Willett

Type: Distillery and brand

By St Patrick’s Day 1937, Willett’s first barrel had rolled into Warehouse A in Bardstown, Kentucky. The stills later fell silent, but the whiskey business continued. Distilling returned in 2012, and in June 2026 a second distillery at Springfield filled its first barrel.[1][3][11][12]

Today, Willett is a family-owned distillery and brand whose story runs through both its own whiskey and sourced bottlings. Understanding those two strands is the key to understanding the name.

What Willett is known for

Willett’s most recognisable silhouette is a bottle shaped like a pot still. Fred Minnick reports that Even Kulsveen conceived the Pot Still Reserve bottle to copy the patented Willett pot still made by Vendome.[12] Its shape has a direct connection to the distillery’s equipment.

Behind that distinctive bottle lies a broad family of names. The producer’s published range includes Willett Family Estate Bourbon and Rye, Pot Still Reserve, Johnny Drum, Old Bardstown, Noah’s Mill, Rowan’s Creek, Pure Kentucky and Kentucky Vintage.[1] They share a place in Willett’s story, but not necessarily the same production source.

That distinction matters most with older bottles. Skurnik, an importer and trade source, records that Pot Still Reserve and Estate Bottled Rye arrived in 2008 using sourced stock, later moving to whiskey distilled in house.[9] Gear Patrol also records older bottles labelled “distilled in Indiana”.[10] The Willett name spans several production periods, rather than one uninterrupted source.

The family behind the distillery

The family’s published history begins well before the Bardstown distillery’s first barrel. The producer traces its distilling background through John David Willett, master distiller and part owner of Moore, Willett & Frenke in Bardstown. It also places Lambert Willett at Bernheim in Louisville for nearly a decade, followed by cattle and hog farming during Prohibition.[1]

According to that account, Thompson Willett began apprenticing with his father after repeal in December 1933.[1] The producer’s 2018 release says Aloysius Lambert Willett and A.L. “Thompson” Willett bought the farm in 1936 to build the distillery.[2]

The corporate record supplies another firm date. Trade reporting records the charter’s filing on 4 September 1936, naming Thompson Willett, John L. Willett and Mary T. Willett as incorporators.[7] The family history and the charter illuminate different parts of the beginning; the attribution of a single founder remains disputed.

Story box: the family behind the founding

From dormant stills to renewed production

When Willett stopped distilling, it did not stop doing business in whiskey. The producer says Even Kulsveen sold aged stocks overseas and through independent contract bottling during the dormant years.[1] The Kentucky Distillers’ Association records that he took Japanese classes at night to serve Asian clients.[4]

The date the stills fell silent is less settled. Willett belonged to the KDA from the 1950s to the 1970s; Gear Patrol places the production halt in 1976, while the KDA gives the 1980s.[3][10] These are accounts of the interruption in distilling, separate from Even and Martha Kulsveen’s purchase of the property in 1984.[4]

Bottling brought another chapter in the 1990s. Skurnik dates the creation of the Small Batch Boutique Collection to that decade, naming Rowan’s Creek, Noah’s Mill, Kentucky Vintage and Pure Kentucky.[9] These brands form part of the history that continued while Willett’s own stills were idle.

Distilling resumed in 2012. Willett rejoined the KDA that year and helped found the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. According to the KDA, the revival’s first barrel was filled on what would have been Thompson Willett’s 103rd birthday.[3] This was an old distillery returning to production, not a new business starting from scratch.

Production timeline

How Willett makes its whiskey

A tall column still and a copper pot still stand at the centre of Skurnik’s account of production at Bardstown. The importer describes a copper-and-stainless-steel column approximately 18.3 metres high and 0.61 metres wide, alongside a Vendome copper pot still replicating Thompson Willett’s patented design.[9] These published equipment details were checked against the site record in November 2026.

Skurnik describes sour mash fermentation lasting three to five days, with proprietary yeast working in stainless-steel vats of approximately 38,000 litres (10,000 US gallons). Its account identifies limestone-filtered, spring-fed estate water.[9] The KDA separately describes a lake on the grounds fed by a limestone spring.[3]

The importer reports six mash bills, or grain recipes: four for bourbon and two for rye.[9] Published examples show how different those recipes can be. Wheated Bourbon #2 contains 65 per cent corn, 20 per cent wheat and 15 per cent malted barley; a rye recipe uses 74 per cent rye, 11 per cent corn and 15 per cent malt.[7][12] These are examples, not the complete specifications for all six.

