Liberty Tree Distillers sits on North Meadows Road in Medfield, Massachusetts, about 20 miles southwest of Boston in a converted industrial space that’s been transformed into a craft spirits operation. Founded by husband-and-wife team Mike and Sarah Johnson in 2018, this small-batch distillery emerged from Mike’s background in chemical engineering and Sarah’s business acumen, combined with a shared passion for craft spirits that started as home distilling experiments in their garage. They spent two years navigating local permits and town approvals before opening their doors, making Liberty Tree one of the few craft distilleries serving the MetroWest region.
The Johnsons built their operation around a 250-gallon copper still imported from Germany, focusing on small-batch production that allows them to experiment with different mash bills and aging techniques. Mike handles the distilling side while Sarah manages operations and customer experience, creating a genuinely personal operation where visitors often interact directly with the founders. Their philosophy centers on using locally-sourced grains when possible and taking time with each batch rather than rushing to market, which means their production runs are limited but consistently crafted.
The 3,000-square-foot facility includes the production floor, a small tasting room with reclaimed wood tables, and a retail area where you can watch the distilling process through large windows. The atmosphere feels more like visiting someone’s well-equipped workshop than a corporate facility, with the Johnsons often on-site to talk about their process and the challenges of building a distillery from scratch in Massachusetts. You’ll smell the mash cooking and hear the still running during production days, making it feel like you’re getting an authentic behind-the-scenes look at small-scale distilling.
