Roy Beers: Some drink rules just aren't worth the hassle
13-Oct-2008
It's really the last thing the denizens of the hallowed halls of academe want to hear, while queuing up with cheap booze purchases at their local...
Fears over Scots pub closures
10-Oct-2008 By James Wilmore
More than 10 per cent of Scottish pubs, clubs and restaurants could have shut by the time the new Licensing Act takes effect next year, a trade group...
08-Oct-2008 By Ewan Turney
The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) has welcomed last week's defeat of proposals to raise the off-trade purchase age to 21.
National Alcohol Awareness Week gets underway in Scotland
06-Oct-2008
National Alcohol Awareness Week has been launched in Scotland with the focus this year on encouraging everyone to take responsibility for their own...
Scottish goverment rejects plans to raise legal drinking age
03-Oct-2008
The Scottish government has voted overwhelmingly to reject plans to raise the legal age from 18 to 21, for those buying alcohol from off-sales.But...
'Carnage' nights spark criticism
25-Sep-2008
A tour of Scottish cities by a firm which organises mass student bar crawls with fancy dress themes - including "Dirty Porn Star" - has sparked a...
25-Sep-2008 By Lucy Britner
Half of consumers (49%) wouldn't ask for a service charge to be reduced or removed from their bill if they had poor service.
SBPA: Scots plans would punish sensible drinkers
17-Sep-2008 By Matt Eley Matt
Plans to increase alcohol tax to combat drink-related issues in Scotland would punish the majority of sensible drinkers unfairly, according to a...
100 Scottish pub jobs lost
15-Sep-2008
Around 100 jobs have been lost following the voluntary liquidation of Scottish pub operator CMC Management.The Scotsman newspaper reported the job...
Portman Group attacks minimum pricing plan
11-Sep-2008
The Portman Group has spoken out against the Scottish government's proposals to introduce minimum pricing and ban off-sales to under 21s.The...
09-Sep-2008 By Ewan Turney
A pilot scheme in Scotland banning under-21s from purchasing alcohol in shops hailed a success but thousands sign petition against move.
04-Sep-2008 By John Harrington
Euan Venters - who helped launch draught Fosters in the UK - become MD of Greene King's Scottish brewery and pub operator.
Minimum pricing plan confirmed for Scotland
03-Sep-2008 By James Wilmore
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond today confirmed the country will legislate to tackle alcohol misuse - which could include a ban on off-sales...
Scottish doctors want new laws to tackle alcohol problems
21-Aug-2008 By James Wilmore
New laws must be introduced to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland, doctors have argued. The British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland has responded...
Pete Robinson: Scottish pubs thriving since smoking ban - claims ASH
21-Aug-2008
And I wasn't disappointed. ASH are running a report claiming Scotland officially now has more pubs than before the smoking ban. Scottish Government...
Scottish pub numbers set to tumble
19-Aug-2008
Pub numbers in Scotland could be slashed to 1980's levels after the country's new Licensing Act kicks in, according to a trade chief.Scottish Beer...
Scots concerned by planned alcohol laws
04-Aug-2008 By Matt Eley Matt
One in five people north of the border would travel to England to buy alcohol if the Scottish government introduces tough new laws to tackle alcohol...
Cains faces anxious wait over future
29-Jul-2008 By James Wilmore
Liverpool-based brewer Cains faces an agonising wait over the next 48 hours to see if its bank will help secure its future. The company, which...
Scotland's likely to show way on pricing
17-Jul-2008 By John Grogan
MP John Grogan predicts England will wait to see what happens with minimum pricing in Scotland.
My Shout John Grogan
17-Jul-2008
Scotland's likely to show way on pricing Kenny MacAskill, Minister for Justice in the Scottish Government, is a politician who knows his own mind....
07-Jul-2008 By Ewan Turney
A Scottish Tory and licensee has gathered over 3,000 signatures on a petition against licensing reform. The new regulations are set to come into...
30-Jun-2008 By Ewan Turney
Lib Dem MSP Iain Smith says proposals will demonise every responsible drinker between ages of 18 and 21
Let's get radical: Scotland's drinks trade shake-up
26-Jun-2008
Scotland wants the toughest controls on alcohol in recent UK history. John Harrington examines the main plans Disorder levy A "Social Responsibility...
Fury over plans to levy Scots pubs
19-Jun-2008
Scottish trade chiefs have slammed the government's plans to make pubs pay an extra fee for dealing with alcohol-related issues. Some pubs and...
Hopes of action on discount deals sparked by Scottish plans
19-Jun-2008 By James Wilmore
Radical proposals to tackle cheap supermarket alcohol deals north of the border have raised further hopes of decisive government action in England...