For maturation, Skurnik identifies Independent Stave barrels of approximately 200 litres (53 US gallons), with a number four char.[9] Production figures belong to their period: Fred Minnick reported 24,000 barrels filled between the 2012 restart and early 2017, with capacity then stated as 60 barrels a day.[7] Neither figure measures current annual output.

Reading the Willett range

Willett Family Estate Bourbon and Rye appear in the producer’s published range, while its June 2018 release specifically names Willett Family Estate 4 Year Rye.[1][2] That release documents the expression at the time, rather than providing a complete current catalogue.

Pot Still Reserve has its own sequence of milestones: introduction with sourced stock in 2008, followed by a move to in-house distillation, as recorded by Skurnik.[9] In September 2026, a trade report announced Pot Still Reserve Cask Strength, with releases at each equinox.[12] That announcement marks a separate development from the original expression’s launch.

For older bottles, read the origin statement: Gear Patrol’s recorded wording, “distilled in Indiana”, is a concrete example of the detail to look for.[10]

Springfield and the next family chapter

Springfield’s first barrel carries a precise record: 18 June 2026, barrel code 26F18. Distillery Trail identifies the date as Martha Kulsveen’s birthday.[11] The newer distillery occupies a reported 150-acre site about 32 kilometres from Bardstown, with a building of approximately 6,500 square metres.

The milestone followed two family deaths the previous year. Martha died on 6 May 2025 and Even on 23 September 2025, according to the same trade account.[11] Springfield’s first barrel belongs within that family chronology; it records the start of production there, not a mature whiskey release.

At Bardstown, the producer announced Britt Kulsveen’s promotion to President and Chief Whiskey Officer on 14 June 2018, succeeding her mother, Martha. The release identifies Drew Kulsveen as master distiller.[2] These are the responsibilities recorded in that 2018 announcement; their latest verification date is not established.

Common mistakes about Willett

Calling it a new craft distillery: the 2012 restart is only one milestone. The farm purchase in 1936, first barrel in 1937 and earlier KDA membership establish the business’s much longer history.[1][2][3]

Equating the dormant stills with a dormant business: Even Kulsveen continued selling aged stocks overseas and through independent contract bottling.[1] Pot Still Reserve’s sourced beginnings in 2008 belong to that broader bottling history.[9]

Visiting Bardstown

The producer’s press packet records a Bardstown visitor centre and The Bar at Willett on its second floor, opened in September 2019.[1] Before travelling, check the official website for current booking arrangements, accessibility information and age restrictions; the historical opening date does not establish present availability.

Where to go next

• Maker's Mark: continue with another Kentucky distillery profile.
• Heaven Hill: Evan Williams and Elijah Craig: explore another distillery and its associated brands.
• Michter's: continue through the American distilleries and brands guide.

Sources

[1] Willett Distillery, producer’s account. Press Packet. Publication date not supplied in the fact sheet. https://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PressPacket_Web.pdf

[2] Willett Distillery, producer’s account. Britt Kulsveen promotion release. 14 June 2018. https://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/brittreleasejune14.pdf

[3] Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Willett Distillery Advances Membership Rank in Kentucky Distillers’ Association. December 2015. https://kybourbon.com/industry-news/willett-distillery-advances-membership-rank-in-kentucky-distillers-association/

[4] Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Inducts Six New Members, Bestows Lifetime Achievement Award. 2019. https://kybourbon.com/industry-news/kentucky-bourbon-hall-of-fame-inducts-six-new-members-bestows-lifetime-achievement-award/

[7] Fred Minnick. The Rise of Willett. 31 March 2017. https://www.fredminnick.com/2017/03/31/the-rise-of-willett/

[9] Skurnik Wines & Spirits, importer and trade source. Willett Distillery. Undated producer profile, edition recorded in the supplied fact sheet as checked November 2026. https://www.skurnik.com/producer/willett-distillery/

[10] Gear Patrol. Willett’s Long Path Back to Bourbon. Publication date not supplied in the fact sheet. https://www.gearpatrol.com/food/drinks/a113084/willett-distillerys-long-path-back-bourbon/

[11] Distillery Trail. Willett Distillery Celebrates 1st Barrel Filled at New 70,000 sq ft Distillery on 150 Acre Site. 2026. https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/willett-distillery-celebrates-1st-barrel-filled-at-new-70000-sq-ft-distillery-on-150-acre-site/

[12] Fred Minnick. Willett Releases Pot Still Reserve Cask Strength. 25 September 2026. https://www.fredminnick.com/2026/09/25/willett-releases-pot-still-reserve-cask-strength/

This article is desk research based on the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing producer accounts, industry-body statements and trade reporting.

Last checked: November 2026