Request for comments: Legislative amendment would extend right of small alcohol producers to sell their products directly on-site

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is requesting comments on a draft government proposal that would extend the right of small alcohol producers to sell their products for takeaway. In future, a larger number of domestic alcohol producers could sell alcoholic beverages produced by them directly to consumers at production premises. Comments on the draft proposal can be submitted between 19 December 2025 and 13 February 2026. The Swedish version of the draft proposal is not yet available, which means that the Swedish-language consultation round will be launched later. The start of this consultation round will be announced separately.

The current Alcohol Act contains a limited exception regarding small producers to the state-owned alcohol company Alko’s retail monopoly. According to the legislation currently in force, alcohol producers can sell fruit wines containing up to 13 per cent alcohol and craft beers containing up to 12 per cent alcohol directly to consumers at premises where these beverages are produced.

Right to sell for takeaway would also apply to microdistilleries

The proposed amendment would repeal the current exceptions concerning fruit wines and craft beers and replace them with a single exception applicable to all small alcohol producers. As before, the retail sale of alcoholic beverages would require that alcohol producers have a retail trade licence and that retail sales take place at production premises or in their immediate vicinity.

This would be a significant change to microdistilleries, which have not, up until now, been allowed to sell their products directly to consumers. In addition, the amended Act would no longer contain the current very strict definitions of fruit wine and craft beer. These definitions list the permitted ingredients that can be used in products. For example, the exception concerning fruit wines does not currently apply to alcoholic beverages made from grapes.

Annual maximum of 100,000 litres in pure alcohol per producer

The exception would apply to the sale of fermented beverages containing more than 8 per cent alcohol and other beverages containing more than 5.5 per cent alcohol directly to consumers at the production premises of small alcohol producers. Producers themselves could not sell these products for home delivery.

A condition for the extended right to retail sales of alcoholic beverages would be that alcohol producers produce a maximum of 100,000 litres of alcoholic beverages – when converted into pure alcohol – per year. In addition, the volume of alcoholic beverages sold on-site for takeaway would be restricted so that producers could annually sell a maximum of 25,000 litres of fermented beverages containing more than 8 per cent alcohol and other beverages containing more than 5.5 per cent alcohol when converted into pure alcohol.

If a producer had several premises where alcoholic beverages are produced, they could sell beverages covered by the exception for takeaway at only one of these premises. However, producers could continue to sell fermented beverages with a maximum alcohol content of 8 per cent and other beverages with a maximum alcohol content of 5.5 per cent at more than one of their production premises, providing that they got a retail trade licence for each of these premises.

“The aim is to improve the operating environment for small alcohol producers in Finland. The amendment would also allow microdistilleries to sell alcoholic beverages they produce directly to consumers. This would support the operation of small producers, domestic entrepreneurship, local produce, rural businesses and rural tourism,” says Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen.

Inquiries:

Eemil Nuuttila, Special Adviser to the Minister of Social Security, tel. +358 295 163 366