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 ‘Alcohol vs 0% beer’ has been replaced by functional beverages, ashwagandha, CBD and beyond.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/

Pip & Nut’s ascendence from fledgling brand to exemplary B Corp has proven a stale industry wrong; joy, quality and ethics can live in the same jar.

Pippa Murray is one of the UK’s brightest brand builders, and the impressive feat of Pip & Nut’s ascendence does not come at the expense of the environment.

Ethics can be expensive, which is what makes Pippa’s vision, resilience and razor sharp intuition magnitudes more valuable to a brand set to take over the industry’s top step.

Join us on You, Me & CPG this week to break down the ingredients that comprise Pip & Nut’s winning strategy…

This episode covers

• Pip & Nut’s natural brand evolution
• The ethics of innovation in a B Corp
• Balancing profit with purpose
• How a product range can influence your consumers’ habits
• The secret to disrupting a dusty market

Pippa Murray

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pippamurray/

Pip & Nut

https://www.pipandnut.com/

https://www.instagram.com/pipandnut/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/pipandnut/

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

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

Calm amid the chaos is a feeling which, if it could be bottled, is a no-brainer; Olivia Ferdi has achieved exactly that with TRIP…

The CBD drinks brand has previously featured in our ‘That Will Never Work’ segment of the podcast, so we just had to go beyond the label with its Founder & Co-CEO to find out why it doesn’t just work, but defies all strategic convention.

Olivia joins us to lift the lid on a brand which outsells 0% beers in Dry January, is stocked in over 25,000 stores, and shows absolutely no signs of slowing.

This episode covers

• The flexibility and family-driven entrepreneurship behind TRIP’s story
• Harnessing the power of emotional branding
• How TRIP overcame the typical trade-offs in wellness and functional beverages
• Changing consumer behaviours in socialising and wellness
• The power of passion, intuition, and willingness to take risks

Olivia Ferdi

https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-ferdi/

TRIP

https://drink-trip.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tripdrinks/

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

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

The playbook for today’s guest on You, Me & CPG is bold. It’s brave. It’s divisive. But above all else, it’s memorable.

As Carlsberg’s CMO, Yves Briantais intends to write the culture, not follow it. The aim is to elevate the brand to icon status, and it couldn’t be in better hands…

Yves draws on his extensive experience as he shares how to find the line between bold and reckless marketing, treating marketing like politics, and why imagining Carlsberg as a ‘health company’ might ensure its long-term survival.

This episode covers

• The importance of creative bravery, pushing marketing to be exceptional
• Brand reinvention in the modern market
• Holistic marketing; understanding the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’
• How to write the culture without being on the wrong side of it

Yves Briantais

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yves-briantais-4889502/

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

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

Saying ‘bye’ to beige in the cereal aisle in more ways than one, ‘Surreal’ is the prime example of a brand that’s genuinely fun, and unapologetically bold.

The humour that runs through ‘Surreal’ never undermines the very serious mission of its Co-Founder Jac Chetland; to disrupt the markets of both cereal and protein in equal measure…

Tongue-in-cheek and best-in-class, the story behind ‘Surreal’ is unmissable - so join Jac as he gets candid with Jamie Holtum on You, Me & CPG.

This episode covers

• Surreal’s genius social media hack to validate a product idea before its launch
• How Surreal can launch a product from scratch in under three weeks
• Overcoming unique manufacturing challenges to stay in control of their product
• How to harness humour and personality to stand out, without getting cancelled
• Invaluable sales learned from Jac’s inspired tenure at Vita Coco

Surreal
https://eatsurreal.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/eat_surreal/

Jac Chetland
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jac-chetland-9b14a690/

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

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

David Lester’s career would be impressive enough from the past alone, but Olipop’s conquest of the US cements his efforts as a tour de force.

The prebiotic, RTD soda brand is a poster child for startup success, hot off the back of a decade in global experience, giving David an invaluable perspective like no other.

Join us on You, Me & CPG as we discover his great influences, California’s wonderful relationship with business failure, and why compounding decisions can be the difference in whether you sink or swim.

This episode covers

• The source of David’s sense of adventure
• Being wired to become an entrepreneur
• California’s VC haven and can-do mentality
• Why your bad decisions compound just the same as your good ones
• Learning through failure
• David’s view of accountability as empowerment

David Lester: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lester-4b71b512/
Olipop: https://drinkolipop.com/
https://www.instagram.com/drinkolipop/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/olipop-pbc/

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

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

It takes years to make an overnight success, and when that success is sparked by your ‘first and only good idea’, you can’t help but think it’s something truly special.

Moth Drinks boldly leads its category, flying the flag for the RTD market. At its helm, Co-Founder Rob Wallis has a laser focus on doing one thing well - and they do it so unbelievably well…

Rob joins Jamie this week to share the secrets behind that iconic can, the UK vs US’ unique challenges, how to blend data with gut feel, and how to exploit your unfair advantages.

This episode covers

• Blending gut feel and data-driven decisions for the perfect results
• The two ways of doing new product development
• The psychology of why Covid was a turning point in consumer behaviour
• Differences in the category between the UK and the US 
• Creating a culture that works when you’re not in the room
• How to give yourself unfair advantages

Moth Drinks: https://mothdrinks.com/https://
www.instagram.com/mothdrinks/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mothdrinks/
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/

Paul Thomas’ honesty is an unstoppable force; his truth might make for uncomfortable listening, but it’s the only way he knows.

He’s amassed experience with Asahi, Guinness, Peroni and currently resides with Suntory, and has walked both sides of the client-agency line - so rare is it to hold so many insights within a single human brain…

Paul joins us on You, Me & CPG to break down the power that trust and honesty give you, he dispenses relationship counselling for research consultants struggling with brands, and gets to the root of marketing’s perception problem.

This episode covers

• The downside to ‘radical candour’
• Why marketing is described as ‘an industry full of lies and charlatanism’
• How to make research sexy
• The worst relationship that researchers can have with a company
• Being your full, unfiltered self in the corporate world

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

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

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