Disclosed herein is a method for producing monohydric alcohols from monocarboxylic acids or derivatives thereof using a catalyst comprising ruthenium (Ru) and tin (Sn) using zinc oxide (ZnO) as both a catalyst support and an active promoter; a catalyst prepared by adding an inorganic binder such as silica, alumina or titania in a limited range to the catalyst comprising the above components in order to impart a shaping ability to the catalyst; or, a modified catalyst reformed by adding at least one reducing component selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, Rh, Pd, Re, Ir, and Pt to the catalyst in order to improve the reducing ability of the catalyst. By using such catalysts, the method according to the present invention is advantageous in that the monohydric alcohols can be prepared in high yield regardless of whether the monocarboxylic acids contain water or not, the monohydric alcohols can be economically prepared because the catalysts can be operated under mild reaction conditions and also exhibits high selectivity and productivity compared to conventional catalysts, and the catalysts have excellent long-term reaction stability so as to be advantageous for industrial applications.