About the Author

Dr. Steven R. Crawford’s relationship with whiskey began not in college or a tasting room but at a Scottish festival. He enjoyed sampling spirits in places where tradition, storytelling, and smoke-tinged drams converged into something unforgettable. He embraced the “drink local” ethos by exploring Virginia wineries and then Arizona craft breweries. His interest in local wine and beer producers eventually led him to craft distilling.

An academic at heart, Steven pursued formal study alongside his lived experience. He is a level 3 whisk(e)y sommelier through the Wizard Academy’s Whiskey Marketing School, holds a diploma in single malt whisky from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy, and is an executive bourbon steward with the Stave & Thief Society. He also completed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 in Spirits with distinction. These credentials inform his work, but never overshadow it. Education is a tool for listening more closely, not speaking louder.

Steven can be found leading tours at Outlaw Distillery and hosting tasting events focused on Arizona craft spirits, creating spaces where conversation matters as much as technique and taste. His approach is inclusive and exploratory, inviting participants to trust their senses, ask questions, and discover what resonates with them personally.

By profession, Steven is a higher education administrator and researcher, focused on learning innovation, futures thinking, and technology. By nature, he is a wanderer and a collector of stories, moments, and quiet insights that emerge when people talk about what they make and why.