Spoelman and Haskell provide the 1990/2000/2012 snapshots; Veach links licensing to experimentation and craft identity; Reigler supplies a selected Kentucky regional case in the2020edition, not national geographic coverage.
From a very small base in 1990, U.S. craft distilling expanded rapidly through the early twenty-first century and spread across many states and regions, increasing the diversity of grains, stills, production models, sourcing practices, and visitor experiences.
Verified as a historical trend. Any exact producer count must retain its source date and definition.
The term craft has no stable universal definition, and individual counts depend on the source’s criteria and publication date. Use the 1990, 2000, 2012, and 2020 figures only as attributed historical snapshots, not current totals.
The linked sources supply dated evidence of craft growth and changing production models. Reigler's contribution is limited to Kentucky's regional craft and visitor network; the nationwide scope must be supported by the other sources, with differing definitions and observation dates explicit.
Editorial use
Use as the backbone for a period treatment of the craft revival, with dated snapshots showing both growth and geographic dispersion.
Boundary
Always state the date and definition behind an exact distillery count. The term craft is contested and cannot be reduced to scale alone.
Reigler 2020 — source-contribution audit
Reigler's PDF241–263 and map238 document a selected Kentucky craft/visitor landscape. They do not establish nationwide counts or independently prove dispersion across many states. National growth and geographic claims must rest on the other linked sources, with each count's date and definition retained. Trail membership, geographic location and a producer's own craft identity are separate fields.
Other-source evidence and existing claim status retained; this audit does not independently reverify every linked work or published use.