) = 2800
Divided by 100 = 28 units of alcohol
Multiplied by 0.5 = £14.00 minimum price