All you want to know about alcohol in Luxembourg

The legal framework around alcohol in Luxembourg in 2024

We will begin our analysis by examining Luxembourg's legal framework for alcohol, looking at the legal drinking age, alcohol taxation and driving regulations.

Legal drinking age in Luxembourg

Currently, in Luxembourg the minimum age to be able to purchase alcoholic beverages is 16 years of age. In all bars, stores and public places it is forbidden to sell or offer free of charge to minors under sixteen years of age alcoholic beverages or mixtures of alcoholic beverages with other beverages, containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume.

However, this is about to change, in 2020 Luxembourg established a “Plan of Action for the Reduction of Alcohol Abuse” (PALMA). This plan is scheduled to run from 2020 to 2024 and has as its main objective to significantly reduce excessive alcohol consumption and to create favorable environments that enable people to adopt healthy and reasonable behavior with regard to alcohol, with particular emphasis on the protection of young people.

Taxes on Alcohol

In Luxembourg, alcoholic beverages are mainly subject to two types of taxes, VAT and excise taxes. VAT is a widely known tax levied on the consumption of goods and services and excise duties are special taxes levied on certain products that affect public health or the environment such as tobacco, alcohol and fuels.

Below you will find a table with the corresponding rates for 2024, but first we will provide some clarifications for a better understanding. For beer, excise duty rates are set according to the annual production of the brewery while for spirits they are calculated according to the number of hectoliters of pure alcohol and wines are currently exempted from this type of tax. Finally, is worth noting that in addition to the basic rates, a surcharge of 6 euros per liter of finished product is applied to manufactured alcoholic beverages.

Driving regulations

The blood alcohol limit In Luxembourg is 0.5 g/l, however, for certain categories of drivers, there is a reduced limit of 0.2 g/l. These categories are:

• Driving test candidates,
• Learner drivers,
• Instructors during practical driving lessons,
• Accompanying persons during supervised driving,
• Drivers of emergency service vehicles,
• Drivers of vehicles used for the carriage of dangerous goods,
• Drivers of taxis, hire cars, ambulances and breakdown vehicles,
• Drivers of buses, coaches, lorries and tractor units,
• Drivers of all vehicles used for paid passenger transport and
• Any driver of a vehicle who has not reached the age of 18 years.

In addition, remember that drinking and driving in Luxembourg is a terrible idea, not only because of the possible accidents but also because there are fines involved. Violating this limit carries fines that can range from 145 euros for low levels of intoxication to 10,000 euros and imprisonment for high levels of alcohol and recidivism. Below is a complete table with the fines according to the alcohol level.

Custom regulation on alcohol in Luxembourg

Another point to take into account are the regulations for the entry of beverages into the country, if you plan to travel to Luxembourg, you should take them into account if you do not want to have a bad time at the customs control.

In total, you can bring one liter of alcohol and alcoholic drinks exceeding 22% alcohol volume or 2 liters up to 22% alcohol volume. And in addition to this, you can also bring 4 liters of still wine and up to 16 liters of beer.

Where to purchase alcohol in Luxembourg

Now that we have reviewed the regulations let's look at something more pleasant: alcohol shop Luxembourg. We’ll see where to get a good beer, a good bottle of wine or other alcoholic beverages. Obviously, there are the supermarkets and bars, but there are a few more places worth mentioning.

Price overview on alcohol in Luxembourg

We've already seen where to buy, but how much do different liquors cost on average in the Grand Duchy? Let's have a look:

Typical local alcoholic drinks in Luxembourg

If you are tired of always drinking the same thing, try something new and try some of the best Luxembourg drinks. We'll take a look at some of them, but first let's take a look at some events where you can taste local beverages:

Features

Fête des Vins et Crémants

This event celebrates the famous Luxembourg Crémant and other wines produced in the Moselle region. There you can discover the wines and crémants of the Moselle, learn more about the wine region by talking to the winemakers and even buy some bottles.

Les fêtes du vin

In spring, during the grape harvest, different Luxembourgish villages celebrate this festival where wines are the protagonists. There are parades, concerts and tastings of local wines.

Grape festivals

these festivals take place in September and October and are considered thanksgiving celebrations for the harvest. The queen of wine is chosen and, to the sound of music, she is paraded around the town dressed in festive attire.

Expovin

This is an annual fair held at the Luxexpo the Box event center where a large number of winemakers present their wines. It is an event aimed at both professionals and amateurs, where it is possible to taste some wines, buy some bottles or even do business.

Now let's take a look at some of the best drinks in Luxembourg:

Crémant de Luxembourg

It is a sparkling wine produced in the vineyards of Luxembourg, more specifically in the Moselle region. It is made according to the traditional method of secondary fermentation in the bottle, similar to champagne and was introduced in Luxembourg in 1991. Since then, it has become a national symbol. The crémant is perfect for aperitifs and celebrations and pairs very well with seafood, oysters or even soft cheeses.

Moselle wines

The white wines of the Moselle region such as Riesling, Pinot Gris or Elbling are very well known and appreciated both in Luxembourg and internationally. An interesting fact about Elbling is the antiquity of the grape variety from which it is made, Elbling is one of the oldest grape varieties in Europe and is only grown in the German and Luxembourg regions of the Moselle.

Bofferding

Is one of Luxembourg's most popular beers and has been produced since 1764 by Brasserie Nationale, Luxembourg's largest brewery based in Bascharage. It is a lager-type beer, fresh and light that can be found in almost every bar in the country. If you want to try it, we recommend you to do it with a Judd mat Gaardebounen, a traditional Luxembourgish dish consisting of a smoked pork neck with beans.

Diekirch

This is a blonde beer from the city of Diekirch. The beer is produced in the Brasserie de Luxembourg Mousel-Diekirch and is typical and known throughout the country. The Diekirch brewery is one of the oldest in Luxembourg, founded in 1871, has been a representative brand of the country and has played an important role in the local beer scene.