Scotland crackdown
19-Jun-2008 By John Harrington john.harrington@william-reed.co.u
Minimum pricing, levy and age limit planned Scotland's draconian alcohol crackdown "provides an agenda for action" for the rest of the UK. That's...
'Heart attacks down since smoking ban's introduction'
15-Jun-2008
More than half of hospital trusts in England are treating fewer heart attacks since the ban came on July 1 last year. Nearly six in ten NHS trusts...
Back to Basics: Licensing in Scotland
29-May-2008
And now it's Scotland's turn. The transition period for moving to the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 is upon us.If your licence was due to expire in...
Minimum pricing plan could have domino effect
20-May-2008 By Matt Eley Matt
If plans to introduce minimum pricing in the Scottish off-trade go ahead the rest of the country would soon follow suit, according to John Grogan MP....
SBPA welcomes clarity on Glasgow policy
01-May-2008 By James Wilmore
Licensees in Glasgow will not be forced to be stay on their premises at all times after the issue was resolved in court today. The Scottish Beer...
22-Apr-2008 By Ewan Turney
MSP hits out at off-trade following test purchase failures
Focus Scotland: Food labelling
31-Mar-2008
At least if a politician has his mouth full, he can't be lying to you at the same time.Political commentators in Scotland inevitably had a bit of fun...
Under-21s banned from buying booze
28-Mar-2008
A small town has become the first in Scotland to ban off-trade sales of alcohol to under-21s.A blanket ban across all 11 off-licences and shops in...
Roy Beers: Scotching the myths about the great whisky duty scandal
14-Mar-2008
But it has logically and without exaggeration detailed exactly what the budget increase on Scotland's best-known export means for the Scotch whisky...
One in 70 Scottish pubs closed in the last six months
13-Mar-2008 By Matt Eley Matt
More than 80 pubs have closed in Scotland in the last six months, according to the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SPBA). The figures were...
SBPA holds licensing boards to account
05-Mar-2008
The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) claims a number of licensing boards are failing to comply with the Scottish Licensing Act 2005...
BII exam to match Scottish standards
28-Feb-2008 By John Harrington john.harrington@william-reed.co.u
Compulsory questions are being abolished from a popular BII exam for licensees in England and Wales. Candidates will also be able to take exams in...
Scotland lagging in SIA licensing
05-Feb-2008
Half the door supervisors quizzed in a spot check in Glasgow are still not complying with Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensing requirements,...
Famous Grouse to tackle Murrayfield
24-Jan-2008
The Famous Grouse is to provide pre-match entertainment for fans at both of Scotland's home Six Nations rugby games. Comedians Jason Byrne and...
Chris Maclean: In a world of their own
23-Jan-2008 By Chris Maclean
As an Englishman with Scottish ancestry I sometimes hanker for life above the border. With the advances in education funding, prescription charges...
Scottish pubs in the dark over illegal security staff
17-Jan-2008
Pubs in Scotland were ripped off over the festive period by security operators deploying "makeweight" illegal stewards, according to two veteran...
Delay to setting of Scottish licensing fees
15-Jan-2008
A last-minute delay in the approval of new licence fees in Scotland has raised the hopes of licensees that they could be set a lower level than they...
Fees must be "fully justifiable", SBPA urges
15-Jan-2008 By James Wilmore
The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) has written to every licensing board in the country urging them to ensure their licensing fees are...
Licence fees could double in Scotland
10-Jan-2008 By Joe Lutrario joe.lutrario@william-reed.co.uk
Licensing fees for pubs in Scotland could double under a new licensing act set to come into force in 2009. Three Scottish licensed trade...
Scots get tough on underage sales
05-Dec-2007 By James Wilmore
Scotland's efforts to get tough on underage sales were ramped up today with the launch of a country-wide test purchasing scheme. Under the scheme...
SIA dismisses Scottish door worker shortage
15-Nov-2007
Reports that pubs and clubs in Scotland could face a critical shortage of door workers over the festive season have been dismissed by the Security...
U-turn on vertical drinking clampdown
18-Oct-2007
A likely U-turn on the introduction of a "nonsensical" vertical drinking measure in Edinburgh could pave the way for its abandonment across Scotland....
Mixed message on measures for Scots
18-Oct-2007
Pubs in Scotland are reeling after being fined for selling short measures and then being slammed by trading standards officers for pouring too...
Crackdown on serving drunks in Scotland
11-Oct-2007
Claims that a Scottish council is to recruit an army of inspectors to ensure pubs are not serving alcohol to drunks have been denied.But Glasgow City...
Roy Beers: Late night disorder - why not arrest a few more drunks?
09-Oct-2007
In Scotland at weekends you'll see people who are "blootered", "skelped", "mawkit" or "birling" - it is the country of Robert Burns, after all, and...
