An off-licence that refused to sell a bottle of spirits to an 18-year-old has been fined €1,000 by the Equality Authority for discrimination on the grounds of age.
The young man claimed discrimination after he was refused service in a Molloy's off-licence even though he was over 18.
The Molloy Group yesterday described the ruling by the Equality Authority as "extremely disappointing".
It accepted that it had discriminated against the man, but said that its policy of not selling spirits to persons between 18 and 21 was for the sole purpose of compliance with the liquor licensing legislation.
The tribunal equality officer found that there was no evidence that serving the young man would have given rise to any danger of breaching legislation.
"The Equality Authority has effectively ruled that anyone who proves he/she is 18 years old can purchase alcohol in unrestricted quantities and of whatever alcohol strength," the Molloy Group said in a statement yesterday.
It said the refusal to serve the man was in line with its policy of "restricting the sale of spirits to those over 21 and continuing to sell beer and wine to those 18 and over".
The off-licence group questioned whether a licensed vintner should not be allowed to use any discretion in the sale of alcohol beverages.
"Is the huge social cost of under-age abuse of alcohol not a reason to tip the scales away from customer rights in favour of collective social responsibility?" it asked.
The tribunal officer found in favour of the young man and awarded €1,000 compensation.