Willett Distillery Ltd,[2][3] is a private, family-owned-and-operated company that produces bourbon and ryewhiskey.[4][5][6][7] Over the years, the company has bottled whiskeys that range from two years of aging maturity up to 28 years. The company was named Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) between 1984 and 2012.[2]
The company is located on the outskirts of Bardstown, Kentucky,[8] on a site that began as a farm owned by the Willett family. Primarily operating as a relatively large independent bottling company, Willett Distillery has been called "the big daddy of bourbon and rye bottling".[5]
Company history
The company was founded as the Willett Distilling Company in 1936. The company has remained under family ownership and operation at the same location since it was created[1]
John David Willett (born in 1841) had been the master distiller for the Moore, Willett & Frenke Distillery, which he had formed with his brother-in-law Thomas S. Moore of Bardstown, and a Mr. Frenke of Louisville. In 1876, Willett fell ill and sold his interest in the company (he would recover and live another 38 years, passing in 1914).[9][10] The resulting company became the Mattingly Moore Distillery. The Mattingly Moore Distillery became an important part in the history of other significant bourbon brands, including the Tom Moore bourbon brand and other brands of the Barton Brands distillery (sometimes known as the Tom Moore distillery).
John's son A. Lambert Willett picked up his father's profession in 1898, at the age of 15, with a five-year stint at the Mattingly Moore Distillery.[9] Lambert Willett then worked for the Max Selliger & Co. Distillery for twenty years – eventually becoming one-third owner and superintendent of the plant.[9]
A. L. "Thompson" Willett, Lambert's son (born in 1909), also joined him at the plant as assistant superintendent. Lambert Willett later purchased a farm and, together with his sons and especially led by Thompson Willett, founded the Willett Distilling Company on the site. Thompson and Lambert Willett used John David Willett's bourbon recipes as the basis of the Old Bardstown whiskey brand.[citation needed]
The construction of the Willett Distilling Company began in the spring of 1936 (soon after the 1933 repeal of alcohol prohibition in the United States), and the company produced its first batch of 300 bushels (about 30 barrels) on March 17, 1937.[1] Five years after founding the Willett Distilling Company, Lambert Willett left Max Selliger & Co. to pursue the family business full-time.[11] Lambert Willett and at least four of his sons held substantial positions of responsibility at the company.
Lambert Willett died in 1970. A. L. "Thompson" was the president of the company until 1984. At one time, he was also the president of the Kentucky Distillers Association, and a member of the Nelson County Historical Society, where his interests included the early history of whiskey-making in Kentucky.[12] Thompson Willett's legal name was actually the same as his father's, but he became known as "Thompson", using the maiden surname of his mother (née Mary Catherine Thompson) to distinguish himself.
Thompson Willett's daughter Martha Harriet Willett and some other members of her generation of the family worked for the company as well, and in 1972 she married Even (pronounced Evan) G. Kulsveen, formerly of Hamar, Norway, who had emigrated to the United States at the age of 14 and had been a merchant marine, chef, and glass decanter craftsman.[13]
During the 1970s energy crisis, the company switched from producing whiskey to producing ethanol for gasohol fuel.[11] This strategy soon failed when fuel prices returned to lower levels, and the distilling facilities were completely shut down in the early 1980s.[11]
Kulsveen and his wife purchased the company and the property on July 1, 1984, and renamed the company to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), Ltd., registered distillery number DSP-KY-78.[10][13] For some time, KBD continued to produce bourbon from the aging barrels that the Willett distillery had produced before they had stopped distilling. KBD then increasingly began to purchase its bourbon from other distilleries and operate as an independent bottling company, and restocked its barrel aging facilities with purchased barrels. The next generation of the family, particularly their son E. A. "Drew" Kulsveen and his wife Janelle,[2] their daughter K. M.-B. "Britt" Chavanne and her husband Hunter Chavanne, have since taken over the primary roles at the company.[14][15] Drew Kulsveen is the current Master Distiller and manages production,[16] Janelle Kulsveen runs the gift shop and tasting room, and Britt Kulsveen runs day-to-day operations.[2][17]). As of October 2011, the company employed about 14 people – four family members and 8 to 12 line workers.[7] KBD started refurbishing and enhancing its prior distillery plant, and began limited test distilling on January 21, 2012.[14][18][19][17]
In 2012, the company started using the Willett Distillery name again as its primary business name.[2]
After dropping out of the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA) for decades, the company rejoined in October 2012.[2][20] Also in October 2012, the KDA announced that it would expand its Kentucky Bourbon Trail program to include a new "Craft Tour" of seven artisan distilleries, including the Willett Distillery.[21][22] In December, 2015, it was announced that the Willett distillery was promoted to a higher class of membership in the Distillers' Association, becoming its first member in a new class of membership called the "Proof" level.[3]
On June 14, 2018, the company announced the promotion of Kristin Martha-Britt Kulsveen to President and Chief Whiskey Officer, replacing her mother Martha Harriett Willett Kulsveen as President.[23] Even Kulsveen holds the title of Executive Director.[13]
In September 2019, Willett Distillery opened an on-site bar and small-plate restaurant called The Bar at Willett.[24][25]
On September 19, 2019, Even Kulsveen was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame and recognized with a Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award by the KDA, who described Kulsveen as "a beloved icon who patiently resurrected one of the state's most historic distilleries and returned the family-owned brand to global prominence".[13]
In October 2021, Willett Distillery partnered with rock band Kings of Leon, releasing a limited edition Bourbon and rye whiskey collection.[26][27][28]
In December 2022, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced that Willett Distillery would invest nearly $93 million to build warehouses and other production facilities and create 35 new jobs in Springfield, Kentucky.[29][30][26]
Production
In addition to marketing a number of its own brands, Willett Distillery also operates as a contract bottler for various brands that are owned and marketed by others.
