Ahead of the autumn budget, there's speculation that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could hike alcohol duty by as much as 4.5%.

Alcohol duty is usually updated each year using the Retail Price Index (RPI) for inflation from the previous September.

That would mean a 13.5% bottle of red wine would go up by 16p and the same size bottle of white wine at 11% by 13p, both following changes to the way wine is taxed, which came in earlier this year. Now wine, like other drinks, is taxed by how much alcohol it contains.

Under a 4.5% increase, a 70cl bottle of gin at 37.5% would increase by 47p and whisky at 40% by 50p.

A four‑pack of 330ml lager at 4.6% would cost 7p more and a four‑pack of cider at 4.5% would go up by 4p.

Last year, drinkers faced a 3.6% hike, adding 54p to a bottle of wine and gin

See Full Page