Willett Distilling Company Reviews

Just a great experience with wonderful hostesses! Great bourbon! Great food in the restaurant! Learned at lot too.

Awesome tour and tasting. I liked the fact that they gave you tastings at the beginning and during the tour, not just at the end.

Had a private tasting with Tammy. She is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and a wonderful ambassador for Willett. Having been to many of the larger distilleries, we were looking to also go to some of the smaller ones. We had a 10:15 tasting appointment - what a way to start the day! Tammy was very accommodating as we took our time to go through the tasting. Loved the experience and loved Willett’s Bourbons!

Tour was informative and fun. Very detailed. The tastings along the way of the tour was a nice change from others. Appreciated the designated driver option as well. Entire staff was friendly.

This medium size family owned and run Distillery is a must visit in Bardstown. The experience here is much more personal here than many of the larger distilleries. A great restaurant on site with a full bar and even a Barista Coffee shop as you walk into their gift shop.

Willett has the best facility for tours and tasting of any distillery. They have a great tour and tasting - very informative, not stuffy, and great bourbons and rye whiskey to taste. They have the best bourbon distillery tour of any distillery we have ever visiting throughout KY bourbon country. If you are anywhere within an hour or two of Bardstown, this is a "can't miss" experience. They are the best!

We had a nice tour and tasting at Willett. Our tour guide was upbeat and energetic. The tasting were scattered throughout the tour, instead of all at once at the end. It was a nice change. The facilities are fantastic. The tour was thorough. The staff was welcoming and friendly. Their rye and bourbon options are more price-friendly than some others.

Very organized and informative tour. Especially enjoyed that the tastings were stage throughout different parts of the tour and not all at once.

Tastings! They had all of their offerings on the counter top and they allowed you to choose the ones you wanted to try.

Our tour guide Gwendolyn was AMAZING. She was full of information, answered all of our questions, and was incredibly patient with our elderly family members.
We appreciated that the bourbon tastings were done throughout the tour, so we weren't inundated with multiple tastings at the end.
Bravo! Best bourbon tasting experience we've had!

Great place just for a tasting. Able to select your bourbon/whiskey from families offered. Great hostess.

Great! Local vibe of Bourbon Trail. Terrific tour guide, took her time, very easy to hear and understand, and she was a Bourbon drinker who could earnestly share her expertise. The tour itself was quite interesting, and took us through the process. The tasting here was our foursome-favorite, and kudos to the think-tank workers there that came up with it...your guests agree on the format!
(Disclosure: We took a variety of tours, covering biggest, oldest, exclusive, most local, and many in-between).

The distillery grounds were beautiful. We went to the bar upstairs and were able to be seated immediately. We did a flight of bourbons that were great and the bartender kept us entertained and was very friendly. There was a limited food menu which we liked because most of the other distilleries did not have any food options. We highly recommend the chicken wings! They were delicious! The gift shop was nice as well and the staff there was very helpful.

Loved the Tasting Experience. Fun Tour Guides. Learned a lot about bourbons and how to truly enjoy them. Definitely worth the trip!

1 hour tour ot Willett Distillery with Mary. So fun. We had a tasting at 4 different stops along the way through our tour. Again, so fun. Followed with a delicious small plate lunch in their restaurant (make a reservation when you check in for a tour).

The property is beautiful and the guides are fun and informative. Make sure to make reservations at the bar for drinks and tapas after the tour!

Beautiful historic facility with knowledgeable guides to introduce you to the bourbon making process. The property is one of the last family run bourbon producers which was interesting to learn.

This tour felt like you were getting a tour of a family home. The entire staff was amazing. If you are lucky enough to get Mary as your guide you are in for a treat. She was amazing and extremely knowledgeable. Don’t pass on this tour!

Willett had an amazing place to grab lunch, the grounds are beautiful and the bourbon nearly flawless. Highly recommended!!!

We did the Tasting Through the Times tour. It was an overall great experience. The tasting host was very knowledgeable about the history of the company, family, and products. I love that it is still a family run business and they’re producing excellent bourbon!

Beautiful distillery. This was our second visit and brought family and friends this time. Everyone was friendly and able to answer any question posed. Tammy was delightful and really knows the Willett product.

We had a wonderful tour and really enjoyed lunch at The Bar. We would highly recommend this distillery.

We went on a couple of tours the day we went up. Our guide at Willett was funny with a lot of knowledge about the tour. We especially enjoyed the tastings throughout the tour.

Willet Distillery was near Bardstown as well. We took the tour in late January and it’s one of the smaller bourbon establishments. We didn’t have any reservations for a tour, but we got right in. It was just actually only my daughter and I who went on a tour with the guide and they do something unique at Willard which is that they give you a glass to keep and they have their four or five stations where you sample at each station rather than at the end where you get it all at once and so it was interesting in their particular tour. So we got to see what I call a a copper still , which was cool and then also in Willard, we got to see them roll the barrels how they filled them, capped and rolled them onto the truck for transportation, which is really cool and then the other unique thing about Willard is that it’s a smaller distillery , but it has a restaurant upstairs which has its famous egg salad sandwich. The restaurant wasn’t busy so we got to go up into restaurant with no reservations and we ate the egg salad sandwich. My wife and I thought the egg salad sandwich was unique like no other egg salad sandwich that we ever tasted. We thought it was awesome and my daughter had their wings which was also fantastic. It’s just a great atmosphere. Staff was great.

Nick was an incredible host for our tour. He is very knowledgeable and quite funny. The samples we tasted were incredible! The chocolates were a nice touch during the final tasting. The grounds were beautiful and everyone we encountered on the tour and in the gift shop were very friendly. It appeared to to me that everyone we met loved working at Willet, something you rarely see today.

There were many bourbons to choose from for tasting! You get to keep the glass! Be sure to make reservations at the Bar at Willett on a Saturday to enjoy the best cheeseburger ever made! Great cocktails too!!

We had an amazing tour with Mary as our guide. She made us feel welcome and provided facts, fun, and tastings all along the tour. Willet is a small, family run distillery producing delicious products. The grounds are beautiful and our lunch at The Bar was wonderful! This is definitely a must see on the Bourbon trail!

This is my third visit and I seem to come back. I really liked sampling the bourbons as we moved through the tour instead of waiting until the end. This has changed from previous visits. Our guide was very personable, and the improvements to the grounds really makes the Willet tour stand out. Kind of sad that the putting your hand in the vat is no longer allowed. I hope that is just Covid 19 safety theater and things may get back to normal. Touching the bubbling "beer" really makes for a visceral experience. This is a smaller distillery and the family feel is very evident an marks it it from the larger ones in the area. This last time I brought family from out of state and they were very impressed. The experience has really improved as the onsite amenities have developed. And the product line , especially Johnny Drum, is a personal favorite.

This distillery was one of the less nice ones. It was still nice and the people were nice but a lot of the others are better. Still nice to take a look.

Tips? Eat plenty of protein before the tour. It’s a progressive tasting and they aren’t stingy at all! Gorgeous grounds, great, great people, incredible bourbon, pretty much the perfect place. We plan on being back soon.

The lady would ran our tasting was funny. I wish I could remember her name. My wife likes learning about the history of all the distilleries and this was covered in our tasting. The people are friendly and knowledgeable.

The tour guide was very professional and informative and the atmosphere was very welcoming and friendly a definite must do on the Bourbon trail

Willet has a very pretty, smaller campus. We sat outside for lunch and it was lovely. Food is delicious & unique (pansies, Szechuan chicken, semifreddo). Extensive special edition whiskey releases available through the bar. Coffee shop attached to gift shop.

As we visited during COVID we were only offered an educational tasting (no tours), but we loved the fact that we were given options to choose from...all tasters were given the Pot Still Reserve bourbon to start, and then our guide Josie would explain a group of three whiskies and you got to choose one; rinse & repeat. A total of 4 whiskies per person in the end, so an attending couple can essentially try 7 whiskies if they share.

Tasting reservations open up 14 days prior, and Fri & Sat times book fast.
Recommended!

What an outstanding lunch this was! By far, our favorite distillery we visited in the Bardstown area. Our server Caitlin was an absolute legend! She went above and beyond to ensure that we had an awesome dining experience!

Justin was also a very cool server and very attentive. The food was so freaking awesome, and our favorite dish had to be the chicken thighs. It was so flavorful, and such a surprise! The desserts were great, and the Bourbon flights were amazing! Our favorite distillery in the Bardstown area!

We visited the Willet Distillery on a rainy Saturday as we were leaving Harrodsburg and headed to Louisville. The Distillery has beautiful grounds and nice areas to sit outside. Unfortunately, the tours and tastings were cancelled due to an issue with their water main. We waited about 45-60 min and it still wasn’t fixed. It seemed a little short-sighted that they wouldn’t offer tastings due to not having water. I realize there would be dirty glasses that would have to be cleaned later, but seems like a missed opportunity for them (and us).

Nick did a great job with our tour - informative and told great stories about the history of bourbon and Willett! Really enjoyed that they did tastings throughout the tour - not just at the end. Highly recommend this tour & this bourbon company!!

