Alcohol production method by reducing ester or lactone with hydrogen

A method for producing an alcohol, the method comprising the step of reducing an ester or a lactone with hydrogen to produce a corresponding alcohol without addition of a base compound in the presence of, as a catalyst, a ruthenium complex represented by the following general formula (1):

• RuH(X)(L1)(L2) (1)
• wherein
• X represents BH4,
• L1 and L2 each represent a bidentate ligand represented by the following general formula (3):
• wherein
• R7, R8, R9, R10 and R11, which may be same or different, each represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, or a cycloalkyl group which may have a substituent,
• R7 and R8, R7 and R9, R8 and R9, or R10 and R11 may bond to each other to form a ring, and
• Q3 represents a divalent arylene group which may have a substituent, an alkylene group which may have a substituent, or a bond.