Whiskey Del Bac, the Tucson-based whiskey brand that built its reputation on mesquite-smoked barley, has been acquired by No Sleep Beverage, a Florida-based company expanding its spirits portfolio.
A Tucson Original Changes Hands
The deal marks a significant shift for one of Arizona’s most recognized craft whiskey brands. No Sleep Beverage picked up Whiskey Del Bac as part of a broader acquisition push that also brought in Nine Branded Whiskey out of Austin, Texas, and Ume Plum Liqueur out of New York City. The move signals the Florida company’s intent to build out a diversified portfolio of regional craft spirits with distinct identities.
For Whiskey Del Bac, the sale closes a chapter that started more than a decade ago in a corner of Tucson that most people would never associate with whiskey making.
From Furniture Shop to Distillery
Stephen Paul and his wife Elaine Paul launched Whiskey Del Bac in 2013 on North Fourth Avenue, operating out of a building that had previously served as home to their furniture-making business, Arroyo Design. The transition from crafting wood to crafting whiskey might seem like a stretch, but the Pauls carried the same hands-on, maker mentality from one pursuit to the next.
By 2014, the growing operation had outgrown its original space and the couple relocated to a larger facility at 2106 Forbes Blvd, just off West Grant Road. That address became the home base where Whiskey Del Bac developed into the brand it is today — one with a loyal following and a production process that sets it apart from virtually everything else on the shelf.
The Mesquite Difference
What made Whiskey Del Bac worth acquiring — and what built its fanbase in the first place — comes down to one thing: mesquite fire. The distillery dries its barley over burning mesquite wood, a technique that pulls directly from the Sonoran Desert landscape surrounding Tucson and infuses the grain with a smoky, regionally distinct character before it ever touches a still…