Drew Kulsveen

“The Torch is Passed”

Nestled quietly on the southern edge of Bardstown, Kentucky—the world’s recognized bourbon capital—stands Willett Distillery, a deeply-rooted family operation now guided by Master Distiller Drew  Kulsveen. Drew, 43, is the distillery’s charismatic fifth-generation leader. Under his watch, Willett returned to full-scale distilling and has developed distinctive mash bills that garner well-earned respect among whiskey enthusiasts.

The story of Willett began in the mid-1800s, when Drew’s great-great-grandfather, John David Willett, worked at multiple distilleries around Nelson County, Kentucky, immersing himself in bourbon culture and the farming that often accompanied whiskey-making in those days. Nevertheless, John David’s operation was not commercial, and, although it enjoyed a great local stature, there are no records that his distillery was ever named or associated with a specific brand. However, later, his son, Thompson Willett, built the beginnings of the current Willett distillery just after Prohibition; he bottled his first barrel in March of 1937. That distillery had the reputation of producing a smooth, drinkable whiskey that enjoyed reasonable success for many years. Unfortunately, the “bourbon bust” of the 1970s and 1980s was hard on Thompson’s distillery, and by 1984, the business had declined from the boom of the 1940s to shuttered stills. It was then that Drew’s parents, Even and Martha Willett Kulsveen, purchased the property and renamed it Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, eventually reviving it fully in 2012 under the historic Willett name.

During the downtime, the family pivoted to blending high-quality sourced whiskey, creating acclaimed brands such as Johnny Drum, Rowan’s Creek, and Noah’s Mill. Drew, by then in his early 20s, was eager to learn his family’s business and joined the operation full-time in 2004, eventually mastering the art of blending, or as he put it, “Figuring out the different profiles of barrels and how they meld together”.

Before fully embracing the family legacy, however, Drew attended Western Kentucky University, eventually earning degrees in marketing and economics.  Returning home, intent on combining his business insight with hands-on distillation work, he initially focused on blending, but soon shifted to designing and engineering Willett’s current distilling setup. When the distillery fired up its own stills again in 2012, Drew led operations alongside his sister, Britt, who is now President of the facility. Under the guidance of their legendary father, Even, the brother-and-sister duo have now covered four bourbon and two rye recipes, earning Willett three consecutive nominations for James Beard awards in the outstanding spirits professional category.