Once upon a time(从前，很久以前) brewers, vintner(葡萄酒商)s and distillers had little to fear from one another. Each beverage had its occasion to shine: people imbibe(饮用，喝)d beer as they watched a game, sipped wine over dinner and downed spirits as they partied late into the night. Some consumers defied convention, but drinks-makers themselves stuck to their terroir(固守自己的传统地盘). No more. With the booze industry facing an uncertain future, old boundaries are being crossed.(随着酒类行业面临不确定的未来，旧有的界限正被打破。)
从前，啤酒商、葡萄酒商和烈酒商彼此之间几乎没有什么可担心的。每种酒都有自己大放异彩的场合：人们看比赛时喝啤酒，吃晚餐时品葡萄酒，深夜派对时灌烈酒。有些消费者会打破常规，但酒商自己却固守着自己的“风土”。如今情况不同了。随着酒类行业面临不确定的未来，旧有的界限正被打破。
Over the past five years the combined(合计的，加总的) market value of the West’s ten largest listed alcoholic-drinks companies has fallen from $500bn to $320bn (see chart). Investors have grown nervous that abstemious(节制饮酒的，有节制的) youngsters may never drink as much as their forebears(祖先，前辈). Global alcohol consumption fell by 2% in 2025, the third straight year of decline(连续第三年下滑), according to IWSR(国际葡萄酒及烈酒研究所), a research firm.
过去五年间，西方十大上市酒类公司的总市值已从5000亿美元跌至3200亿美元（见图表）。投资者越来越担心，节制饮酒的年轻人可能永远喝不了他们父辈那么多。研究公司IWSR的数据显示，2025年全球酒精消费量下降了2%，连续第三年下滑。
One of drinks-makers’ responses has been to roll out(推出，铺开) countless non-alcoholic beers (quite good), gins (passable(还过得去的，凑合的)) and wines (don’t bother). Another has been to gatecrash(不请自来，闯入) occasions that their tipple(酒，常喝的酒) has not traditionally been selected for. Beer, for instance, has long been the dominant beverage for outdoor events such as sports matches. As was to be expected, this year’s football World Cup brought a boost in volumes for big brewers such as AB InBev and Heineken. But others are eager for a slice of that business(分一杯羹). Diageo, which owns Guinness but makes the vast majority of its money from spirits such as Johnnie Walker and Casamigos, sponsored this year’s tournament across North America.(帝亚吉欧拥有健力士，但绝大部分收入来自尊尼获加和Casamigos等烈酒，它赞助了今年在北美的世界杯赛事。) Jameson, owned by Pernod Ricard, is the official whiskey of Major League Soccer(美国职业足球大联盟), the top league in the United States and Canada.
饮品制造商的应对之一，是推出无数款无酒精啤酒（相当不错）、无酒精金酒（还凑合）和无酒精葡萄酒（别费心了）。另一个应对之策，是闯入自家酒饮传统上并未被选中的场合。例如，啤酒长期以来一直是体育比赛等户外活动的主流饮品。不出所料，今年的足球世界杯为AB InBev和喜力等大型啤酒商带来了销量增长。但其他公司也渴望分一杯羹。帝亚吉欧拥有健力士，但绝大部分收入来自尊尼获加和Casamigos等烈酒，它赞助了今年在北美的世界杯赛事。保乐力加旗下的尊美醇则是美国职业足球大联盟（美加顶级联赛）的官方威士忌。