Number of Distilleries in the U.S.

Before Prohibition, there were more than 10,000 distilleries in the United States. Just over twenty years ago, there were 4. In 2003, that number grew to about 70. In 2012, there were about 250 at the craft scale. Now it’s more like 650 licensed distillers and growing. Some say too much of America’s whiskey production is in the hands of amateurs. I say no artist becomes a master without practice and honing their skills. (Thankfully, for painters, you don’t need a license to buy a brush…)