Is 2026 The Year Alcohol Roars Back?

The headlines spell the end for booze: Executive departures, decline, doom.

The true story? It’s much more nuanced.

In pockets, alc is flying. Gen Z participation is up. Spend is up. Dry Jan was the 'wettest' since 2014 according to The Times.

What’s clear - growth is up for grabs - if brands get it right.

Our latest pod challenges the doomsayers with a dose of confidence.

Last episode, we looked at the future of drinking through the no & low lens (thanks to Botivo’s Imme Ermgassen and Club Soda’s Laura Willoughby!)

This time, Booze fights back with an elite corner: MOTH Drink’s Rob Wallis, Paul Thomas, formerly of Diageo, Asahi and Suntory, and Tristram Coates of GHF.

This episode covers why:

• Alcohol brands need to get their fun back
• Premiumisation has become too prevalent
• ‘Share of entertainment’ is the new ‘share of throat’
• Brands are missing a trick by not supporting the on-trade enough

We hope you enjoy listening.

Paul Thomas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-thomas-8b903025/

Tristram Coates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristram-coates-9014151a5/

Rob Wallis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8D%B8-rob-wallis-162801113/

Jamie Holtum: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-holtum-85b79634/

Haines: https://www.haines.partners/

What does it mean to ‘go for a drink’ in 2025, and what’s at stake for those vying for a place in everyone’s glass?

Gone are the days of the binary option. ‘Alcohol vs 0% beer’ has been replaced by functional beverages, ashwagandha, CBD and beyond.

Today’s episode of You, Me & CPG isn’t just about the future of drinking, but by proxy it’s the future of socialising, and we couldn’t be joined by three more important guests.

Laura Willoughby MBE (Club Soda Co-Founder), Imme Ergassen (Botivo Co-Founder) and Luis Osório (IWSR’s Head of Consumer Insights) see the glass half-full, but heed their warnings - there’s plenty for brands to reshape if they’re to fit the mould of the future…

This episode covers

• The new social perspective on drinking experiences
• Functional beverages and blurred boundaries
• The real story behind rising moderation - less about abstinence, more about options
• Authenticity, storytelling, and brand craft as tools for market positioning
• Navigating the industry shift, and what the beverage sector must do to stay relevant

Imme Ergassen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/immeermgassen/?originalSubdomain=uk

Luis Osório

https://www.linkedin.com/in/luismosorio/?originalSubdomain=uk

Laura Willoughby MBE

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurawilloughby/?originalSubdomain=uk

Jamie Holtum: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-holtum-85b79634/

Haines: https://www.haines.partners/

GLP-1s. Miracle weight-loss drugs. They’re the single most disruptive force that CPG has faced in decades. They shrink appetites, and if you’re not paying attention, could shrink your category too…

It's forecast to be a $150 billion industry by 2030, and by 2027 there’ll be GLP-1s available in pill format - food and drinks categories beware.

This week’s ‘You, Me & CPG’ features 4 of the brightest minds and most sound voices that you NEED to hear right now; Rob Hobson, Jonny Forsyth, Jennifer Dyne, and Dr Caroline Withers.

Their collective experience is impossible to ignore, so listen close as we explore how the recipe for success needs reformulating for a world where a personal miracle could become your business’ worst nightmare.

This episode covers

• How new innovations in medication are reshaping consumer behaviour
• The changing role of food in people’s lives, from emotional experiences to functional eating
• Brands’ urgent need to adapt and stay relevant through new product development
• Staying true to brand purpose and engaging consumers with genuine, emotionally resonant messaging
• The challenges and opportunities in educating consumers about nutrition, and how that feeds into buying habits

Rob Hobson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-hobson-4493ab28/?originalSubdomain=uk

Jonny Forsyth

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonny-forsyth-91914b23/?originalSubdomain=uk

Jennifer Dyne

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-dyne-49568325/?originalSubdomain=uk

Dr Caroline Withers

https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-withers-phd-07961958/?originalSubdomain=uk

Jamie Holtum: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-holtum-85b79634/

Haines: https://www.haines.partners/