A method for producing an alcohol, which comprises reacting an aldehyde with hydrogen in a gas phase in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to form a corresponding saturated alcohol, wherein a reduced product of a catalyst precursor composition comprising components represented by the following formula (I):Cu(a)--Cr(b)--Zn(c)--Mn(d)--Ba(e)--X(f) (I)wherein X is a transition metal of Group 8 or 4A of thePeriodic Table, and a to f represent the contents of the respective components as converted to their oxides and have the following values:a: 20 to 50 wt %b: 0 to 50 wt %c: 0 to 50 wt %d: 0.1 to 5.0 wt %e: 0.1 to 5.0 wt %f: 0.01 to 3.0 wt %is used as the hydrogenation catalyst.