There’s no shortage of reasons to feel cautious in the global drinks industry right now. Tariffs. Inflation. Changing drinking habits. AI coming for jobs.
Every keynote seems to open with the death of something. The death of alcohol. The death of middle management. Adapt or die. AI will flatten organisations and remove the humans in the middle.
If we let that drumbeat get inside our heads, fear starts doing the thinking for us.
Fear makes us protect what we already have instead of growing into what we could be. Fear narrows our vision, pushing us into scarcity thinking rather than abundance.
Reasons to be cheerful, 1, 2, 3 … and 4 – How to stay upbeat in alcohol – Comment
As winter finally loosens its grip in the Northern Hemisphere and spring edges closer, here are four reasons why I’m feeling quietly – but confidently – optimistic.

GLP-1 medication is growing fast, has become increasingly normalised and – crucially for the drinks industry – is beginning to interact with alcohol in unexpected ways.
Chris Tyas is chief strategy officer at independent creative agency Impero - the creative agency for impatient brands.