Most (perhaps all) of the brands that are owned by Willett Distillery do not actually identify Willett Distillery as the producing company on their labels. Instead, the company does business under various fictitious company names.[citation needed] These other business names often correspond to the bottling brand names such as the Old Bardstown Distilling Company for the Old Bardstown bourbon brand and the Noah's Mill Distilling Company for the Noah's Mill bourbon brand.[citation needed]
The company does not identify specifically where in Kentucky its products are distilled, although it has been suggested that most of their products have been distilled by the Heaven Hill Distillery, which has its company headquarters located close to Willett Distillery.[31] The two companies are located about a half mile from each other along the same road in Bardstown, Kentucky.
For its new distilling operation, the company has three operating stills – a column still, a "doubler", and a pot still.[16] The company has eight warehouses on site – each of which holds 5000–6000 barrels of whiskey for aging.[16] Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen said that the warehouses are about a quarter of the size of those found at other distilleries.[16]
Brands
The brands owned and marketed by Willett Distillery include the following:
Estate Bottled label 50.5% abv, No age statement – the original Willett Distillery brand, first batch distilled 1937
Bottled In Bond 50% abv, No age statement although it is at least four years old as which is true with all spirits that are classified as being Bottled in bond
Vintage bourbon and rye (47% abv, various ages including 17, 21, and 23 years)
Willett Pot Still Reserve[32] bourbon (47% abv, No age statement, formerly a single-barrel brand) – introduced 2008; bottled in a decorative decanter that received a double gold award for packaging design at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.[34] (Although the product has the term pot still in its name, it has been reported that part of the distillation process for the product was performed using the more common column still distillation method—with a pot still used only for the doubler stage.)
Rowan's Creek bourbon (50.05% abv, No age statement)[35] – This is Willett Distillery's best-selling brand, available in 27 states as of October 2011.[7]
Conecuh Ridgesmall batch whiskey "distilled from bourbon mash"[41] (45% abv, approximately 4 year aging, for Spirits Acquisition Corp.) – Note that under U.S. regulations a whiskey "distilled from bourbon mash" is similar to a bourbon, but is aged in used oak barrels rather than in new ones.
The company also occasionally releases various limited-edition special bottlings (often bottled under variations of the Willett brand name) for individual distributors.[32][45] The XFC Exploratory Cask Finish launched in 2014 with a single-batch rye finished in Grand Marnier casks.[8]
Awards
Many of the company's brands have received awards at the annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition.[46] These include Willett Pot Still Reserve (gold medal and double gold medal for packaging, 2009), Old Bardstown Gold, Black and Estate Bottled labels (each receiving a silver medal in 2012), Johnny Drum Private Stock (double gold medal, 2010), Johnny Drum Green and Black labels (each receiving a silver medal in 2012), Kentucky Vintage (double gold medal, 2005, silver medal, 2012), Noah's Mill (gold medal, 2005; double gold medal, 2011), Pure Kentucky XO (double gold medal, 2005, silver medal, 2012), and Rowan's Creek (gold medal, 2005; gold medal, 2011).
The Beverage Testing Institute rated Corner Creek bourbon at 92 in a 2010 tasting and Black Maple Hill rye at 95 in a 2008 tasting.[47] Both of these ratings are in the range of 90–95, which the Institute refers to as "exceptional".
