What a Story
These words are as dynamic and personal, as they are resolute and collective. For North Carolinians, these concepts were brought to life as two robed women, Liberty and Plenty, in the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina many years ago. Today, these women are the protagonists of Our Story.
We must reimagine and reinterpret Liberty and Plenty for our world today, but to us their meaning is timeless, and they form two foundational values of the distillery: aspiration and abundance.
It invites us to aspire to live our lives just as we desire to live them, create as we wish to create, to follow curiosity, and to fearlessly write new stories. It tells us we can choose who we want to be, what we want to do, and how we want to live our lives. And it assures us that exploring our own unique selves, our hearts, our minds and our abilities is an opportunity to be cherished.
LIBERTY
is aspiration
It tells us that there is plenty of room for all of us, and that life and our ability to create expands and multiplies through collaboration, exploration and curiosity. It also reminds us of our responsibility to care for and honor the richness of our land, and to see that the overflowing cornucopia reaches everyone.
PLENTY
is abundance
Our Ambition
Liberty & Plenty was founded in March 2020 as a 100% woman-owned craft distillery with a bedrock of vision, gratitude, purpose and aspiration, and with curiosity as its heartbeat.
Our guiding objective is to contribute to and expand upon the spirits conversation by presenting unique takes on classic expressions on vodka, gins, rums and whiskies, that are rich with storytelling. We do that by blending tradition and excellence with inspired innovation, and with a commitment to creating timeless spirits that reflect the uniqueness of our communities, our selves, and our aspirations.
Beyond the spirit, we aim to be a purpose-driven business, aligning our brands with the aspirations and needs of our communities, both inside and outside of the tasting room.
At the helm of the distillery is Tina Williford, our sole owner and chief dreamer. She has always been insatiably curious, and a believer in the unique ability of wine and spirits to bring us together through stories and experiences. That curiosity, a passion for imagining and bringing new products to life, and an unrelenting desire to inspire others to find a moment of celebration or meditation, culminated in Liberty & Plenty Distillery and Cocktail Bar.
Inside of the distillery and cocktail bar and within our products are the influences of family and friends, vegetable gardens and home kitchens, and experimentation with acid and spices. There is also a lifetime of work within the wine industry, years of technical and scientific study, a growing family, and a belief that life is a relentless teacher. She holds a Master of Science degree in Brewing & Distilling from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland and a Diploma level graduate of the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust (WSET). We hope that what you find here inspires you to join us, share your own story, and of course, to find a moment to celebrate.