Abstract
This chapter is a general overview of the craft distillery market in the United States (US) with targeted attention to its rapid contemporary growth and nascent connections to tourism. Within the broader umbrella of agricultural, heritage, and gastronomic tourism there are notable distinguishing factors of craft spirit tourism that are identified and explored. The first section defines craft spirits, specifically asking the question of what differentiates a craft spirit from a spirit in general and then presents a description of the liquor market in the US and where craft spirits fit: market share, distillery proliferation, sales number, economic contribution, and trends in spirit types. The second section is a contextualization of craft spirit tourism, review of relevant literature, and discussion of associated tourism development. The chapter concludes by exploring challenges and opportunities for craft spirit tourism along with the future prospects of related research.
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Cole, Z.D. (2017). Growth and Development of Craft Spirit Tourism: The Fermenting Giant?. In: Kline, C., Slocum, S., Cavaliere, C. (eds) Craft Beverages and Tourism, Volume 1. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49852-2_3
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