I was reading Just Drinks this morning, over weak coffee and a cork necklace that’s seen better decades. The big distillers — Diageo, Pernod, Brown-Forman — all just dropped their latest numbers. Flat growth. Soft demand. Some markets shrinking, others just pretending to breathe.
They’re blaming inflation, shifting habits, younger drinkers skipping the bottle for podcasts and avocado toast. One CEO called it a 'reset'. I called it Tuesday.
Bars in Oakland are quiet too. Not dead — just thoughtful. Like they’re waiting for something to happen, or someone to remember how to toast properly.
