All about alcohol in Thailand (with real prices)

Thailand is not one of those countries that strictly bans alcohol for ethical or religious reasons. You can freely buy alcoholic drinks of all sorts of brands and types in any store, or order them in a bar or cafe. In short, it's just like back home.

The local population also enjoys alcohol, and sometimes even more actively than tourists. They say Thais are much more prone to alcoholism than Europeans. Whether this is true or not, we don't know for sure, but seeing a Thai staggering from side to side with glazed eyes is not that rare.

That's why the Thai government has taken on the task of "de-alcoholizing" the population, which has led to some alcohol sales restrictions. Read on for all the answers about alcohol in Thailand:

Alcohol sales bans and restrictions in Thailand

• Retail sale of alcoholic drinks in Thailand is only allowed from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and from 5:00 PM to 12:00 AM (midnight). Of course, the law is strictly enforced only in stores with automated checkouts. In small shops, you can buy it at any time, though that's potentially illegal. Also, cafes, restaurants, and bars serve alcohol without these time restrictions.
• Entertainment venues (bars, clubs, etc.) are only allowed to sell alcohol from 9:00 PM to 12:00 AM (midnight).
• In 2015, an additional restriction was introduced: selling any kind of alcohol within 300 meters of educational institutions is prohibited.
• Sometimes, a complete ban on alcohol sales is imposed nationwide due to particularly important events, usually elections and religious holidays. Authorities announce such "bans" in advance, so you can stock up on alcohol at stores beforehand.

Where to buy alcohol in Thailand

It's most cost-effective to buy alcoholic drinks in large chain supermarkets like Big-C, Lotus's Go Fresh, Makro, Tops. In smaller stores, prices are a bit higher, but not by much. Alcohol is noticeably more expensive from beach vendors, but their selection is mostly just cold beer.

Markups on alcoholic drinks in cafes and restaurants aren't as high as when compared to Russia. From our experience, the markup on beer in a cafe is rarely more than half of the supermarket price. But in nightclubs and bars, prices are several times higher than in stores.

Read on for details on prices for individual drinks.

What alcohol you can buy in Thailand and prices

The selection of alcoholic drinks in Thailand is huge. Any store has imported drinks: Scotch whiskey, Italian wine, Russian vodka, French liqueurs — in short, anything you could want. There's also a large selection of local alcoholic drinks at very low prices (prices below are from supermarkets):

• Thai beer

  This is the most popular drink, and it's rightfully loved by Russian-speaking tourists. Thai beer is even exported. True, if you look into it, some of the most popular beer brands are actually not Thai but Singaporean, but that doesn't affect the taste or price. It's mainly sold in 0.64L bottles, sometimes 0.33L cans. It's not sold in plastic 1.5L bottles or any other type of container at all.

  The most popular brands are Singha, Tiger, Chang, Leo. Price from 60 baht for a 0.64L bottle (approx. 1.8 USD, )see Thai currency and exchange rate), and 40 baht for 0.33L. Sometimes in large supermarkets, you can find very cheap promotional beer like Archa, Chang, or Leo for as low as 50 baht per 0.64L.

  

• Thai rum

  Thailand produces excellent rum and even exports it. The most popular and highest quality brand is Sang Som. It's sold in almost every supermarket and 7-eleven store. Costs from 140 baht for a small 0.33L bottle (approx. 4.2 USD), and from 320 baht for 1 liter (approx. 9.6 USD).

  

• Thai whiskey

  Whiskey in Thailand is of good quality and costs several times less than imported whiskey. However, it's worth noting that "good" here only refers to the quality of the alcohol itself in the drink. As for taste and aroma, Thai whiskey strangely lacks the traditional oak aroma and flavor, and they smell like something else entirely. Some types of whiskey, like Red Cock and Black Cock, are even transparent, slightly sweet in taste, and have a sweet aroma, but definitely not resembling oak. Here are popular brands:

  • Blend – from 350 baht per 0.7L / 10.5 USD.
  • Hong Thong – from 139 baht per 0.33L / 4.17 USD.
  • Mekong – from 139 baht per 0.33L / 4.17 rub. This is a legendary local herbal whiskey, but it tastes awful, and you'll get a headache.
  • Black Cock – from 85 baht per 0.33L bottle / 2.55 USD.
  • Red Cock – from 155 baht per 0.7L bottle / 4.65 USD.
  • Lao Khao – from 61 baht per 0.33L / 1.83 USD, )and from 114 baht per 0.7L / 1.83 rub. This is the cheapest alcohol, called rice whiskey here. But in smell and taste, it's just moonshine with a disgusting mash aroma, and the morning-after feeling is very painful.

  

• Siam Sato rice wine

  We decided to highlight this drink separately because it can't really be classified as either real wine or whiskey. However, Siam Sato is sold on shelves next to them and also in the refrigerators with beer. It's a low-alcohol rice drink with 6.5% alcohol content, making it like a strong beer or a weak wine. It tastes sweet and even a bit like champagne, and overall, it goes down quite nicely, especially if you drink it chilled. Be sure to try it, then you can decide for yourself whether you like it or not. Especially since it's quite inexpensive by local standards, costing from only 36 baht for a 0.62 liter bottle (approx. 1.08 USD). It's just a pity the Thais didn't think to make it carbonated, that would have been absolutely "the bomb".

  

• Thai wines

  Thai wine, with rare exceptions, is not tasty. The best wines in Thailand are considered to be those made from grapes grown in the vicinity of Hua Hin, under the brand name Monsoon Valley. Another interesting drink is Fresco fruit wine from 270 baht per 0.7L, which is about 8.1 USD.

  

• Exotic drinks

  Rarely, you can find exotic infusions of various roots, herbs, insects, and reptiles in Thailand. Usually, these are infusions made with the cheapest types of store-bought alcohol, and they are not consumed by locals but are intended for sale to tourists. You can drink these (tested), but only in small amounts. When you've drunk some, you can later top up the bottle with whiskey or cognac. Price from 200 baht (6 USD) for a small bottle, but the price varies everywhere, and you can haggle.

  

So, what are alcohol prices in Thailand?

Is it allowed to drink alcohol on Thai streets?

You can drink alcoholic drinks on the street in Thailand. There's no strict ban on consumption in public places like in Russia. However, Thai law does prohibit consumption in specific places: gas stations, temples, hospitals, pharmacies, educational institutions, and public parks. Moreover, there are many exceptions even to these restrictions. So feel free to drink alcohol in any reasonable place in Thailand; no one will bother you, or at most, they'll give you a warning. If in doubt, you can read the full text of the relevant law from 2008 in English – Alcoholic_Beverage_Control_Act,_BE_2551_(2008).

How much alcohol can you bring into Thailand?

Thailand's customs regulations set a limit of 1 liter of alcohol per person. This includes beer and wine as well. Anything exceeding the limit is confiscated. In practice, this happens very rarely, and most tourists go through the green customs channel without inspection, carrying more alcohol with them.

How much alcohol can you take out of Thailand?

Customs regulations do not set a limit on the export of alcohol, meaning you can take out as much as you want. However, you can bring no more than 3 liters of alcohol (including beer or wine) per person into the Russian Federation duty-free. Anything over 3 liters is subject to a duty of 10 Euros per liter, but the total should not exceed 5 liters. Anything over 5 liters per person will be confiscated and "destroyed" by customs officers.