Tom’s Foolery Farm and Distillery sits on a working farm in Burton, Ohio, about 30 miles southeast of Cleveland in the heart of Geauga County’s Amish country. Founded by Tom Johnson, a former engineer who traded spreadsheets for stills, the operation launched in 2012 after years of planning and navigating Ohio’s complex distilling laws. The distillery occupies converted farm buildings on the Johnson family property, where they grow their own corn and source other grains locally when possible. They specialize in bourbon, rye whiskey, and vodka, with their bourbon becoming the flagship that put them on Ohio’s craft spirits map. The setting feels authentically rural—you’re literally visiting a working farm where the grain-to-glass process happens on the same property where cattle graze nearby. Tom’s engineering background shows in the precise, methodical approach to distilling, while his wife handles much of the business operations and visitor experience. The operation remains intentionally small-scale, with Tom doing most of the distilling himself on a custom copper still system that produces about 400 gallons per batch.