The Scottish government has welcomed a "landmark ruling" by the country's highest civil court backing its plans to bring in minimum pricing for alcohol.
The Court of Session in Edinburgh rejected an appeal against the plans, which had been brought by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and others, saying the grounds on which it was submitted "were not well founded".
The Scottish government has consistently argued minimum pricing is the "most effective mechanism" for tackling alcohol misuse and reducing the harm it can cause.
But the SWA claimed it would be ineffective in its aims and would penalise responsible drinkers.
The judges made their final ruling after considering whether the infringement of European trade laws that minimum pricing would bring are justified by the benefits to public health - and if this could be achieved by any other means.
MSPs passed legislation in 2012 to bring in minimum pricing, which would initially be set at 50p per unit.
But implementation of the policy stalled after the SWA and other European wine and spirits producers took legal action, arguing minimum pricing would breach European law.
The judges said the previous Court of Session ruling "correctly concluded that whatever arguments may be deployed against it, there was evidence which demonstrated that the alternative of increased tax, with or without a prohibition on below-cost sales, would be less effective than minimum pricing".
SWA chief executive David Frost said the organisation will now consult with its members before deciding on any further action, which could see the case taken to the UK Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI) is urging the Irish Government to exercise caution following the ruling in Scotland.
"We ask the Government to reflect on today's decision carefully before similar measures are introduced in this country," said ABFI director Ross Mac Mathúna.
"We maintain that a ban on below-cost selling, which would ensure that alcohol is not sold as a loss leader, is an appropriate public health response to the sale of cheap alcohol.
"Given that we already pay the highest price and amongst the highest taxes in the EU for alcohol, it's evident that price is not a silver bullet for tackling alcohol misuse," said Mr Mac Mathúna.
He also said that Brexit could affect sales in Ireland if minimum pricing is introduced.
"With the decline in the value of sterling [following] the Brexit vote, cross-border shopping is on the increase and raising the price of alcohol in the Republic on a unilateral basis would further exacerbate this while doing little to address harm," added Mr Mac Mathúna.
However, the Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI) has welcomed the court decision in Scotland.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the group said: "The VFI hopes that this decision will encourage our own Government to introduce the same measure here along with other key measures outlined in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill.
"The VFI, as a key industry stakeholder, has called for action to ensure the safe and responsible sale of alcohol for several years and has campaigned for the introduction of minimum unit pricing for a considerable period of time.
"The provisions set out in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill last year under minimum unit price sets out how this might be done and the level at which it will be done. We welcome this but urge speedy implementation," said the statement.
