Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery sits on historic Route 66 in Williams, Arizona, the official gateway town to Grand Canyon National Park. Founded by John and Diana Peasley in the late 1990s, this operation started as Grand Canyon Brewing Company before expanding into distillation in the 2010s. The building houses both the brewery and distillery operations in downtown Williams, where the couple transformed their passion for craft beverages into a full-scale production facility that serves both locals and the thousands of tourists passing through on their way to the Grand Canyon. The Peasleys didn’t start as distillers—John brought experience from the corporate world while Diana handled much of the business operations. Their journey into spirits came after establishing themselves in the competitive Arizona craft beer scene, where they learned the fundamentals of fermentation and flavor development. The decision to add distillation wasn’t just about diversification—it was about creating something uniquely Arizona that could capture the spirit of the high desert and the Old West heritage of Williams. The distillery operates on a smaller scale than their beer production, focusing on spirits that reflect the character of northern Arizona. Visitors find themselves in a working facility where the smell of fermenting grains mingles with the sweet aroma of aging spirits. The tasting room doubles as a brewery taproom, so you’re getting the full range of what they produce under one roof. The atmosphere feels authentically western without the theme park treatment—this is a real business in a real frontier town, not a tourist attraction that happens to make spirits. You can watch production, taste fresh distillate, and learn how high-altitude distilling affects the process.