Slurp or Skip Special Guest - Laurence Whyatt, Barclays Investment Bank

Are young people really drinking less, or is the alcohol industry reading the data wrong?

In this episode of Slurp or Skip, Richard is joined by Laurence Whyatt, Head of Beverage Research at Barclays Investment Bank, to look at three new drinks releases and what they reveal about the wider drinks market.

We taste Elton John’s zero-alcohol sparkling wine, Mezcal Reina, and Bad Water Tequila, while digging into the bigger trends shaping the category: moderation, Gen Z drinking habits, premium tequila and mezcal, RTDs, celebrity drinks brands, sustainability, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, and even why driverless cars could change the future of alcohol consumption.

Laurence also challenges one of the biggest assumptions in drinks: that Gen Z has simply stopped drinking. His view is more nuanced: younger people may be drinking less, but so is everyone else, and the real drivers may be more economic than generational.

00:00 Are we really drinking less?

00:45 What a drinks equity analyst actually does

03:28 Why alcohol is under pressure

05:15 Elton John’s alcohol-free sparkling wine

09:38 Are celebrity drinks brands worth it?

13:23 Have young people stopped drinking?

17:12 China, India and the future of alcohol growth

24:43 Mezcal Reina and the tequila boom

32:56 Can tequila keep premiumising?

38:16 Bad Water Tequila and the RTD boom

43:17 Can RTDs ever become premium?

46:10 Does sustainability really sell drinks?

Products featured:

Elton John Zero Alcohol Blanc de Blancs

Mezcal Reina

Bad Water Tequila RTD

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