3rd and last distillery tour on our mini bourbon trail weekend. Booked the 11 am tour about a month ahead of time to guarantee a spot. I was afraid the tours would start to get repetitive, and yes, the information/process is the same, but each tour is different. This tour focused on family history and was interesting to hear how they remain a small family business.

On this tour, unlike Four Rose and Makers Mark, we tasted along the way. I chose to be the designated driver, so I had a delicious mocktini to drink, while my husband, sampled bourbons. Also, since Willett had a variety of bourbons, you can pick which ones you wanted to sample at each stop on the tour. Plus, you get to keep your glass as a souvenir.

There is a bar/restaurant on site, that was very busy, we thought about having lunch there, but the menu was not our taste. Would recommend making a stop, we liked this tour the best during our mini road trip.

Love love love this place and the Bourbon! They are so friendly and our tasting tour was the best! The facility is very pretty ! Book your tours early . They send you home with the glass you use during the tasting tour. They also have a bar and restaurant and highly recommend. Make sure you book reservations early for the bar or restaurant. The bourbon is one of our favorites . The design of there bottle is great! The other bourbons I highly recommend you won’t be disappointed. It’s such a relaxing place to walk around ! I’ve been to Kentucky three times now and come here every time !

My visit was on a Tuesday at 2:15.
I essentially had a private tasting as I was the only person signed up for that time slot. I was allowed to choose 4 bourbons from their offered lineup, which was a good representation of their styles , and included the Willett Pot Still, varieties of Old Bardstown, Jonny Drum, Noah’s Mill, and Rowan.
The gift shop had those same bourbons for sale. The Willett Pot Still is much less expensive at the gift shop than it was at Toddy’s Liqours in town. The staff were super helpful and courteous. It is easy to get to and there is not a lot of walking compared with other larger distilleries. Unfortunately their restaurant is not open on Tuesdays so I was not able to try their food. Egg salad sandwich sounded amazing. Would recommend highly.

Terrible experience. Not kid friendly a d their website lack the details of what one can expect.
The tasting should include a tour of tye facility or specify when booking so that everyone is clear.

We were disappointed that a tour wasn't included.

The bar upstairs looked great and we were excited about our reservation but they really couldn't accommodate us with their menu for kids or space.

Gift shop was lame.
The duck pond- we were told we were not supposed to be over there so we had to leave the pond so we head back to Louisville.

Just a big disappointment.

Only cool thing was probably the coffee shop and proper signage from Bardstown passing McDonald's

On August 16th at 4pm we took the distillery/tasting tour with whiskey host Anne, and had a blast! She was so nice and informative. My wife and i have been coming to the bourbon trail and doing tours for the last 8 years and this was by far one of the best tours yet!! I would recommend this stop to anyone who is doing the bourbon trail experience as a priority stop!! Thanks Anne, and thanks Willett bourbon for the memories!!!!!

Our tour guide was funny and very informative. We enjoyed how the tour and tasting was done. It was 100% better than all the other distillery tours we have been on. And after this tasting I have found a new favorite. We will definitely recommend this tour, tasting and Bourbon to everyone.

A truly beautiful property that makes delicious spirits. Our tour guide, Ann, was fantastic. She really loves her job, and the distillery. The tour differs from others in that you can taste WHILE you tour! Pure genius! It was a wonderful and enjoyable experience. We will definitely be back!

Book this tour! One of the best we have done. Beautiful grounds and very knowledgeable tour guide. I can’t remember her name but she and her husband both work there and she was really good at explaining the process of making this exceptional bourbon. We did book several weeks in advance because it is a very popular one.

great property, beautiful facility, welcoming staff and a really strong lineup of bourbons with plenty of samples. would highly recommend this tour

Our tour guide Ila, like everyone else at Willett were friendly and beaming with the pride they felt for the company and the genuine sense of family that can only come from working at a family run operation. The grounds are beautiful and the tour set itself apart from others by tastings interspersed throughout the tour. After the tour we enjoyed excellent craft cocktails and small bites, including and egg salad sandwich that was amazing.

The Willet tour had a local uniqueness and our guide Ann delivered all the information is a very welcoming and genuine way. Her knowledge of bourbon making matched her history knowledge. I liked the tasting as you travel the property. I see great things for the future if Willett !

Super friendly and inviting… genuine people with a lot of knowledge! Ila was our guide and she is precious! The flavors were top notch!

All of the history of this fantastic bourbon tasting. Our tour guide Ila was fantastic. Will definitely go again.

Great tour, Nick did an awesome job managing the tour, kept us moving along and informed without being rushed, We really liked that the tastings were spread out during the tour. In doing that we seemed to get a better taste from each bourbon.

Great distillary tour! Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. We were able to get up close to all of the internal operations. We visited later in the day, but I would recommend an early tour to be able to get hands on with barrel filling! They consider themselves a "smaller" distillary, but had everything the larger distilleries offer and more!

Amazing tour by Mary. It was energetic, informative and fun! By far the best tour we took this weekend out of 7 tours!

Our tasting with Tammy was fun and delicious. We loved that we got to choose 3/4 bourbons that we were allowed to taste. The coffee shop inside was a nice option for us as well.

Guide for our tour was knowledgeable of the process and had hood humor during the tour. This is the second time at this distillery but first time for
As full tour. The tasting was through out the tour giving taste buds to settle down Each sample was accompanied with a good discussion of the taste notes we might experience.

This is a craft distillery tour meaning smaller than a Heaven Hill but bigger than a smaller craft. The interesting twist of this tour is that we tasted at various stops along the way as opposed to doing five at the end. In fact we did 5 tasting with the fifth having the opportunity of doing two. Ann was great and very knowledgeable. She is a born and raised in Bardstown so she had great insights into the distillery.

What a great experience. And don’t ever let Isla go - she’s amazing. We learned a great deal and appreciated tasting so many different things. We brought an experienced bourbon drinker and an anti bourbon drinker to the party and both left with smiles! Thank you!

This tour was fabulous. Make sure to stop by the restaurant afterwords for some delicious food! Bourbon tasting is spread out throughout the tour which is a plus!

Our guide Ila was super as was our tour. We enjoyed this tour from beginning to end. The tastings were spaced out throughout the tour, which really made sense. We saw many buildings on the beautiful property and were encouraged to ask questions. I learned about Angels’ share, Rickhouses, distilling process, etc and got to taste good bourbon. What more can you ask for?

Do not miss this special place. Their process provides top shelf bourbon. Beautiful facility. Ann, our tour guide was phenomenal with stories and history. Our very favorite distillery!

Fantastic tour. Good pours on the tour. Make sure to get reservations in the restaurant upstairs...the food is WAY better that in town and the staff just adds to the experience. Look forward to going back there again.

We visited 7 distilleries over a 3 day weekend and this was our unanimous favorite. It felts like visiting a friends house for the first time and they just wanted to show you around. You start off the tour by them bringing a tray of bourbon glasses. You take one and your first sample is already in there. So you sip, walk and talk. My favorite sample was the pour we got in one of the Rick houses. I didn’t know it before but I’m a big fan of drinking bourbon in a Rick house. Also all of the whiskeys at Willet are next level delicious!

Had a great time at Willet. All of the staff were very friendly and helpful. The tasting with Ila was great, she was very knowledgeable and we had a great time, she answered all our questions and since the restaurant was closed there she offered other dinner options. Highly recommend Willet a nice out of the way stop.

Toured her a few years ago. They have improved their tour as we got to see more and learn more about their operation. Tour guide was excellent. The tastings were at various points along the tour, which we really liked how they did that. This is a must stop along the Bourbon Trail!

The distillery site was absolutely beautiful, and a tour guide was excellent! I was a novice at the start of the tour but felt like a pro by the end.

Mary was amazing on our tour! She has personality plus and knows her stuff! Highly recommend the tour of the distillery with tasting!!

Ann was an amazing guide - full of knowledge and fun! Love how the tastings are spread out during the tour. She also took photos of everyone a couple of times during the tour which is nice! You end the tour with two souvenirs too!

This is a nice little distilling company. OUr guide was very knowledgable on the distillary, the area and the family running the distillary. The grounds are beautiful. Bourbon tasting was nice. There is a nice little coffee shop on the grounds with a limited menu

We enjoyed the tour. Really liked having the tastings spread out along the tour. As for the whiskies, that is a personal thing. Like all of us, I like some better than others.

Where I’m going to knock them is on their pricing. You can go to certain liquor stores in Bardstown and pay less than what they charge at the distillery. That’s a bad look.

Mary, Mary, Mary!!!! Awesome tour guide!!!!! Book with her and you will have an absolutely great time! Best distillery tour we have ever gone on. Would go again. Enjoy!

Willett presented some of their better bourbons. Josh was very knowledgeable about the history of the distillery as well as the bourbons we tasted. It was an enjoyable tasting with adequate time to sip the bourbons we tasted.

9 of us were able to get a Saturday tour and we all agreed it was our favorite of the weekend. The history, tour guide, beautiful grounds, and detail of the process made it great. We enjoyed that you taste throughout the tour and not just all at the end. Really went above and beyond for my husband's 40th birthday as well.

