69: Bev-Alc Debate Club: What’s Wrong With the Alcohol Industry? - Business of Drinks
Business of Drinks
Tariff Impacts on Alcohol Distribution
This chapter examines the intricacies of tariff policies in the alcohol distribution sector, discussing their effects on distributor operations and supply chain management. It also highlights how consumer confidence and economic uncertainty influence spending habits and innovation within the industry.
Welcome to a very special edition of Business of Drinks. In this episode, co-hosts Erica Duecy and Scott Rosenbaum team up with Rabobank’s Liquid Assets podcast hosts — VP of Beverage Research Bourcard Nesin and Senior Beverage Analyst Jim Watson — for the first-ever Bev-Alc Debate Club.
Today’s topic? The question that’s haunting boardrooms and bottling lines across the country: What’s wrong with the alcohol industry?
To unpack it, we went head-to-head in a spirited draft format. Each of us chose what we believe is the biggest force behind Bev-Alc’s current decline — and then we debated the heck out of it.
What followed was a lively, insightful, and at times contrarian conversation that spanned:
🚨 The Joe Rogan Effect: How anti-alcohol messages from influencers like Rogan and Andrew Huberman — and warnings from the WHO and Surgeon General — are changing perceptions of health and drinking.
🧠 The Culture Shift: 65% of 18–34-year-olds now say even a drink or two a day is bad for their health, according to Gallup. That’s more than double the rate in 2000.
🛒 Economic Drag: Is inflation the real culprit behind alcohol’s decline — or are consumers simply moving on?
🏪 The Distribution Bottleneck: Fewer distributors, more producers, and how small brands are being squeezed out of market access and innovation.
🥂 Post-Pandemic Hangover: How loneliness, digital substitution, and behavioral shifts may be eroding alcohol’s social role.
🌱 Rise of THC Drinks: Hemp-derived beverages are showing up in bars, liquor stores, and homes — with strong demand. Brands like BRĒZ hit $28 million in revenue and 8 million cans in just two years.
📉 Demographic Realities: Baby Boomers drank more and are aging out. Gen Z drinks less. What happens when your best customers are literally dying off?
📱 New Hits, Same High: Gambling, doomscrolling, and a million digital dopamine-stimulating sources are competing for the same brainspace alcohol once dominated.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone in the beverage business — whether you’re trying to understand the shifting terrain or figure out how to future-proof your brand.
🎧 Tune in for sharp insights, bold takes, and the kind of data-backed banter that only happens when Rabobank meets Business of Drinks.
Don’t miss our next episode, dropping on June 25.
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Business of Drinks:
Erica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.
Scott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. He currently serves as Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. He was formerly the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.
Caroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.
SPONSOR: SWIG Partners is exclusively offering $100 off their supplier-distributor matchmaking fee when you mention the Business of Drinks podcast, or inquire via this link: https://www.swigpartners.com/businessofdrinks
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