There has been a seismic shift in consumer behaviour over the past few decades, and we’re seeing it in the world of drinks too.

Several trends are conspiring to catalyse a wholesale change in what we choose to stock our bars with:

1. Discerning drinkers will demand…well more

Today’s online, social media-obsessed 20-, 30- and 40-year olds know what’s happening in the rest of the world regardless of whether or not they’ve actually travelled. Some of them may have been to far-away places, but nowadays, it’s also possible to live in Parys and have Parisian taste that’s purely garnered from Pinterest, but just as genuine.

Modern drinkers want to try drinks from different parts of the world, with stories that capture their imagination. We drink across a far broader set of categories that our parents did, and the need to discover and experiment is a much greater driver than it used to be. Gone are the days of one gin being good enough – we want to try gins from all over the world, and be entertained by their exotic stories.

2. Authenticity is starting to be non-negotiable

Maybe it has something to do with the knock-on effect of the lingering anti-Capitalist suspicion that seemed to accompany the credit crisis’s aftermath. Or maybe it’s a more long-run push back against the industrialized society we now live in. But for whatever reason we’re increasingly intrigued by the artisanal – it’s having a huge impact on the world’s drinks landscape – and it’s the megabrands that are losing younger drinkers.

Whether they are established, authentic, grand old brands or not: the bigger the brand, the less the appeal for 2019’s drinkers. In 2019, people will trust big names even less (KPMG anyone?) and this sentiment will be seen in consumers’ insatiable thirst for a sense of authenticity in what people are drinking.