Mary was our host, and she did an AWESOME job. She made the tour interesting and FUN!!. We had a great group of "Guests" on our tour that made it fun as well. We drank as we toured the distillery instead of all at the end. We ended up having 6 tastings and we got to keep the glass!! Mary took pics in front of the Potstil cooker that is the shape of the Potstil Reserve Bourbon bottle for anyone who wanted it. We never heard of any of the bourbons at Willett before we took the tour. We also had dark chocolate pieces with chia seeds that paired well with the bourbon. This was the first KBT Craft Tour that we took. We can't wait to visit more!!

The bourbon was really good and our guide for the tasting was so warm and knew the local history so well. She personally knew the owner and had grown up around there.

A memorable time (I think!) at Willett! Already a huge fan of their rye and bourbon, this ‘taste while you tour’ approach is unique and exposed me to many more great Wilett whiskies. And Josh was an amazing host. Merry Christmas!

The perfect visit ... we started with the famous Egg Salad Sandwich at The Willett Bar and then had a wonderful tour of the Distillery led by Ila. A "Don't Miss" if you are in the Bardstown area.

We did several distillery visits while visiting Kentucky last week and for me, Willett was the complete experience! The tasting guides were friendly and knowledgeable, imparting family and distillery history. The grounds were beautiful, the gift shop had ample supplies, and the selection of bourbons for the tasting was generous and delicious! I loved it!
We also had lunch at the Bar at Willett. We enjoyed the chicken thighs, the pork, and the trout appetizer. We did try the egg salad (because we had heard several recommendations for it) but did not find it to our liking.

The property is beautiful. The tasting guide was genuine, personable, and fun. The whisky was delicious. I recommend having small plates and a cocktail at the bar.

Thoroughly enjoyed visiting the historic Willett Distillery. If touring bourbon country, this is a must see.

We recently moved to Kentucky past November. We have been on 6 tours so far an this tour has BY FAR been the BEST experience we have had. From the family feel and participation from the owners, to the tour guides knowledge and friendliness. The tastings where uniquely done along the tour. Willet will be the place that I bring my visiting friends and family back to!! Thank your for and amazing experience!

This is a must do on the bourbon trail. The staff is great, Amy was able to move us up as we were early. Penny gives a great relaxed tasting and the bar is a don’t miss, the food was spectacular.

As frequent consumer and collector of Willett, the visit to Willett was supposed to be a highlight on our first trip to KY from DC. We've been big supporters of the brand over the years / attended a bunch of their events with the Ledroit team and sponsored tastings etc.. I was super disappointed by the tour and overall experience. They have obviously become overly commercial (the tour guide said they take about 6k visitors a month). The tour consisted of totally B list Willett products (no family estate) and then when the tour was done, we were told that the secondary bar was closed and that the restaurant was shut for a private event and we couldn't even order a drink. The tour guide was fun and liked to joke around but wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about Willetts history, particularly when it came to some of their older/sourced bottlings.

Probably visit if your a whiskey tourist and you’ve never had any WFE products before, but if you have any expectation of drinking even their recent estate expressions, avoid - you will be disappointed.

Nick did a great job giving our tour which included the most bourbon tastings of any tour I’ve been on and I’ve been on a bunch! Worth seeing as it is a family owned, smaller than the large distillers operations!

Ila is a great tour guide. its well worth going on the tour with her. you'll get to see the plant and Rick houses and drink bourbon along the way instead of just sitting at a.table sipping. and Ila is very funny and gregarious

Great bourbon tasting at Willett. The staff were very accommodating and you get to keep the tasting glass! Suggest booking in advance to secure your space!

Excellent service and great bourbon! The chefs at the bar were top notch! They even etch there own ice at the distillery.

Willett is one of the smaller distilleries especially compared to its neighbors, Heaven Hill. This however I think works to its advantage as far as touring the facility. Very compact. Also a big plus is they do the tastings as the tour goes along and do not make you wait until the end to try some of their excellent product. Our guide, Emma, was very knowledgeable and charming. Ask about the hams they cure in their Rick houses.

Wow. I knew the bourbon and rye would be good. That was expected. But the food! That was totally unexpected. The egg salad was the best I've ever had. The pork paillard was truly remarkable too. Everyone at the table was very pleased.

Fantastic tour with opportunities to taste various bourbons throughout the visit.
The view is beautiful. The people were amazing, Ila was our tour guide and Jeff our bartender both terrific!

Excellent tour. We really enjoyed seeing the place. This is a midsize distillery and they really went out of your way to make us feel welcome.

The tour was interesting. Our guide, Ila, was wonderful. They acknowledged my husband's birthday and had everyone on our tour sing to him!

Best tour we had on the Bourbon Trail. Our tour gide Ila was the BEST! Highly recommend this tour to everyone.

Very authentic Mary, our tour guide, was fantastic. Unlike some other distillery tours, they serve tastes throughout the tour and you get to keep the glass.

Overall this was a well designed tour. The tour guide (Jasmine) was very informative and friendly and there was a good number of stops on the tour, taking you behind the scenes and showing the process of how they make their product.
Samples were provided throughout the tour at the various stops, which I thought was a good way to do it. My only suggestion for improvement would be to provide samples of all of the bourbons, rather than making people choose one or the other to try. I wanted to sample two of three different bourbons, but couldn’t because I was forced to choose either one or another. As far as I’m aware this is the only place that does that. Aside from that it was an enjoyable experience and I would recommend giving it a try.

EXCELLENT tour! Loved learning about the background and the distillery. We had two tour guides, both names beginning with the letter M so I called them M&M. Don't miss this tour!

Very nice tour, and our guide Shelby was great. Also, unlike a few other gift shops (Heaven Hill & Jim Beam) - Willett had ALL of their offerings, and PLENTY of them. A welcome sight and also we spent more money at Willett - I think that is how the economy works, right? Kudos to the Willett & Kulsveen families! A+++

Great tour with tasting throughout which was different than other tours. Mary was our guide and she rocked it. She had us laughing and was so friendly and welcoming.

Our tour guide, Ila, was absolutely delightful and knowledgeable! Willet has a beautiful campus and their bourbons have such a distinct and diverse taste profile! Highly recommend!!!

This was my first time in bourbon country and the tour guide at Willett was fantastic and made sure we understood the history of this beautiful distillery

The tour guide was knowledgeable and seemed very proud to work there. It was nice to have whiskey samples at multiple times throughout the tour instead of just at the end. The cats were entertaining too. 🐱

Loved the tour....don't miss it!!!! Tour guide was excellent, tasting was outstanding!! Love Willett!

Call & schedule in advance.
Loved their bourbons...smooth & tasty.
Xoxoxo
Great place..one of my favorites....

We have done 8 distilleries during our Bourbon Trail tour and Willett is at the top. Pleasant tour, very informative AND you taste bourbon as you go along, rather than gulping it all at the very end. The bourbon is varied and although I’m not a rye drinker, Willett’s is quite good. This is a family-owned place, not part of a big conglomerate. Patio is lovely and the bar is open before and after the tours. Great place and fun experience!

Intimate and amazing experience. Josh was very knowledgeable and proud to be apart of the distillery. Out of the ten distilleries we visited , this tasting experience was THE BEST! We loved that you tasted as you toured the distillery.
Definitely will remember our visit.

From the time we got seated for drinks and lunch until we took the tour and tasting, it could have not gone any better

Very friendly. Visitor center being upgraded. Discount on merchandise for veterans. Tastings free Long gravel winding gravel road leading to visitor center. Hubby bought Bourbon. I bought a lovely dish towel

We did a tasting, no tour. Great bourbon with very interesting presenter. We had the opportunity to taste bourbons we were not familiar with.

While in Bardstown my husband and I had the opportunity to tour 3 distilleries and of those 3 Willett was by far the best. Mary, our guide was phenomenal; it’s obvious she loves her job! The tour through the mash house and the rick house was educational and fun. Not only was Willett our favorite distillery to tour, the bourbons they produce are exceptional! If we have the opportunity to return to Bardstown we will definitely visit Willett again.

We love our experience at Willett. Great product. Great history. Great hostess ILA! Our only regret is we didn’t get to take full tour. Also the food at the bar at Willett was excellent. We were Saturday morning and got something special off the menu and limited in supply

We really enjoyed all of the bourbons we sampled here.
The tasting room was standing only but was small and private. We loved the larger more fancy tasting rooms other distilleries had to offer as well but this was a nice change.

If you are a fan of whiskey, Willett has to be one of your stops. Where most bourbon tours we've been on involve walking then drinking, Willett has you experience whiskey where it's made. Want to taste Rowan's Creek, why not toast alongside aging barrels. Our trip was for my wife's birthday and included a large proclamation of "Happy Birthday Kat!!" in the main building. Our tour guide Ila was incredible!

Best tour we had on the trail. Small batch family owned distillery with great bourbons. A must see, must do. Come hungry and visit the restaurant.

Willett bourbons are excellent and our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Their bar restaurant is outstanding. Great food and service.