Malt Advocate Magazine rated Willett Family Reserve 22-year-old rye at 96 "a classic" (Vol. 18, #1), Willett Family Reserve 25-year-old bourbon at 95 "a classic" (Vol. 18, #1), Willett Family Reserve 23-year-old rye at 94 "outstanding" (Vol. 17, #2), Vintage 17-year-old bourbon at 92 "outstanding" (Vol. 15, #2), Rowan's Creek 12-year-old bourbon at 92 "outstanding" (Vol. 14, #2), Vintage 21-year-old rye at 91 "outstanding" (Vol. 15, #4), and Willett Pot Still Reserve at 90 "outstanding" (Vol. 17, #2).[48]
In the 2011 edition of the Whisky Bible by Jim Murray, a Willett Aged 17 Years Barrel Proof was named a "World Whisky of the Year" (10–17 Years Single Barrel).[49]
Bourbon whiskey is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French House of Bourbon, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County, Kentucky, and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the House of Bourbon. The name bourbon might not have been used until the 1850s, and the association with Bourbon County was not evident until the 1870s.
Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey:
Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956.
Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of the American Whiskey Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795, seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand. The brand name became "Jim Beam" in 1943 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended. Previously produced by the Beam family and later owned by the Fortune Brands holding company, the brand was purchased by Suntory Holdings in 2014.
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a variety of other distilled spirits.
Ezra Brooks is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey owned and marketed by MGP Ingredients. It is primarily bottled at 40% abv or 45% abv.
Woodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced in Woodford County, Kentucky, by the Brown-Forman Corporation. It is made from a mixture of copper pot still spirits produced at the company's Woodford Reserve Distillery, and column still spirits from the Brown Forman Distillery in Shively, Kentucky. Each 45.2% alcohol by volume bottle bears a unique batch and bottle number. The brand was introduced in 1996. Domestic sales of Woodford Reserve surpassed one million cases in 2021.
Single barrel whiskey is a premium class of whiskey in which each bottle comes from an individual aging barrel, instead of coming from blending together the contents of various barrels to provide uniformity of color and taste. By contrast, some other whiskeys, even ones that are not blends, may be combined from more than one batch, or even from differing years to achieve consistency. The whiskey from each barrel is bottled separately, with each bottle bearing the barrel number and in most cases the dates for the beginning and end of aging. Each barrel is believed to contribute unique characteristics to the finished whiskey.
Bulleit Bourbon is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced at the Bulleit Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky and the Bulleit Distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky, owned by the Diageo beverage conglomerate. It is characterized by a high rye content for a bourbon and being aged at least six years. It is bottled at 45% abv for the US, Canadian, British, Dutch and Mexican markets. For Australian and Danish markets, it is bottled at 40% abv. It is also sold in Germany, Norway and Sweden.
Small batch whiskey is whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of selected barrels. Small batch whiskeys are commercially positioned for the upper-premium market. The term is most commonly used for American whiskey but is sometimes used for other whiskeys as well. For example, the Bowmore distillery in Islay, Scotland, has produced a single malt Scotch whisky labeled as "small batch".
Old Forester is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whisky produced by the Brown–Forman Corporation. It has been on the market continuously for longer than any other bourbon, and was the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed bottles. It was first bottled and marketed in 1870 by the former pharmaceutical salesman turned bourbon-merchant George Garvin Brown – the founder of the Brown–Forman Corporation. During the Prohibition period from 1920 to 1933, Brown–Forman received one of only six licenses authorizing lawful production.
Noah's Mill is a bourbon produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by the Willett Distillery. The bourbon was originally aged in charred oak barrels until mature at 15 years old, however the current bottles contain no age statement. It is bottled by hand at 57.15% ABV.
It has been common practice in the whisky industry for more than a century for distilleries to sell barrels of whisky to blenders and independent bottlers as a means of making additional income. In fact, some distilleries exist solely to serve independent bottlers, and do not market any brands themselves.
Elijah Craig is a premium and super-premium brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Kentucky by Heaven Hill Distilleries. The brand is sold as a straight bourbon, typically in 750 millilitres glass bottles.
Johnny Drum Bourbon is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by the Willett Distillery. It is sold in glass 16 oz pint bottles, glass 750 ml bottles, glass 1-liter bottles and plastic 1.75L bottles.
Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon is brand of a bourbon whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by the Willett Distillery.
Benjamin Prichard's Tennessee Whiskey is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced in the small community of Kelso, Tennessee in the United States. Although it is produced by one of only two distilleries operating in Lincoln County – and its unaged variation is named Lincoln County Lightning – Prichard's is not produced using the Lincoln County Process. Due to a special grandfathering exemption under a Tennessee law enacted in 2013, the Prichard's distillery in Kelso is the only producer allowed to label its product as "Tennessee Whiskey" without using this process. Prichard's whiskey is produced entirely using pot stills rather than column stills.
Old Pogue is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Located in Maysville, Kentucky, the Old Pogue Distillery carries strong family ties dating back to the 1870s, and is privately owned by members of the Pogue family.
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