Minimum pricing: Challenge to Scottish alcohol legislation fails A legal challenge to the Scottish government's plans to introduce minimum pricing per unit of alcohol has failed. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) took action against the proposal, which it said would breach European law, after it was passed by MSPs. A Court of Session judgement said plans to introduce 50p per unit minimum pricing for alcohol were legal, finding no grounds for the SWA action. The SWA has 21 days to appeal the ruling. The judgement clears the way for the introduction of the minimum pricing policy, which the Scottish government put on hold until after the conclusion of the legal challenge by the SWA and several European wine and spirits bodies. Under the plans, the ­cheapest bottle of wine would be £4.69 and a four-pack of lager would cost at least £3.52. The SWA had warned the measure would set a precedent where health concerns were allowed to interfere with the free trade of goods and services. MSPs passed The Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 in May 2012, setting the 50p minimum unit price as part of an effort to tackle alcohol misuse.