What a great tour! Josie was awesome and knowledgable. Really loved the small town family vibe here!!!! Make reservations for the food upstairs and enjoy the Manhattan!!!!!! Definitely going back here on our next visit.

What a beautiful distillery! We had a great time on our tour, which was led by Shelby. She was able to give us great information and have fun with our group at the same time. You could tell she loved what she did and had a passion for bourbon that she wanted to share! Everyone we encountered while at the distillery was super kind and helpful! We can't wait to go back.

Shelby our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. She explained the history of Willett, the production process and the products very well. We were able to try 6 of the Willett products while we were on the tour.

Had a tour with Ann and it was by far the best tour we've been on of any distillery. She was so knowledgeable and friendly! The tour included 5 tastings along the way, while getting to go in different buildings that a lot of tours don't let you near. A must-see for bourbon lovers.

The tasting was great and the food in the restaurant was superb! The grounds are beautiful and we loved the cats 🐈

Ila was a fantastic bourbon host. Love tasting as you go! Love Hawaiian shirts on Saturday & family atmosphere. Still is gorgeous and grounds are beautiful!! The Bar is amazing! One of our favorites!

Our guide, Ila, was genuine, personable, and knowledgeable. I like Willett’s set up of the tour, with the tastings throughout, rather than all at the end. The setting is beautiful! The bourbon is good! What’s not to like?

We loved having the tastings during the tour instead of after. Lovely grounds. Delightful weather. Great tour guide.

The tour was the best we have been to by a country mile!!! Mary our host was great!!!! she was informative but made it fun as well!!! A must do if you are doing the bourbon Trail

My husband loves a good bourbon. We did the tour. It is a beautiful distillery. They provide tasting throughout the tour. Our tour guide Nick was well informed on the process and the history of this distillery.

Ann was our tour guide and she is great!
Willet's Distillery still has many of the older features of making bourbon in the distillery. It was great to be able to see them verses other distilleries we visited on our Bourbon Trail trip that were large manufacturing plants. Also, the restaurant is fantastic it is a must!

The tasting the people were very friendly I wish we could have tried the restaurant and they were open a little later than 5

I was unable to schedule a tour (I waited until the day before to try). We just stopped by to check out the store. The staff was very friendly and squeezed us into a tasting group.

Tasting host was energetic and informative. Left with a few bottles of things we tried.

We love the fact that it is still a family owned and operated business; not allowing Corporate America to come in and dictate their process. Limited amount of Barrels filled all by hand. And, still using the same scales from when they first started.

You don't really know good bourbon unless you try the Willet line. True to their craft and family traditions, and sincerely customer focused. The good stuff is here, especially the Estate Ryes! Friendly staff, welcoming distillery, and great overall experience from start to finish.

Knowledgeable staff, incredibly diverse and wonderful bourbons. The grounds are gorgeous, and although the gift shop was great, it was not pushed upon us like other distilleries do at the end of their tours.

Excellent tour and tasting. Our guide was knowledgeable, capable and personable. We average 3-4 bourbon distillery tours each year. Willett provides an excellent tour and tasting.

The grounds are beautiful. Staff was friendly, fun, knowledgeable and professional. The tasting was very informative and enjoyable

Our tour guide was the best! It was raining cats and dogs the day we toured the distillery, but you really wouldn't have known it. We really enjoyed getting to know how bourbon is made and we were happy to have gotten the chance to do so at an intimate setting with only a few people in our group. Our guide Ila, was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the distillery. Not being bourbon drinkers, we did have about 5 tastings and all 5 were actually very good! I would definetely reccommend this place!

Fun cocktail making class. It was a small group of 10 and we enjoyed Amber our bar tender. We made a Kentucky mule and an old fashioned. Both were really good!

The campus of Willett may be a bit eerie, but the distillery itself is quite cool. The Distillery & Production Tour takes visitors to the fermentors, the iconic pot still, the historic bottling line, and the warehouse. The best part of the tour is that the tastings are done throughout the tour, so you get to enjoy whiskey while you learn about how it’s made. Plus you get to keep the glass as a souvenir! Don’t miss the Bar at Willett for great food, cocktails, and of course whiskey.

The Willet distillery tour is awesome. We had the pleasure of getting a private tour with Ann. We learned a lot about the history of Willet and the Bourbon making process while tasting delicious samples along the way. The property is gorgeous too,!

Enjoyed the style of the tour, with tastings intermixed with walking among the various sites; enjoyed the many bourbons offered for tasting; and greatly enjoyed our tour guide, Ann, whose welcoming and spirited manner and great stories made for a fun experience. We then had a wonderful meal and cocktails at the Bar at Willett to complete a most memorable and enjoyable visit there.

Josie was an awesome tour guide! Shelby and Amber treated us like family like they always do! Willet is a must stop when you are on the bourbon trail. A family owned company that focuses on the intricacies of bourbon and all of its beauty. Do NOT miss stopping at Willet!

Great products. Beautiful facilities. Super people to take care of you during your visit. A must visit bourbon distillery.

We have done more distillery tours than I can count. The Willett tour was absolutely the best. Personal, interesting and perfect length. Mary did a great job leading the tour.

Second time visiting Willett. Last year we went on a tour with Jacob. Loved him! He told us about the eggsalad sandwich at The Bar at Willett, but we couldn’t get in the restaurant. This year I made reservations to dine there before our tour with Emma. The space has a small well-stocked bar and an exposed kitchen. McKenna took great care of us. The four of us shared a few plates, all elevated and delish. We had the panisse, the escargot with spinach rissoto topped with Gruyère, the chicken wings and the hiramasa. Of course, we had their famous eggsalad sandwich. Oh my Gawd! This eggsalad sandwich has its own Instagram and now I see why.
The bourbon tour is great. It’s a progressive tasting, which we love and we got to keep our glass. You might see one of the five cats milling about. I also love that they have a coffee bar in the building that has the restaurant and gift shop. I definitely recommend Willet. It’s one of my favorites!

Great small group tasting experience. Friendly staff. Beautiful grounds. In the heart of Bourbon country.

The tour was fantastic! Engaging and informative tour guide, great weather, and fabulous bourbon; what more can I say!!!!!

What’s not to like! A great space, tasting throughout the tour, an amazing tour guide with Shelby, several resident cats, and fantastic bourbon!

Our guide was awesome. She did an amazing tour and the tastings and entire experience was great!
We enjoyed learning about the history of Willett.

I love that they gave you samples throughout to the tour instead of all at once. They have a nice variety of products and a lovely facility.

It's an outstanding tour of a small, outstanding distillery. I've been to a lot of distilleries big and small (and Napa), and Willett is probably the most enjoyable I've attended. Perfect.

Mary was an amazing tour guide.
We loved the way the tastings were designed and spread out rhrough the tour.
We all had a wonderful time.

3 couples were on the trail for my birthday celebration. We were recommended to have lunch at Willett, so we had lunch and a tour.
Lunch was great, we ordered near everything on the menu, and even the things I questioned, we’re great! We had a number of different bourbons or cocktails, we enjoyed.
The tour was great! From meeting the Distillery cat, to touring the distillery, barreling, and Rick house, our guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and happy to recommend the different bourbons for our tastings.
I’d happily go again for lunch and just enjoy their property and people.

Don’t miss this! Plus eat in the bar - Matthew was great server. Had most of the small plates - loved them all. Drinks were great!

5 - smaller group, tasting through the tour, much less “commercial” environment, superb & friendly tour guides and exceptional bourbons and rye!

I never knew of the Willet distillery until I was planning to tour a well known nearby distillery in Loretto. Every staff person I encountered was cheerful, and welcoming. They are excellent ambassadors of the Willett products. I learned about the distinguishing notes of each. The tasting and education from Ila was excellent. I think I have found my new favorite bourbons, Pot Still Reserve and Kentucky Blue, for sure! This was a great experience.

Mary, our guide, was excellent. Loved the choice to try within a category. Among the 4 of us we were able to try just about every option. And loved being able to keep the tasting glass. Nice touch. I know others do it too, but not all.

We chose to visit and tour Willett over Heaven Hill while we were in Bardstown and we were NOT disappointed! Our tour guide, Ann was absolutely amazing and so knowledgeable. She really made our experience one that we'll remember.

We loved that the tastings were spread out throughout the tour instead of just at the end like all of the other distilleries we visited. And what ab heart touch that we got to keep our tasting glass. I highly recommend visiting this distillery

Great tour and an excellent distillery. Jacob our guide was very knowledgeable and personable. Tastings are throughout the tour vs. a tasting room at the end. Much more enjoyable! Would highly recommend.

Girlfriends in this week for Derby from Nashville and Kansas City. Day trip to Bardstown Ky. was perfect! The staff and venue at Willet Distilling Co. was exceptional. Our tour guide was historically knowledgeable and entertaining. The gift shop personnel so helpful too. Being family-owned since 1936 just gives a good vibe and not the corporate feel. The restaurant there isn't open every day and the only downside. We took short drive to Talbot Tavern instead and loved the quaint Bardstown shops!

