Willett Distillery

Few names in American whiskey carry the weight Willett does. The distillery sits on a hilltop farm outside Bardstown, Kentucky, still owned and run, as of July 2026, by descendants of the family that built it in 1936, and its Willett Family Estate single barrels rank among the most sought-after releases in bourbon. Willett's story is unusual: it survived not by distilling continuously but by knowing great whiskey when it found it, then returning to the stills when the time was right.

History & Heritage

The Willett family's whiskey lineage reaches back to John David Willett, a nineteenth-century Kentucky master distiller whose recipes the family would later revive. In 1936, shortly after Prohibition's repeal, A. Lambert Willett and his son Thompson Willett built the Willett Distilling Company on the family farm outside Bardstown. The first batch, roughly 30 barrels, came off the stills on March 17, 1937, and Thompson Willett ran the company for decades, with John David Willett's recipes serving as the basis for the Old Bardstown brand.

On July 1, 1984, Even Kulsveen, Thompson Willett's son-in-law, purchased the company and the property with his wife Martha Harriet Willett, renaming it Kentucky Bourbon Distillers. For nearly three decades the operation worked as an independent bottler, selecting and bottling sourced Kentucky whiskey under its family brands, a period that built Willett's reputation for exceptional barrel selection. Distilling resumed on site on January 21, 2012, and the company reclaimed the Willett Distillery name that year. As of July 2026 the business remains owned and operated by Thompson Willett's grandchildren: Britt Kulsveen has served as president since 2018, and her brother Drew Kulsveen is master distiller. The family is still growing. On June 18, 2026, Willett filled the first barrel at a new 70,000 square foot distillery on 150 acres in Springfield, Kentucky, choosing the date to honor the birthday of the late Martha Kulsveen, while operations in Bardstown continue as before.

The Whiskey

Willett is reported to distill from six mash bills, four bourbon and two rye, favoring Kentucky grains. Production runs through a copper column still, a doubler, and a pot still built by Vendome Copper & Brass to replicate the distillery's original patented pot still. That same still inspired the distinctive decanter shape of Willett Pot Still Reserve. The house brands include Old Bardstown, Johnny Drum, Noah's Mill, Rowan's Creek, Kentucky Vintage, and Pure Kentucky X.O., alongside the flagship Willett Family Estate single barrel program.

The Sentinel Room's Reserve Whiskey Library holds seven Willett expressions, among them Willett Family Estate 12 Year Bourbon Whiskey, Willett Family Estate 10 Year Rye Whiskey, Willett Family Estate 7 Year Rye Whiskey, and Old Bardstown Bourbon. The Willett Family Estate line is bottled barrel by barrel, often at cask strength, so no two releases read quite the same.

Why It Matters

Willett occupies rare ground: a family operation that bridged the industry's leanest decades through careful sourcing, then proved it could distill to the same standard. Its single barrels are traded, hunted, and studied by those who appreciate good whiskey, and its aged rye releases in particular are prized within the category. Holding several Willett Family Estate releases side by side, as the Reserve Whiskey Library does, offers a chance to taste how one distillery's barrels diverge across age and mash bill.

Visiting the Distillery

Willett's visitor center at 1869 Loretto Road in Bardstown is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with guided tours offered by reservation. The Bar at Willett, the on-site restaurant, serves vintage whiskey, classic cocktails, and small plates Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.