Beer and wine sales in the U.S. have been healthy for decades, while the market for spirits was consistent but not spectacular.

Bourbon production, for one, has grown by more than 150 percent over the past decade or so. And domestic sales of American whiskey approached $2.5 billion in 2014.

That trend has been seen in Arizona, too. So what is this state doing to stand out?

We start with Craig Outhier, editor of Phoenix Magazine, to find out what he’s been seeing.

One of the distillers Outhier mentioned in our conversation is the southern Arizona-based Hamilton Distillers. Its founder is Stephen Paul, and he’s with us to explain how they got started and moved up the ladder.

Although the popularity of making — and drinking — whiskey is on the rise in Arizona, it’s not a brand-new phenomenon.

There is a history of distilling in the state. Erik Berg is a writer and historian who has looked into whiskey and spirits in Arizona.