I would give this place 1 star, but in fairness, I never got to experience it. I booked a lunch at the Bar At Willet for Dec 30. Reservations all set, tours all booked, limo confirmed. Then Willet decided to send me a TEXT saying they would be closed Dec 24- January 10 to “reset for next season”. What???!!!! Willett, why in the world would you offer reservations when you knew well before Dec 1st you would be closed? Thank you for leaving our family scrambling to change our whole day especially since our transportation is non refundable. You not only lost a future visitor, you lost a customer.

This is a great place to learn about bourbon. I have never consumed bourbon. Yet, I wanted to know what goes into it. Our tour guide is amazing. He answered our questions and allowed us to take photos.There is a nice gift shop, bathroom, and drinking area. .

Jasmine was our tour guide through Willet’s Distillery. She was so pleasant and knowledgeable. She spoke up so she could be heard over the din of the machinery and made the whole tour fun. This is a smallish, family run distillery. We liked that we had tastings along the way and not just plied with alcohol at the end.

Loved it! The restaurant is wonderful and the tasting was friendly and enjoyable! This is a nice place with a great vibe. And the bourbon is wonderful!

Our guide Mary was spectacular. This tour was different from any other, in that we tasted as we went along the tour. Willet iwould be first on my list of any tour in bourbon country. And I’ve been on a lot of them even back to the days when they were free.

Fantastic tour. The distillery was amazing. Shelby our tour guide was knowledgeable and engaging making the tour very enjoyable. This tour exceeded all expectations. Would definitely recommend.

Nice and laid back place. Enjoyed tasting the bourbon here and tasted some that I had not tasted or had an opportunity to buy. would have liked to get a tour but the times are what they are. Worth the drive and enjoy the scenery.

We loved our trip to Willet. The tour and tour guide were amazing! The grounds were absolutely beautiful!

Willet Distilling company bourbon tours are a must do for anyone looking for a fun, relaxing time touring and tasting in bourbon country. The staff at Willet make you feel at home the moment you walk into the visitors' center. The passion that each employee feels for their company and their work is very evident as they share their knowledge with you. The bourbons themselves are more than delightful!

Was an informative tour and our guide seemed to be knowledgeable on what she was telling us! Was a better tour than Jim Beam in my opinion!

This place gives a tour that is entirely customer centered. There are tastings in the beginning of the tour and tastings during the tour. They show you behinds the scenes - every stage of the process to include the filling, loading, and storing of the barrels. You can see, smell, and sometimes taste the different stages of the mash. The guides are fantastic and knowledgeable. Our guide was Bianca and she was extremely knowledgeable, very patient with our questions, and incredibly hospitable. Willett is family owned and family run and everyone there takes pride in what they do.

The bourbon is delicious and you get a tastings of almost everything they sell in their shop. If you go during the warmer months you can relax on the grounds sipping bourbon or coffee or enjoying food from their bar and restaurant while you take in the great views. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’d go again.

I true family-owned business. Very personable. I good value with for the money I would defiantly do the tasting again.

Really nice, smaller distillery. Tasting was excellent and affordable, the staff was super friendly, especially the young lady at the coffee counter. Tried a lot and bought some fun stuff.

We did this location on a Tuesday because that is when it fit in with Lux ( Premium tasting) and Haven Hill (bottling experience) and they did not have much going on and their bar was closed. The grounds were very pretty and the bottles were pretty good and very reasonable in price….but after our tasting there was nothing to drink and hang out for….but I would recommend this place to add in your stop.

We had an outstanding experience at Willett. We took the tour and it was awesome!! Ila was our guide and she was terrific!! We tasted plenty spirits and didn’t feel like we were shorted In any way. We ended up purchasing several bottles of their spirits as they were also affordable. Great job!! I also like the way they offered tasting along the way and not just at the end. Great job for a “big” little distillery! Definitely worth the trip and a perfect cap to a great vacation.

A fantastic tour around the bourbon distillery. Our guide was terrific and very knowledgeable. You get to try 5/6 bourbons on the tour which was great for me as my wife does not drink it.

Mason was a superb tour guide. Lots of interesting facts about this family owned distillery. We enjoyed the unique tastings which happened throughout the tour. Excellent bottles available to purchase in their great gift shop. Also a bonus coffee Cafe on site.

The flavor of bourbon is second only to the importance you put on family and tradition. Oh and the Chicken Salad Sandwich… OMG BEST EVER!

Our tour guide Ann is a real treasure!

Signed 60th Birthday Boy and Brother😉

A lovely little tour around the nuts and bolts of the company with an informal tasting was a nice touch. The real gem for me was the bar and kitchen. Excellent service and offerings all round.

Great experience, and vibe. Much different feel from the other more modern distilleries. Willett feels much more regal than other distilleries as well. Loved the tastings and presentations.

We visited 8 distilleries on our long weekend trip with friends and this was our favorite tour. Our guide was fun, friendly, informative and made it a great time.
One our favorite bourbons, and was so much fun to revisit after 10 years.

Well worth the visit.

Beautiful facility! Ila was an amazing guide. I liked the way they worked the tastings in throughout the tour. Enjoyed the experience.

Beautiful facility and great tour guide! Very detailed tour of all the process. Tasting experience was nice and very generous.

Perfectly combined a deep bourbon history with the intimacy of a family-owned craft size facility. Best selection of bourbon at reasonable prices in the gift shop. Our tour guide, Ila, was fantastic! We visited seven distilleries and Willett was our favorite.

The Willett campus is on a beautiful site and the bourbon is very nice. The staff is very accommodating, and The Bar at Willett serves great drinks and food.

This was one of the best tours we have ever completed. Our guide was very informative and passionate about the company and the family.
We also had lunch at The Willet Bar. Wow, fantastic and make sure to have probably one of the best Manhattan’s ever! Don’t miss this tour!!!

We booked our tour well in advance. 4 hours before the tour was supposed to happen they call saying that they had a pipe freeze and need to cancel. I understand that things happen that are out of their control and I appreciated the call. They said I could call back to get a refund or rebook. I explain that my brother was only in town for one more day and this was part of a gift I gave him. I ask if they could call me first thing in the morning because the next day was the only other option I had for the tour. She says yes, they’ll call me when they open. They never called. I called them later that day and no one answered. I left a message. I then write two DMs to thinking that would be a better way to get in touch. It is now 10 days later and no one has contacted me, they still have my money, they haven’t offered to rebook or refund. All around, bad business.

I would recommend going somewhere else. There are honest distilleries in the area that give good tours.

Tasting was a bit little a cattle herd. They gathered us into a small room, poured a little bourbon, and then scooted us right back into the gift shop. Didn’t like anything we tasted and it just wasn’t worth it. Property is pretty, but we had much better experiences elsewhere.

ila and staff was soo amazing they made our trip so worth it. The steak at the restaurant/bar was savory. I loved this place and the people who work there

Incredible bourbon, venue, and you get what you pay for. Tours were super affordable, personalized, and informative. Nick was our guide and he killed it with our tour.
Out of the many Bourbon Tours we have been one, this one stands out from the rest. Loved that it’s family owned and operated by <60 people. And not taken over by corporate businesses which can take away that “mom and pop” feel.
We will want to go back again in a heartbeat

Amazing tour!
Me and my girlfriends had the best time out here.
We are out of state and decided to take the weekend to visit the different distilleries on the trail and I have to say, Willett distillery is on the top 3!

Eleven of us visited Bardstown, Sept 12 an 13 th. Included in our visit was a tour of the Willett Distillery. We all raved about how great the tour was. Willett produces great bourbons. Added to our experience was the fantastic tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable, very friendly, and entertaining. In a word she was fantastic. All of the staff were very friendly. The grounds are also very pleasant We also liked the fact that tastings were at different times on the tour. After the tour all 11 of us commented on what a great tour that was. If you are planning a trip to Bardstown I definitely recommend including a tour of Willett. You will not be disappointed
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This tour was great, I love the distillery and getting to go into all the buildings. Being able to get to see what goes into their process is great. I also enjoy that they do their tasting along the tour. At every other stop you get to taste some bourbon which is nice because your palette is not so overwhelmed at the end if you did them all there. They had a wide selection of what you can try and every stop is picture worthy.

Now let me also say that our tour guide was THE BEST! If you can get Mary as your tour guide you are in for a treat! She is amazing, so energetic and engaging and she never missed a beat. This was our first tour of 7 that week and she set the bar incredibly high (it was only matched on our last tour with Rae at BT but that is for another review). She really brought the Willett story to life you could tell that she loved what she does.

As I mentioned we did 7 tours (which included another Bardstown favorite HH) that week and this was my favorite. If you are in Bardstown this is a can't miss, it really needs to be on the top of your list there.

Ann was the best part of the tour. So funny and knowledgeable. Loved the history and how rudimentary things were.

Beautiful distillery with an awesome staff and great tours! My family enjoyed drinks on the patio before our tour. The tour we went on offered tasting along the way and was very informative. The restaurant was unfortunately closed the day we toured but it is supposed to be very good!

It was an ok tour but did not enjoy not sitting for an official tasting. Standing and tasting along the way might've been fine but it was so hot and we spent a lot of time in the heat - just wasn't enjoyable.

