The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
As of the discussions captured, the UK alcohol duty landscape was uncertain but members were tracking several potential scenarios. **Anticipated increases:** - A **14.2% increase** was being discussed as a likely figure - Duty per pure litre was cited at **£32.82** (for duty-paid customers) - Per-case duty was calculated at **£45.27**, or **£7.54 per bottle** - The increase was expected to follow **September RPI inflation at 12.6%** (per the Autumn Statement 2022 policy costings) **Timing:** - Members believed the increase would take effect on **1st February 2023** (though some noted uncertainty) - One member flagged that **January NGS (National Guaranteed Shelves?) costs would also increase**, making end-of-December stock clearance particularly attractive - **Page 71 of the Autumn Statement 2022 Policy Costings** was cited as the source document; **Page 63** noted a delay to the reform implementation date to August, which *might* affect the timing - Importantly, **HMT later confirmed to the WSTA that no uprating decision had been made in the Autumn Statement itself**—the decision was still pending, with the Alcohol Duty Review to continue as planned **Strategic responses members discussed:** - Members recommended **moving stock out of bond ahead of the increase** to avoid paying higher duty - Clearing bonded stock the day *before* the duty increase took effect, then raising prices on duty day, was flagged as a tactic - Some considered **taking a loan to move bulk stock pre-Christmas** if the increase was confirmed and the February timeline held - **WSTA membership** was highlighted as valuable for tracking official announcements - Members noted the complexity of **price-marked packs post-duty increase** as a headache to manage **Caveats:** - The February 2023 date was stated with explicit uncertainty ("I think it's February 2023 but might be wrong") - One member noted that **only once they could recall duty being dropped** historically, so increases were the norm - Whether to pass the full increase to customers or absorb some into margin was debated; in the current cost-of-living climate, **most members favoured passing on the increase in full**, as other costs were rising too and any absorption would "just get lost" - Cash reserves were flagged as a constraint for those planning to pre-clear bonded stock