Buy rare and selected Willett Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Rye Whiskey online
The Willett Distillery was founded in 1936 by Thompson Willett in Bardstown, Kentucky, shortly after the repeal of Prohibition. Bardstown is located in the heart of Bourbon Country. In the 1970s, demand for bourbon whiskey fell sharply, which is why the distillery finally had to cease operations due to the bourbon crisis in the 1980s and was bought by Martha Willett s husband, the successful entrepreneur Even Kulsveen. He took over the management and transformed the company into a very successful independent bottler (Non-Distiller Producer - NDP). They bought casks from other distilleries (such as Heaven Hill, MGP, etc.), matured them and bottled them under various brand names, including Willett itself, but also Rowan s Creek, Noah s Mill, Johnny Drum and Old Bardstown. During this time, Willett gained a legendary reputation for selecting excellent casks, especially for older whiskeys.
Kulsveen continued to have his company, Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, produce whiskey from the original Willett recipe and age and bottle it at the actual distillery in Bardstown. The Willett/Kulsveen family worked as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers in the whiskey wholesale business
After years of planning and investment, the Kulsveen family resumed distilling on the site in 2012, with a new copper pot still (still) in a shape reminiscent of the original plans. Willett is now a fully operating distiller again, making its own whiskey (own make), but may still offer some products from bought-in and old stock while maturing its own distillates. The Kulsveen family continues to run the company.
Willett is now one of the most renowned American whiskey producers with its bottlings and has made a name for itself among lovers and connoisseurs of bourbon and rye whiskeys. In particular, the rare old limited bottlings for Mr. Bourbon Heinz Taubenheim and the Family Estate Bottled Rare Release Single Barrel Bourbon and Rye Whiskeys from the distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, have become as popular as the Bourbon or Rye Whiskeys from Old Rip Van Winkle, Pappy Van Winkle, George T. Stagg, Hirsch, Rittenhouse or William Larue Weller and the extremely rare old and excellent bourbon and rye whiskeys fetch exorbitantly high prices at the special auctions of Bonhams, Krüger and Christies, and the trend is still rising. In our whisky store you will find an exquisite selection of rare and many years old Willett Rare Release Single Barrel Bourbon and Single Barrel Rye whiskeys.
