Spirits · Bardstown, Kentucky

Willett Distillery

A family-run Bardstown distillery, home of the pot still reserve bourbon.

Founded: 1936
Founded by: A. Lambert Willett, Thompson Willett
Based in: Bardstown, Kentucky

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Their story

Willett is a family distillery on a farm just outside Bardstown, Kentucky. A. Lambert Willett and his sons, led by Thompson Willett, began building it in 1936, and the first batch ran in March 1937.

In the 1970s the family turned to making fuel ethanol, a bet that failed when oil prices fell, and distilling stopped by the early 1980s. In 1984 Thompson's daughter Martha and her husband, Even Kulsveen, bought the property. As Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, they bottled whiskey sourced from other distilleries for nearly three decades.

They restored the stills and started distilling again in January 2012, bringing back the Willett name. Today the next generation, including Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen and President Britt Kulsveen, runs the company.

How it's made

The distillery runs three stills: a column still, a doubler and a pot still. Whiskey ages in eight warehouses on the property, each holding several thousand barrels. For the Pot Still Reserve bourbon, most of the distillation happens on the column still, with the pot still used for the second pass.

Our featured pick

Pot Still Reserve Bourbon (750ML)

$65.00

Aged 8-10yrs, nose is "vanilla lemon cake." The palate is a balance of caramel, vanilla, spices and citrus.

Full product details

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6 in stock

Why we carry them

We like that Willett is still a family business with deep roots in Bardstown. The Pot Still Reserve bottle is a conversation starter, and the bourbon inside backs it up.