Beautiful location. Great tour that let us enjoy a number of Willett's whiskeys throughout the tour. We were there when the restaurant was closed, so another trip. Learned a lot about the distillation and aging process. Loved the pot still!

Willett’s family heritage and atmosphere was refreshing. The facility was great and the guides very versed on their process.

Our absolute favorite stop among the 6 distillery tours we toured. The staff was fantastic and we were able to tour the entire facility despite COVID. They were the only tour that allowed us to taste whiskey along the way versus waiting till the end which was a very nice touch and helped us to enjoy all their bourbons better. Don’t miss this stop if you are touring distilleries

We enjoyed lunch outside on the porch overlooking the patio and grounds. Great food, cocktails and atmosphere. We attended a tasting guided by Ila. She was fun, knowledgeable and customer centered. Awesome bourbons!

Willett Distilling Company in Bardstown is a must-visit for bourbon lovers. It’s a small, family-run spot with a laid-back, welcoming vibe. The tour is intimate and gives you a real sense of their craftsmanship, and the tastings are top-notch. Plus, the on-site bar serves fantastic Southern food. If you're in the area, Willett is a gem you shouldn’t miss!

Willett was my favorite tour to date. Our tour guide Lisa was amazing, very informative and interactive. My favorite part was how they do the samples throughout the tour and not all at once at the end like most other tours.

I loved the way they break out the tastings and this is still a REAL tour not watch a movie and here is your tasting.
When you book your tour be sure to set a reservation for the restaurant and set at the bar if possible.

Driving up to Willet just follow the signs to guide you to visitor center. Clean, neat and nice purchase options. Pop up bar downstairs and full bar restaurant upstairs the pop up makes getting samples or full drinks convenient and easy. The tour is outstanding as you get to see the operation behind it all from still to barrel filling and storage. The tasting is very well done with the ability to sample a wide range. 6 samples in all. The guide ila was very friendly, informative and had a great delivery/presentation style. Worth the cost hands down. Would go again. The Vintage Kentucky is excellent among other prime offerings. The bar upstairs worth visiting if another drink is what your looking for. Did not eat there.

We toured and tasted here. Great property. Beautiful grounds. Very good tour. Our guide (Mary) was good but didn't seem to like questions off script. The tastings were generous, you keep the glass and they spaced the pours over the course of an hour - something nobody else seems to do. Lunch there was also amazing!!!

So our first visit to Willett was a terrific, 5 star experience, but this time is was terrible. The gift shop was ok but the tasting room girls were not hospitable and clearly wanted to get out of there. They took an extremely long time to pour basic drinks, seemed very disorganized, and everytime a patron popped their head in the room they quickly shut them down and asked them to leave, this is like 4:30 in the afternoon, not 9pm. If they weren't so anxious to push people out and were more efficient at serving pours and cocktails they probably could have served the patrons they pushed away. Not a very good relationship and PR move IMO. Not sure we'd go back, which is very disappointing because I really like their products. Now I'm a little turned off.

Spent a couple days in bourbon territory and visited this distillery for a tour. The tour guide and tour itself was outstanding. Tasting were held in various buildings not just one tasting table. We were given a tour of the tank room, a rick house (the only distillery to do that), and the spring house. Tasting several flavors along the way. We were also that we could keep the glass that we tasted from, an extra perk. Well worth time spent.

Loved the small town , family owned feel !
Our guide was excellent and you could tell she was proud to work there ! Bar was excellent! Highly recommend the egg salad sandwich!

First stop on our first Bourbon Trail experience. Staff was outstanding and professional. Nice facility.

We took the Distillery and Production Tour with Tasting yesterday and had such a great time! Mary was a fantastic tour guide! We have taken many other distillery tours, but I really like that with Willett, you get tastings during the tour instead of waiting until afterwards to taste them all. That way you can appreciate each spirit individually. Willett really strives to make personal connections and when I mentioned on the tour booking that we were celebrating my husband's birthday, they were kind enough to wish him a happy birthday on their chalkboard near the bar! :-)

There are so many bourbon distillery tour options in Kentucky when you look at the bourbon trail map, but Willett really stands out. Highly recommend including a stop here.

Great tasting experience. Also, available for purchase, bourbons not available in my state (Michigan). I’m still writing because I didn’t use enough characters.

Had a great time at Willet. Our tasting was made unforgettable with Tammy! Will definitely request her when we return.

We stopped by and had cocktails and flights to enjoy some bourbon. It wasn't my favorite on this trip to Kentucky, but it we enjoyed the beauty of the grounds and the people watching that came with it.

We recently visited for a tasting with a party of nine and the grounds were stunning, the staff extremely helpful and friendly, and the drinks delicious. I would encourage making a reservation for the bar after your tour or tasting, both the food and drinks were top notch! Try the egg salad sandwich and chicken thigh...both delicious!

We did a tasting at Willett. Our hostess did an outstanding job walking us through the differences in taste. I’m not a Bourbon drinker so I found it quite informative. My Bourbon drinking friends loved it.
Also, make sure you eat in the restaurant, food was amazing!

THE Best distillery to tour in the world. Very intelligently planned property. Very good tours. Most excellent bar and restaurant. Outstanding bourbon. Like a 5-star Napa Valley winery—in Bardstown.

This is a don't miss tour and distillery. They keep tour groups small all the staff made us feel like we were the only ones there.

Took the Bourbon Tasting Tour. Great information from very knowledgeable guide. Wonderful bourbon!. Actually then went back later that day and ate dinner there as well. The portion sizes are large and plates are intended for sharing.

The bourbon were good. The workers pleasant. And the atmosphere was great. I really wanted the host to slow down and further explain the differences in each bourbon presented.

Lacking customer service! During the Kentucky bourbon trail visit, we stopped at the Willett, although their bourbons are not our favorites. The staff was not enthusiastic. The surroundings are not appealing. Not worth to visit.

The tour with Ila was amazing! My husband and I were the only attendees today and the experience was top notch!! The only tour to provide tastings throughout the the process. We were able to walk and sip Willet bourbon as we learned history of the family and bourbon process. Best in class for a tour!! This was our last tour in a quick two day visit and the most memorable. We will be back!!

Great tour guide Ila. Beautiful distillery. Tastings are very generous and delicious. Bar area great as well as food. Fun time

We had a great time touring and tasting. Our tour guide, Mary, provided a fun, entertaining and informative tour. I really liked the way the tasting was spread out along the tour stops. The history and distillery was very interesting.

Ann was a wonderful tasting guide and had a history babysitting the family which is incredible. The bourbon is delicious and the views are stunning in the beautiful new tasting room. A true gem.

We are here and there is a sign at the door that you are closed. No email. No call. We drove from Cincinnati. Surely you could have done better to try and reach us. At least update your voicemail.

Justin was an amazing server. He was informative and very attentive to every detail. The food was an experience. We will definitely be back and share the experience we our friends! Definitely FIVE STARS!

Awesome tour, lots of tastings! Our guide was fun, knowledgeable and personable. All the different tasting led to us purchasing 5 bottles of very good bourbon.we well be back with friends!

I love the small batch feel. Not corporate. EVERYONE super friendly and knowledgeable. The grounds are inviting and the bourbon excellent

We loved that it was a smaller, family owned distillery. It was very laid back and not pretentious. I also loved the distillery cats. We saw 2 out of the 3 on the property. I would definitely recommend visiting Willett.

This is a unique tour with tasting along the way. Small distillery with lots of history. Great Tour guide. Loved it!

Ila was a wonderful guide for our tasting. Beautiful location and grounds. Can’t wait to go back for the full tour!

We ate lunch at the bar before our tasting. Everything we ordered was phenomenal. We then did “Tasting Through the Times”. Our host was so welcoming and knowledgeable. We loved that this was a smaller family run distillery. We could tell how much they care about their guest’s experience. The grounds are beautiful as well. Highly recommend!

Beautiful grounds with great staff. They have a whole lot of knowledge about their products and take the time to explain each bottle and how they differ. Very fun tasting experience. Would have loved to try their restaurant. will definately be back!

Willett not only distilles some of the best Bourbon's and Rye’s but the Bar at Willett is must do during your visit. Small plates great to share with a group and the service has yet to disappoint. Highly recommend!

The best tour of the day. Ila was our tour guild and pleasure to be with. The ability to taste while touring is the best experience

Ann was by far the best and our favorite tour guide of our weekend in Bardstown and Willet the best overall experience. The bar at willet was an amazing celebration of our 22nd anniversary, something we will remember forever. If you don’t have Willet in your itinerary, add it!

Superb bourbon and fantastic site. Great tasting experience . Very good selection of limited distribution products

Very beautiful place. It's a small distillery but the best in my book. Staff was great. Can't wait to come back in the future

A group of 6 of us ranging in age from 40-80 decided to do the bourbon trail one weekend. We did a Tasing Thru The Times Tour at Willet. It was a fun experience! While the other distilleries picked the Bourbons that you tasted, Willet gave you several choices in each category from which you could choose.

