Finland Seeks to Relax Alcohol Sales Restrictions

The Finnish government intends to allow direct sales of alcoholic beverages to consumers by liquor distilleries and microbreweries. Currently, the state-owned company Alko is the sole vendor of strong alcoholic drinks in Finland, according to the local broadcasting company Yle.

The plan to ease alcohol policies has been included in the new government program. This means that in the future, small liquor distilleries will be able to sell beverages such as gin and whisky directly to consumers.

"This is absolutely incredible for Finnish alcohol culture and small businesses in the sector," commented Miko Heinilä, one of the founders of Kyrö, a distillery company.

Microbreweries and wineries are already permitted to sell their beverages directly from their production facilities.

These government intentions have received positive reactions from small producers of alcoholic beverages. Finnish distilleries like Valamon Luostarin Tislaamo, The Helsinki Distilling Company, and Kyrö Distillery Company have long sought permission for direct sales.

"We could sell our products directly to consumers, as is common in other countries around the world. This will bring Finland to an international level," noted Mikko Mäkkyäinen, CEO and founder of Helsinki Distilling Company.

Surveys have shown that the majority of Finnish citizens support the decision to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content exceeding 5.5% not only in specialized shops but also in regular stores and supermarkets.

It should be noted that Finland has other restrictions on alcohol sales, including relatively high prices for these products. According to Eurostat data from June 2022, Finland had the highest alcohol prices in the European Union, approximately 120% higher than the EU average.

For instance, a liter of vodka in Finland costs around 23 euros, gin - 28 euros, and whisky - 30 euros. This situation led to Finnish residents traveling to neighboring Russia to purchase alcohol at significantly lower prices and organizing alcohol tourism to St. Petersburg. However, these practices ceased following Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.