Alcohol in Thailand refers to the alcohol industry, alcohol consumption and laws related to alcohol in Thailand. In 2023, 5.73 million people (10.05% of the population) demonstrated signs of alcoholism. [1]
Thailand's alcoholic drinks market was valued at approximately 473 billion baht ($13.97 billion) in 2020. [2] The market has been characterized as a monopoly. [3]
Over half of the alcoholic drinks market consists of beer, and is effectively a duopoly, with Boon Rawd Brewery (which produces Singha and Leo beers) comprising a 58% share and ThaiBev (which produces Chang beer) at 34.3%. [4] [5]
Under the 1950 Liquor Act, individuals are prohibited from brewing and distributing their own beer. [6] Despite this, a large craft beer market exists in Thailand, with microbreweries established across the country. [5]
The liquor market is predominately controlled by ThaiBev (which produces SangSom, Mekhong and Hong Thong) and controls over a 90% share. [7] [4] The Thai government issues two forms of distilling licenses, "community" and "special".
Special licenses give companies the right to export their products and have less restrictions, but require a minimum daily production capacity of 30,000 liters and for distillers to receive an environmental certificate. [7]
Community licenses are more easily obtained, but limit distillers to 6 employees. Distillers are limited to 5 horsepower of electricity usage. [7] Community licenses restrict distillers to labelling their products as white spirits (Thai : เหล้าขาว) and dark, or colored spirits (Thai : เหล้าสี).
In Thailand, the legal drinking age is 20. [8] The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 increased the drinking age in Thailand from 18 to 20, private drinking is not regulated in private locations.
Thailand has strict laws controlling the advertising of alcohol and alcoholic products, under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, BE 2551 (2008). [9] [10] In 2024, the Public Health Ministry proposed a new bill to further restrict alcohol-related advertisements. [11]
Ice beer is a beer that has undergone some degree of freezing during production. These beers generally have a higher alcohol content, and lower price relative to it.
Thai Beverage, better known as ThaiBev (Thai: ไทยเบฟ), is Thailand's largest and one of Southeast Asia's largest beverage companies, with distilleries in Thailand, UK, and China. It is owned by Thai Chinese billionaire business magnate Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi. Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, Thai Beverage plc has a market capitalization in excess of US$13 billion.
A liquor store is a retail business that predominantly sells prepackaged alcoholic beverages, including liquors, wine or beer, usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom, they may also be called an off-licence, off-sale, bottle shop, bottle store or, colloquially, bottle-o, liquor store or other similar terms. A very limited number of jurisdictions have an alcohol monopoly. In US states that are alcoholic beverage control (ABC) states, the term ABC store may be used.
Beer in Thailand was first brewed in 1933 when a licence was granted to the Boon Rawd Brewery, which still produces Thailand's best-known lager, Singha, sold in standard, light, and draught versions.
Alcoholic beverage control states, generally called control states, less often ABC states, are 17 states in the United States that have state monopoly over the wholesaling or retailing of some or all categories of alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits.
This article covers various topics involving alcoholic drinks in Canada. The Government of Canada defines an alcoholic drink as "a beverage containing 1.1% or more alcohol by volume."
The alcohol laws of Kansas are among the strictest in the United States, in sharp contrast to its neighboring state of Missouri, and similar to its other neighboring state of Oklahoma. Legislation is enforced by the Kansas Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The alcohol laws of Pennsylvania contain many peculiarities not found in other states, and are considered some of the strictest regulations in the United States.
The U.S. state of Oregon has an extensive history of laws regulating the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, dating back to 1844. It has been an alcoholic beverage control state, with the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission holding a monopoly over the sale of all distilled beverages, since Prohibition. Today, there are thriving industries producing beer, wine, and liquor in the state. Alcohol may be purchased between 7 a.m. and 2:30 a.m for consumption at the premise it was sold at, or between 6 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. if it is bought and taken off premise. In 2020, Oregon began allowing the sale of alcohol via home delivery services. As of 2007, consumption of spirits was on the rise while beer consumption held steady. That same year, 11% of beer sold in Oregon was brewed in-state, the highest figure in the United States.
Alcohol laws are laws relating to manufacture, use, being under the influence of and sale of alcohol or alcoholic beverages. Common alcoholic beverages include beer, wine, (hard) cider, and distilled spirits. Definition of alcoholic beverage varies internationally, e.g., the United States defines an alcoholic beverage as "any beverage in liquid form which contains not less than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume". Alcohol laws can restrict those who can produce alcohol, those who can buy it, when one can buy it, labelling and advertising, the types of alcoholic beverage that can be sold, where one can consume it, what activities are prohibited while intoxicated, and where one can buy it. In some cases, laws have even prohibited the use and sale of alcohol entirely.
Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi is a Thai business magnate and investor.
The production of beer in New Jersey has been in a state of recovery since Prohibition (1919-1933) and the Great Depression (1929-1945). Currently, the state has 123 licensed breweries: a large production brewery owned by an international beverage company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and 122 independent microbreweries and 19 brewpubs. The growth of the microbreweries and brewpubs since the 1990s has been aided by the loosening of the state's licensing restrictions and strict alcohol control laws, many of which were a legacy of Prohibition.
The production of distilled spirits in New Jersey has not been a large industry in the state. Strict alcoholic beverage control laws in place during and after Prohibition (1919–1933) prevented the industry from growing for almost a century. In 2013, the state passed a law creating a craft distillery license. and issued the first new distillery license since Prohibition to Jersey Artisan Distilling.
Desi daru, also known as country liquor or Indian-made Indian liquor (IMIL), is a category of liquor made in the countryside of the Indian subcontinent. It is traditionally prepared by a procedure that has been passed down for centuries. Due to cheap prices, country liquor is the most popular alcoholic beverage among the impoverished people. It is fermented and distilled from molasses, a by-product of sugarcane. Desi liquor is a broad term and it can include both legally and illegally made local alcohol. The term desi daru usually refers to legal alcohol while other types of country liquor may be categorised as moonshine alcohol.
Alcohol in Indonesia refers to the alcohol industry, alcohol consumption and laws related to alcohol in the South East Asian country of Indonesia. Indonesia is a Muslim majority country, yet it is also a pluralist, democratic and secular nation. These social and demographic conditions led to Islamic parties and pressure groups pushing the government to restrict alcohol consumption and trade, while the government carefully considers the rights of non-Muslims and consenting adults to consume alcohol, and estimates the possible alcohol ban effects on Indonesian tourism and the economy.
Alcohol packaging warning messages are warning messages that appear on the packaging of alcoholic drinks concerning their health effects. They have been implemented in an effort to enhance the public's awareness of the harmful effects of consuming alcoholic beverages, especially with respect to foetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol's carcinogenic properties. In general, warnings used in different countries try to emphasize the same messages. Such warnings have been required in alcohol advertising for many years, although the content of the warnings differ by nation.
Raon khao or lao khoa or officially sura khao is a Thai distilled spirit.
Taopiphop Limjittrakorn is a Thai brewer and politician. Limjittrakorn currently serves as a member of the House of Representatives for the People's Party. He has for the liberalization of Thailand's strict liquor laws, arguing that the current legislation supports monopolies and discourages home brewers. Limjittrakorn was previously arrested for illegal brewing. Thailand's alcohol industry is currently dominated by Boon Rawd Brewery and ThaiBev, which as of 2024 control 58% and 34.3% of the beer market, respectively.