When you go on a trip or vacation, one of the best ways to get a taste of the local culture is to try out some of the local alcohol on offer, it’s a delicious and boozy way to get acquainted with the area you’re in, and by visiting a local distillery, you’ll also get a chance to engage with local people too, who are a part of the beating heart of the community. This goes for Arizona too, and while many people typically associate the state with cacti and sparse desert, it’s also seen a rise in the number of distilleries, so if you’re looking for a way to get a true taste of Arizona, then it’s certainly one of the best ways to do it! 

So, for an insight into some of the best distilleries in Arizona, then read through this handy guide, and there’s a chance you might just discover your new favorite distillery. 

Unmissable Arizona Distilleries To Visit

Arizona Distilling Company

What better way to start off the list than with the company that started it all? Arizona Distilling Company was the first distilling company to start after the prohibition, releasing the first legal spirit in Phoenix with their Copper City Bourbon launch in 2013 (see also ‘15 Best Phoenix Distilleries We Highly Recommend‘). 

Not long after the release of their bourbon, their renowned Desert Durum Wheat Whiskey followed, which also happened to be the first grain-to-bottle whiskey released in the state too! 

Alongside their bourbon and whiskey, the distillery also creates incredible gin and vodka, so it’s definitely a great place to start on your distillery adventure. 

O.H.S.O. Distillery And Brewing Company

Standing Outrageous Homebrewer’s Social Outpost, this place still stands loyal to its craft brewery roots, however, they expanded into spirits and distillery back in 2016, and have been sure to not look back since, and they now have a wide range of vodkas, gins, and rum available. 

If you want a look behind the scenes, you can even book a tour of the distillery, which includes a tasting session, and a bottle to accompany you home too, which makes it the perfect adventure for any booze lover. 

Flying Leap Vineyards

Founded back in 2010 as a collaboration between winemakers and grape growers, they finally expanded into the business of distillery in 2016, with their very own distillery tasting room opening in April of 2017. 

All of their spirits are brandy-based, and made using the delicious wine grapes grown and hand-picked at their own location in the heart of Arizona.

So if you’re looking to sample some truly delicious and local spirits, consider paying a visit to the Flying Leap Vineyards! 

Adventurous Stills

Made using handbuilt copper stills, the incredible whiskey produced by Adventurous Stills really brings an entirely new level of “handmade” to the market, and they also produce some amazing bourbon too, which is certainly worth trying. 

For those who want to get a taste of Adventurous Stills right at the heart of the company, you can pay a visit to the tasting room at the distillery, and even get a tour of operations too, but this is limited to weekends only, so you’ll have to plan your visit in advance! 

Desert Diamond Distillery

With 13 years of experience, and a focus on trying to create the best rum available in the entirety of the SouthWest, Desert Diamond Distillery have a reputation for their incredible rum (and whiskey), and as a result, have become an award-winning brand. 

With tours and different tasting experiences available, if you’re looking to try out some of the best rum you can find in the SouthWest, and certainly one of the best rums from Arizona, then you definitely need to pay a visit to Desert Diamond Distillery! 

SanTan Spirits

Whilst they were initially a brewery company, SanTan Brewery have also expanded into distillery too, and are the makers of some delicious vodkas and whiskey.

There are two different types of vodka available, as well as one whiskey, and all three won medals at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 

If you’re looking to try out some of their delicious spirits, you can do so by paying a visit to their very own locations in either New Phoenix or Chandler! 

Paradox Distillery

When Mike Mazzaratto initially thought about opening up a brewery, he discarded the idea, believing that the market was too saturated.

Instead, he opened up one of the first post-prohibition distilleries in Phoenix with friend and homebrewer John Racer to create Paradox Distillery. 

With tasting sessions available in the tasting room, as well as tours of the distillery being on sale too, you can get a great look behind the scenes of this amazing Phoenix-based distillery! 

Thumb Butte Distillery

Opened as the first legal distillery in Prescott after the prohibition in 2013, Thumbe Butte is an Arizona-based distillery committed to using Arizona ingredients for their whiskey and gins, and are looking to secure their place as one of the best small-batch distilleries in the state. 

If you’re looking to visit the distillery, you can make your way to their tasting room to sample some of their delicious products, and there’s even live music on a Friday evening or Sunday Afternoon. 

Whiskey Del Bac

When the idea came to use Mesquite malt to create single-malt whiskey, both Elaine and Stephen Paul, who were furniture designers and incredibly familiar with Mesquite, then Whiskey Del Bac was born, and since then have gone from strength to strength and created some of the best whiskey to come out of the SouthWest. 

For a glimpse of operations behind the scenes at Whiskey Del Vac, you can book your very own tour and tasting session via their website, so it’s the perfect treat for the whiskey lovers amongst you! 

Carefree Spirits Distillery

Looking to incorporate some of the products produced on their farm into a new business venture, Renea McQuigga, alongside her husband Michael, went on to create Carefree Spirits Distillery, which today is known for its excellent whiskey and range of vodka flavors. 

So with a tasting room open in Cave Creek, if you’re a bourbon, whiskey, or vodka lover, then a visit here should be an absolute must on your to-do list if you find yourself passing through! 

Blue Clover Distillery

If you’re looking to sample some of the best vodka made in the SouthWest, which can come infused with a range of different flavors, such as lime, strawberry, and blood orange, then you’re going to love Blue Clover Distillery. 

There are even options for mobile bartending, a chance to enjoy brunch at the distillery, corporate distillery experiences, and you can make your way to their bar any day from Wednesday – Sunday! 

Black Mountain Tavern And Distillery

Tours aren’t necessary to see how Black Mountain Tavern And Distillery works, as you can have a look through the window found behind the bar, where you’ll be able to enjoy the brand’s signature vodka, as well as the fragrant pear vodka they produce too. 

You can sample their creations through a number of different drinks at their own bar, so make sure you visit if you’re nearby. 

Grand Canyon Distillery

After growing his own brewery business starting all the way back in 2007, it was 10 years later when John Pearlsey added the distillery to his ever-growing business, with a focus on grain-to-glass spirits and whiskeys, all made from grains sourced from Arizona farms. 

If you’re looking to get a taste of what their delicious grains can produce, then you can visit one of the three pub locations found across Arizona, as the company currently doesn’t offer brewery tours! 

Wild Hare Distillery

Locally owned and small-batch production is everything a local distillery should be about, they produce two lines of incredible spirits, including Drove, which is their line of agave spirits, as well as WHD, which is their lines of whiskey and vodka! 

They also offer taste-testing sessions and tours, so it’s worth paying a visit if you’re a fan. 

Elgin Winery And Distillery

Producers of some of the best spirits in the world (quite literally), Elgin Winery and Distillery have made a name for themselves by winning the world’s best rum awards at the San Francisco Spirits Competition in 2018 and 2019, so for quality spirits, it’s hard to think about looking elsewhere. 

If you’re looking to get a taste of this world-beating rum, then you can visit the distillery’s own store to pick up a bottle to sample for yourself! 

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this guide to some of the unmissable distilleries based in Arizona, and as you can see, there are quite a few to choose from. So, no matter where you find yourself in the state, there’s no doubt you won’t be too far from one of these amazing distilleries!