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour at Willet. Ila was our tour guide and she was very knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging. We really liked the format of sampling the bourbons progressively as the tour went on. The pairing with the chocolate at the end was delicious. (You can buy the chocolates in the gift shop… highly recommended getting some with a bottle or two of your favorite.)

Our whole group was amazed that every sample we tasted was delicious. Aside from the first taste at which everyone tries the Pot Still brand, you get a choice of what to try. We all chose differently each time and all agreed that there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. Every other distillery had one or two standouts. This place made it hard to choose which bottles to buy and take home.

This was a great “medium sized” distillery. Highly recommend a stop and if you get Ila as your guide, consider yourself lucky!

We visited at least ten different distilleries while in Kentucky and this was by far the worst experience. This was actually one of the distilleries I was looking forward to visiting the most. Unfortunately the “cant do” attitude from each team member we interacted with ruined it. There was one person working the counter in the gift shop and seemed extremely overwhelmed and unfriendly. She was complaining about how understaffed they are and asking for a break. We attempted to have lunch and a few drinks at the bar in the restaurant upstairs. We went upstairs to find half the restaurant had empty tables and only 2 people sitting at the bar. We asked if we could sit at the bar and the hostess told us it was reservation only and they had no open reservations. I asked if anyone had reservations at the moment for the empty seats at the bar and hostess said no but they are controlling how many seats they fill because they are understaffed. Her attitude and demeanor just seemed unwilling and accommodating. I completely understand what everyone is going through in terms of staffing but every single other distillery we went to had phenomenal and friendly service considering the current circumstances. If you don’t want to serve your guest or can not do it in a friendly professional manner just shut it down to visitors. I am huge Willett fan but will honestly never buy another product again.

When I have a friend or family member who has never toured a bourbon distillery, Willett is at the top of my list for introducing them to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Fantastic experience with Ila, a very good tour guide.

Willett Distillery is a great visit. I just made my second trip there within two months, and can't wait to return. The experience is seamless, the people are friendly, the bourbon is outstanding, and The Bar at Willett is fantastic! Best bourbon value on the market, and the food at The Bar...!

Tour and tasting- was a great experience! Our tour guide- Shelby- was knowledgeable and funny. Nice facilities, not a ton of walking

Our guide was very friendly and knew a lot about the business and local history. There were five samples given during the tour! Beautiful location and nice bar snd gift shop.

Great distillery to visit. Tour was fun and the restaurant is reeeeaaaly good. Recommend you book in advance though!

All staff is very welcoming and knowledgeable. My sister, Mom and myself took the tour - so family, but no kids. We were presented with a small tasting glass that we carried on the tour. We used this throughout the tour as the tastings were presented at different points along the tour. The tour winds through a few buildings located in close proximity and followed a cobbled paved path. One of our party was using crutches and was graciously accommodated. Viewing the bubbling fermenting tanks was the only point not accessible as there was two short flights of stairs required.
All areas were clean. There is coffee for sale at a reasonable price. I noticed oat milk in the fridge. They offer a reduced price for the designated driver (DD) in your group and the DD will be offered a tasting glass with iced tea/lemonade mix known as an "Arnold Palmer". The tour ends at the gift shop and is tastefully arranged with gift in all price ranges. Handicap parking is easily used with a short path to the first tour building.

Loved the tasting. Our host was knowledgeable, funny, and answered all of our questions. Bourbon selection for tasting worked well, she told us about a few then we choose what to taste. Liked that we made our own choice.

Willett was one of our favorite distilleries during our visit to the area. We had a tasting with Tammy who was very pleasant, accommodating and fun!

We enjoyed a nice tour with great history and tastings. Ila was a great guide and made the experience that much better. Keep her around!

Good information on the tour as to the production of bourbon. Loved that we were able to taste the whiskey as we toured, as well as at the end of the tour. Shelby was a knowledgeable and personable guide who was very patient.

We loved the family owned intimacy of the tour while tasting along the way! This tour allowed you to savor the experience.

Our taste guide Tammy was very knowledgeable along with being so witty and entertaining! Great experience!

. Willett’s was the smallest distillery and first we visited during our bourbon trail. If you do the bourbon trail I recommend you do this place first. The tour gives you a better insight on how the bourbon process works. Our tour host was a great guide..constantly injecting humor into the visit…made you feel like one of the family…it also helps that the bourbon was great.

Great tour. Our tour guide Shannon was awesome - friendly, funny & super knowledgeable. We enjoyed that the tastings were spread out throughout the tour. Would definitely recommend. Don’t miss The Bar at Willett - fantastic & delicious small bites. It was the perfect lunch after our tasting. The cashews, chicken thighs, brusssel sprouts, & egg salad sandwich. And we can’t complain about the Old Fashioned :)

This is a 20 minute tasting experience. Different from some distilleries in that you stand during the tasting. Also different is that you get to choose some of the products you can taste. Great way to try some of the products you might normally miss.

ila is the best tour guide ever! Very fun, knowledgeable and informative. We also ate at the Bar at Willett.. which was really good and the cocktails were amazing. We will be back!

We took the progressive tasting tour. It was enjoyable because you didn’t try all the bourbons at once. Our tour guide Ann was spectacular!! This was by far the best distillery tour we have taken.

Due to our schedule we could only do the tasting. The tasting guide was relaxed ,friendly and well informed on the Willett Family & history. I believe it was 4-5 tastes. The visitors/tasters mingled discussing bourbon. Since we’ve been to a few distilleries, the tasting was all we needed. Tasty&Enjoyable!!🥃

Had a chance to do a couple of different distillery tours whilst visiting Kentucky.
Willet was the standout tour for me, our tour guide (sorry can’t remember her name but she was 10/10), very personal, educational and reflected the family owned tradition, plus they make very good under rated bourbon in my humble opinion.
Loved it…..

Best tour! We went on the first tour of the day at Willet. Easy checkin. Decided to grab a cappuccino at their coffee bar while we waited for the tour to begin. The grounds are very nice, as well as the bar area, gift shop, restaurant, and coffee shop. We didn’t stay for lunch, but everybody said the egg salad sandwich is a specialty. There are a lot of distillery cats roaming around, which are taken care of by the staff. Jacob was our tour guide and he was great, very knowledgeable and so nice. What I like about this distillery over the other seven. that I toured the last two years on the Bourbon Trail is that you enjoy the tasting as you go throughout the tour, pretty much everything they make. It’s well spaced out and a very enjoyable tasting and tour. We bought some bourbon, clothing and a collar for our pup from the gift shop at the end of our tour. I definitely am coming back to Willet next year when we travel back to the Bourbon Trail. Highly recommend.

The distillery itself is beautiful - both the buildings and the setting. The tour was very informative. We especially enjoyed being able to look into the fermentation tanks. And we also liked the way the tastings were interspersed throughout the tour.

Nice family owned distillery. I had a tasting and it nice the try the product they make. The gift shop has plenty of option to buy and all staff working was friendly

The Distillery tour was amazing and educational. Josh was funny and knowledgeable. The tour was just long enough and provided the necessary lubrication for success.

The welcoming pleasant atmosphere drew us in immediately!!! The facility was so great, cocktails were really too notch, and our tasting star, TAMMY, was so inviting and entertaining…. We wanted to stay longer!!!!

The tour was fantastic. It was a nice contrast when compared to some of the large distilling operations. The restaurant/bar was somewhat expensive but the quality of the food and bourbon.rye was excellent!

Best tour we had on the Bourbon Trail. Started with a taste in a nice souvenir glass and intermittent taste throughout tour.

We had a tasting at Willett with Tammy. She was fantastic! She was so knowledgeable, laid back, and hilarious! Everyone in the tasting group had a great time! I would recommend Willett to anyone- the tasting, the food at The Bar at Willett, the bartender, etc. Everything was superb!

Overall, a very good experience! Our tour guide (Mason) did a fantastic job! He was enthusiastic, friendly, and knowledgeable.

Ila MADE our tour !! This tour is a little different than the others as you get to sample and learn about their bourbons and distillery throughout the tour rather than just at the end. Your sample glass travels with you. Beautiful grounds and location that are worth the stop.

This is an excellent tour! There’s multiple tasting stops along the tour. Puts you in a party mood right from the beginning. This is a smaller family run operation. Very nice!

Willet is one of my favorite bourbons, so when went to the bourbon trail it was a must. The tasting is spread out which is a great experience. It is just around the corner from Heaven Hill distillery.

We loved the laid back pace of the tour along with the tastings spread throughout. The tour guide was fantastic. She didn’t sound like she had memorized from a script and had a great rapport with everyone.

First Bourbon Distillery experience and I must say this was fantastic! My husband and I wanted to do a little weekday getaway for our anniversary and decided to go to Bardstown to try some Bourbon. He had already been to several of the Distilleries on the trail, so we decided to go to one where we both have never been. My husband loves Willet Bourbon so he was very excited for this trip.

