SCOTS are still drinking more per head than our counterparts south of the Border, but the gap is closing.

Last year the difference was the narrowest it has been since 2002 as sales declined in Scotland but rose in England and Wales.

Exactly how much of that can be pinned on minimum pricing remains to be seen - further data providing a breakdown of sales by alcohol type are not yet available, but will be soon.

For the policy to be working as planned the biggest drops in demand should be seen among the previously cheap, 'high-strength' products such as cider which experienced the biggest hikes in price.

Read more: Alcohol sales in Scotland  in 2018 'lowest since records began' 

Although Buckfast - with its 15% alcohol strength and the equivalent caffeine content of eight cans of Coca Cola in a 75cl bottle - has garnered a notorious reputation in the west of Scotland, it was already comparatively expensive and therefore unaffected by minimum-unit pricing (MUP).

One of the nagging questions over the past year is whether problem drinkers would swap intoxication from a three-litre bottle of Frosty Jack's for Buckfast instead.

Read more: Warning over 'exponential rise' in waiting times as doctors quit amid pensions crisis

It will also be interesting to examine what types of alcohol in particular are behind Scotland's declining sales.

The MESAS report only tells us that the vast majority (73%) of alcohol sales occurred in the off-trade sector - that is, in supermarkets and other off-licences, rather than in bars, clubs and restaurants where higher retail prices overshadow any effect from MUP.

Of the off-trade sales in Scotland, beer accounted for 31%, spirits for 29%, wine for 29% and cider for 7%. The remaining 4% covers beverages such as liqueurs.

It is also worth noting that whatever the effect of MUP, alcohol is still far cheaper now than it was 30 years ago despite repeated increases in duty.

The MESAS report notes: "In 2018, alcohol sold in the UK was 64% more affordable than it was in 1987."

Read more: Teen drinkers in Scotland at an all-time low 

Supermarket sales and the competition which accompanied it explains much of that.

Even with MUP, the average price of alcohol sold in the off-trade sector in Scotland was still only 59 pence per unit - an increase from 55ppu in 2017, and only slightly above the average of 56ppu in England and Wales.

However, the figures on alcohol-related deaths and hospital admissions underline the need for action.

Today's fall in sales hopefully means a fall in premature deaths in future - but those effects are far off.