Thailand, March 10th, 2025 — Thailand’s Senate approved an amendment to the Excise Tax Act, with 166 votes in favor out of 177. The amendment will allow small producers, including farmers’ groups and cooperatives, to produce all types of alcoholic beverages, including gin, rum, brandy, and whiskey, without previous production limits.
The amendment also permits beer to be packaged in cans, removing the previous daily production requirement of 30,000 liters.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Boonchan Nuansai, chairman of the Senate Committee on Law and Justice, noted that local producers in Nan Province support the amendment but raised concerns about the high cost of imported glass bottles.
He suggested that encouraging domestic bottle production could reduce costs and support the local economy.
The Facebook page “Thai Craft Beer Association” welcomed the Senate’s decision, highlighting that the new law will enable small producers and local farmers to manufacture and sell all types of alcohol without facing restrictive licensing rules.
They noted that producers were previously barred from making spirits like gin, rum, brandy, and whiskey and were limited in beer production due to strict minimum volume requirements.
The next step is for the prime minister to submit the amendment for royal endorsement before it is published in the Royal Gazette and becomes law.
Just a few months prior the Thai government approved this bill also making things easier for small alcohol producers.
