Tom's Foolery Distillery
A Brief Overview of the Distillery
Tom's Foolery is a family-owned, craft distillery in Northeast Ohio, producing bourbon, rye, and applejack on a 115-acre farm since 2008. The distillery combines its own cultivation of corn and rye with traditional copper pot stills and a cold-aging process in unheated warehouses, resulting in whiskies born of local ingredients and seasonal changes.
History
The history begins as a childhood dream for Tom, who early on worked with wine and apple production alongside his father. Tom and Lianne bought a 30-gallon still in 1991 and began small-scale production of applejack. After years of experimentation and development, they formalized the distillery in 2008. During the 2010s they expanded their production equipment with larger mash tuns (250, 500, and 1,000 gallons) and a beer still of over 1,200 gallons. An early mash tun, originally from Michter's Distillery, was sold in 2015. In 2018 the distillery marked itself by releasing a Bonded Bourbon and mentioning plans to expand the farm and establish a tasting room and limited tours.
Raw Materials and Production
Tom's Foolery follows a 'grain-to-glass' approach: they grow their own corn and rye on the farm's roughly 115 acres and supplement with local farmers. The grains are milled as whole kernels to a coarse mash, specially tailored for bourbon. The distillation follows the classic American sour mash method, where the mash tuns are filled with water from a deep artesian well, soured, and about 1,500 pounds of grain in the largest mash tuns. Fermentation takes place in 1,000-gallon stainless steel tanks; previously open wooden vessels were used. The distillation is pot-based and occurs in two stages (double pot distillation): a first distillation in a large beer still to create low wine, and a second distillation that produces new make, enough to fill roughly two 53-gallon barrels per distillation.
Aging and Barrel Types
Aging takes place in unheated rackhouses where Mother Nature controls the temperatures. In summer, heat allows faster extraction through the wood's pores; in winter, frost drives temperatures down. This strong seasonal variation in Northeast Ohio is described as a factor that yields a less dominant own character and a complex maturation over time. When bottling, typically five barrels are hand-selected from the warehouse for each bottling.
Whiskies
The range primarily consists of bourbon, rye, and applejack, produced on pot stills and in batch series. The distillery has released batch-numbered products such as Ohio Straight Bourbon Batch #1 and a Bonded Bourbon, as well as several batches of applejack. The products are produced in small quantities and bottled from hand-picked casks; some releases are described as special order or limited batches.
| Whisky | Type / Series | Barrel and Style | Flavor Profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom's Foolery Bonded Bourbon | Bourbon (Bonded) | Oak barrels | Bonded Bourbon released as a milestone product for the distillery in 2018. | Released 2018 |
| Tom's Foolery Ohio Straight Bourbon Batch #1 | Bourbon (Straight Bourbon) | Oak barrels (53-gallon) | First batch of Ohio Straight Bourbon mentioned as nearing release in 2018. | Limited / batch release |
| Tom's Foolery Applejack | Applejack / Apple Brandy | Oak barrels | Applejack produced by the distillery in batch series; the first barrel of applejack took a year to fill, and Batch #4 was described as almost sold out. | Batch releases (e.g., Batch #4 mentioned); Special Order (example of Batch #4) |
Visit the Distillery
The distillery's official opening hours are listed as Saturdays from 12:00 to 16:00. Address, phone number and email are provided, so visitors can contact the site directly. The pages mention plans for a tasting room and limited tours in connection with a farm upgrade, but concrete information about guided tours, booking requirements, or tastings is not specified beyond the stated opening hours.
The stated opening hours are Saturday 12:00–16:00; Monday–Friday closed; Sunday closed.
Philosophy and Craft
Tom's Foolery emphasizes traditional methods, local ingredient use, and a low-tech, sensory approach: decisions are made by taste and smell, and no chemicals, sugar, or colorants are added. Pot distillation and growing their own grain are central elements of their craft, as is aging in unheated warehouse facilities where the climate plays an active role.
Sustainability
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Grows a portion of their grain on their own 115-acre farm.
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Rotation farming with beans for soil health.
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Collaborates with local farmers for raw materials.
Latest News
Tom's Foolery Bonded Bourbon – 2018-09-20
The news announces the release of a Bonded Bourbon, a significant product for the distillery in 2018.
Spring at the Farm – 2019-04-09
Blog post describing life on the farm in spring and showing the distillery's connection to farming and nature.