It is pretty safe to say that if you are a coal company, the market isn't treating you very well. Unless, of course, you happen to be Alliance Resources Partners (ARLP -0.16%). This quarter was just another in a long list of beating earnings expectations and increasing both top-line and bottom-line growth. Maybe a 3% revenue increase year over year may not wow you, but it is pretty impressive when you consider Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU), Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI), and Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR) have all seen revenue declines greater than 12%.

So, what is it about Alliance that makes it stand out? Tune into the video below, where Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe discusses how having a majority of its assets in the Illinois Basin gives Alliance a major leg up from many of its competitors, and gives a call on whether Alliance is a buy.