Spirits of the Times Distilleries in the North Bay and the East Bay BY Brooke Herron
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WALL OF FAME Testing the barrels at Wright and Brown Distilling Co., the first Oakland distillery launched since before Prohibition.
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EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | MARCH/APRIL 2022
PHOTO COURTESY OF WRIGHT AND BROWN DISTILLING CO.
he demand for quality craft spirits has steadily increased during the past 15 years and shows no sign of slowing down. Consumers have developed a taste for and interest in higher-quality, smaller-production specialized spirits and cocktails, as evidenced by the huge increases in craft distilleries in the U.S. during the past seven to 10 years. Between 2015 and 2020 the number of small craft distilleries nearly doubled and the number of medium-size craft distillers more than doubled, according to the Craft Spirits Data Project. Moreover, spirits continue to gain an ever-increasing alcoholconsumption market share.