The grounds are just beautiful and everyone was so sweet. Our guide was Josie and she was such a gem! She was very charming and fun. She was also very knowledgeable about Willet Bourbon.
We loved that there was many chances for samples along the tour. You also get to keep your glass at the end of the tour! We love how Willet is family owned and that the production is on a small intimate scale-( i think Josie said they only produce 60 barrels a day?).
We also enjoyed the bar and the gift shop. Very cool and unique tour. Every thing about it was amazing. Would definitely your again.

Loved my visit to Willett. Ann is a local with a history in the business and who made us feel like old friends.

The distillery itself was closed (July 4 week) but we were still able to see the distilling and barreling houses. The pot still is a thing of beauty, and the cistern building where the barrels are filled felt like we were back in the early days. So cool to see almost all the original equipment still in use.

And the tastings! We tried about 5. All were excellent.

I arrived early and had an old-fashioned at the bar. Excellent, and the in-house made, diamond shaped ice cube amazing. If I weren’t driving back to Lexington, I’d have done a single barrel flight or had a glass of rye: these are hard to find anywhere!

Thumbs up.

From a fellow bourbon distillery guide.

PS: if you enjoy your tour, tip your guide!

The tour focus is more on the Willett history and infrastructure, which is fine. The tastings are staged throughout the tour, which is pleasant.

Our guide Annie was great! Fun and very knowledgeable. The distillery itself is very interesting and bourbon is yummy 😋

Beautiful setting and a fantastic experience! Loved that we got to experience the various whiskies throughout the tour rather than just at the end! The cats were a rather cool added bonus as was meeting Joshua. Ila was a fantastic tour guide. We were there on a date when the restaurant/bar was closed so I guess that we will have to make a return trip!

Great tour of one of the few family owner distilleries. Clean, updates facilities. Lots of tastings which were spaced out during the tour - not all at once!

This distillery is a smaller, family owned operation, but gave us the feeling that they have a big business presence, in the Bourbon marketplace. The tour is not an overwhelming, technical type. We enjoyed the family history and the information regarding their process was just enough.
The restaurant is stupendous, in flavor and atmosphere!

This was our first distillery visit on the Bourbon Trail. I'm not really a whiskey fan, but my husband is.

Willet is off a windy road a little tucked away compared to Heaven Hill down the road. They've done a lot to make it a welcoming spot. There's a nice brick walkway that leads you to the main building for tours. There are three distillery cats, one seems to do all the mousing and the others are there for the pets and warm sun. We arrived a bit early, but you check in at the cashier and get your ticket for your tour.

There were about 12 people on our tour. We started with the pot still and then got to choose our next adventure. There were three main categories and three bottles in each category. This worked well for my husband since I was happy to give him most of my share and in 2 of 3 categories he'd already tasted one variety.

The tour isn't very long, I assume a lot have been adapted due to Covid protocols. You do get to keep your tasting glass, so maybe hold off buying any glassware from the gift shop until you see what's included.

What a fun tour! Mary was a fantastic tour guide. The tour was interesting and entertaining! The Bourbon was delicious! My Mom, Sister and I really enjoyed it!

This progressive tasting tour is usually pretty good. We had a larger group with small children push their way onto the tour and it was a huge distraction. We were not the only group frustrated by the add-ons. I would recommend this tour with no kids so your group and the tour guide can enjoy it a little more and focus on the adults in the tour.

This was a fantastic tour, and quite different than most I've been on. Our guide was super enthusiastic and entertaining. Unlike tours where you finish with the obligatory 4 pours, we had the first of our 5-6 pours right at the start. It's a pretty small distillery, so we got up and personal at each stage of the process. Each stop was a choose your own adventure as the guide walked you through their various expressions. My friend and I coordinated what we chose allowing us to try everything.

Whether or not you are a big Willet fan, this is one of the best bourbon tours out there.

We did a tour and tasting, courtesy of Josh. We tasted so many bourbons and learned Willett’s approach to distilling at the same time. Very informative! Would recommend you go on a day the restaurant is open- we will have to back for that!

Did a tasting with Tammy, who was knowledgeable about the business and product, learned lots anbout Willett and had fun! Restaurant was amazing…. Tapas style food and drink YUM!!!

We stopped by Willett on May 14, 2021, for a short tasting as part of a trail tour with BourbonTown Tours.

We weren’t there long. We did the Tasting Thru The Times event, which was pretty straightforward. Our Willett rep was Tammy. She explained the basics of whiskey production and then how those variables affect the various whiskeys Willett produces. Then we tasted several of them. I got four pours. I had Willett Pot Still x2, OB Estate and Willett Family Estate 4-year. I liked them all.

Tammy was a hoot! She’s feisty in a good way and kept everyone (especially me) on their toes. She knew the products well. She was in a great mood and made it very fun.

The gift shop is small-ish, but it’s nice. I’ve been twice now and they’ve had most everything available except the purple-top Estate and the Pure Kentucky. We got a Willett Family Estate 4-year and a few Willett Pot Still minis.

I didn’t eat at the restaurant upstairs, but I went up there. It looked terrific. They have the purple-top bottles up there if you want a pour or two.

All in all, I really like the way Willett rolls — they’re a small outfit and this place has a whole country sensibility about it. Very cool.

Great tasting with history layered in. The shop was well stocked. Tours sell out fast. Expansion taking place.

The Bar at Willett, the tasting and guide, Josh, and the lovely ladies at the coffee bar. The grounds were beautiful and want to go back as soon as I can! Absolutely the best service, people and experience.

Really enjoyed the progressive tasting with our guide Shannon and Rowan the cat! The egg salad sandwich and Brussel sprouts at the Bar were absolutely divine! There were many bourbons I had never experienced and really enjoyed! Wonderful experience.

Guide was very knowledgeable. Very nice distillery. Large selection of bourbons to purchase and taste! Learned a lot about the different bourbons.

If you are interested in going on the bourbon tour, be sure to put the Willett Distillery on your list. Family owned, knowledgeable and friendly people, and delicious bourbons. It was a fun tour and you got to do tastings while touring.

Unique tour that allows you to sample most of their offerings during the tour. One of the best on the bourbon trail.

This is one of my husband’s favorite bourbon brands. When we were planning a trip on the trail, this was a must stop for him. He went with another gentleman in our group for a tasting and they were very impressed with the staff and bourbon. They both came back with a large bottle for home. We went back later that day to grab a cocktail. They let us go to a table with the understanding that we had 1 hour to drink and leave to accommodate their reservations for dinner. Their food menu is unique and meant to be shared. You can watch the food being prepared from the open kitchen attached to the dining area and bar. There is also outside seating available. The property is very pretty. We grabbed cocktails and ordered a few starters from the menu; olives and smoked trout. We sat near the bar so we could see the very talented bar staff craft some very unique cocktails. My husband had a bourbon tiki type drink and it was delicious! We could come back for the cocktails, but not the food. It was a bit overpriced for our taste.

We did a tasting and was very happy with the bourbon and even more so with our hostess. She was very knowledgeable and really explained so much about the bou in process and why it’s taste as it does! I would highly recommend going.

Willett offers the best distillery tour in the area. The small family owned distillery gives small group tours that make you feel welcomed and part of the family. One of the best features was the fact that they interspersed tge 5 tastings during the tour.

Tammy was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We were able to choose our tastings from the groupings of bourbon. The property was beautiful. It’s a hidden gem amongst larger distilleries.

We toured Willett in July 2023. The tasting was done progressive style throughout the tour, which was refreshingly different. Willett is smaller than the big distilleries but big enough to have everything to see. Their bourbon is good and our guide was engaging and not too scripted. Definitely recommend!

Visiting for the first time after touring Buffalo Trace (huge) and J.Mattingly (small). We were visiting on my wife's birthday which they acknowledged on the welcome board. Tour was good, Mason was a great guide, got to choose a few different options so nice if you have someone to get the other one so you can try both. They brought out an expensive bottle for the sharing for my wife's birthday so that was cool and you get to keep the tasting glass which is nice as well. Food and drinks at the Willett Bar is really good as well but get reservations.

Our tasting guide, Tammy, was very knowledgeable and very very funny. She made it a great experience! All staff members were pleasant and very helpful. Highly recommend this!

Facilities were interesting, tasting was well done and got to see all aspects of process. Tour guide (Ila) was great.

I toured the Willett distillery recently and am happy to say it was a very memorable experience. The people were all very friendly and the tour guide was great. If you are planning a trip to the Bourbon Trail of Kentucky you really don't want to miss the Willett Distillery.

Tour guide, Josie (?) was great. Energetic, enthused, informative, and entertaining. Surprise visit with Drew in the storehouse an added bonus. Number, quantity, and quality of tastings above other tours. Souvenir glass another plus. Entire staff, professional and friendly. Decided to return for cocktails and lunch and had another great time. Best experience we had on the Bourbon Trail!

We loved being able to choose what we tasted! Tammy was an excellent bourbon guide! We wished had more time for an actual tour.

Definitely top three distillery to the visit in KY. Don’t forget to get your reservation for the restaurant. It will not disappoint.!!

Pleasant and friendly staff. Happy to see you! Interesting and enjoyable tour. Lots of great bourbon tasting in a beautiful setting. Bar has a trendy funky vibe!