To a distiller, beer is essentially undistilled whiskey, but in the world of craft distilling, craft beer is much more than that — it might even reveal the future for craft distilleries in the United States.

The number of craft breweries in the United States recently hit 2,000, according to the Brewers Association, Boulder, Colo. Even though overall U.S. beer sales decreased approximately 1.3 percent by volume last year, craft beer sales increased 13 percent by volume, selling 11,468,152 barrels last year, the association stated.