Artisanal distilleries explode across the U.S.

by Jonathan M. Forester, Posted Jun 26th 2008 @ 10:03AM

Artisanal distilleries are exploding across the country, especially in Portland, OR. Exploding onto the business scene that is, since literally exploding distilleries is a bad thing. This confirms what I have been saying the past few years. Hand crafted spirits are getting HUGE. Just to give you some general statistics again: 20 years ago there were around five artisanal distilleries in the US, five years ago around 20, last September 90, right now 150+, a year from now 250+. That is some amazing growth, and you can expect it to continue to keep growing for the next decade.

Some parts of the country are moving along faster than others. Here in Maine there was one that opened for business three years ago, one this time last summer, and one this past spring, with mine in the next few months, and from what I hear on the grape vine there are several more lined up for the future.

But that's mild compared to what's going on in Oregon. There, according to this article in the Seattle Times the southeastern part of the city of Portland is starting to get nicknames like "Distillery Row" and "Libations Alley." There are at least ten artisanal distilleries in Oregon and that number is continuing to grow. Oregon is #2 in the nation for most artisanal distilleries in the state, with California #1 with around 22.

Filed Under: Food Politics, Drink Recipes
Tags: america, Artisanal Distilleries, ArtisanalDistilleries, Business, Distilling Boom, Rapid Growth, spirits