About half of Icelanders want to buy wine and beer alongside their other groceries, while fewer would support the sale of strong alcohol outside of government-run stores, Vísir reports.
The perennial debate about breaking the state’s monopoly on alcohol sales rages on, with polling showing steady support for permitting the sale of alcohol in private stores. A survey conducted in February by Maskína for Vísir suggests that 47.6% of Icelanders support the sale of wine and beer in grocery stores, up from 43.4% in 2021.
Meanwhile, just 22.4% of respondents are in favour of strong alcohol being sold in private stores, up from 19.1% last year.
Those aged 30 to 39 are most in favour of selling alcohol in private stores, with 65.8% in this age group supporting the sale of beer and wine outside of Vínbúð locations. Icelanders over 60 are least supportive of breaking the state monopoly, with just 25.8% in favour of wine and beer sales in grocery stores.
Plan on drinking? Plan ahead
The lack of alcoholic beverages in Icelandic grocery stores catches many visitors to the country by surprise. Tourists are often advised to “do as the locals do” and make full use of their duty-free alcohol allowance when entering the country, should they plan in imbibing. The state-run alcohol stores, Vínbúð, are expensive, and opening hours can be sporadic during holidays and in more rural parts of the country. Vínbúð stores are always closed on Sunday.
