We were in Kentucky for a Midwest/Southern reunion with friends after flying in from San Diego, and visiting the bourbon distilleries around Bardstown was one of the highlights of the trip. Out of all of them, Willett ended up being our favorite. We had Michael as our tour guide, and he was fantastic. The tour felt a little different from the others because we got to taste different bourbons throughout the tour instead of all at once at the end. Michael was gregarious, funny, and a great storyteller. He kept everyone engaged while sharing the history of the distillery, the bourbon-making process, and plenty of entertaining stories along the way. One of my favorite parts was seeing all of the photos of the distillery cats at the beginning of the tour. As cat lovers, we absolutely loved that. This distillery has clearly been blessed by some very cute feline employees! We enjoyed tasting the different bourbons, and while the gift shop wasn't huge, it had some really unique items. We even brought home a catnip toy for our two kitties. If you're visiting the Bardstown area, I highly recommend adding Willett to your list. It was easily our favorite distillery experience of the trip. read more

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Cute little area. Neat that they have a coffee shop on premises for those 10 am tastings. They have one or two bottles that I like. I wish their inside area was more welcoming and more space to sit and enjoy your tastings. We went in the little tasting bar and were kind of encouraged to take our flight and find a place elsewhere but there isn't anything inside and it was a hot one out. So we just sat in two chairs by the coffee bar and sipped. read more

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Great bar, small gift shop, and whiskey tour. We didn't have the opportunity to do the 1 hour 20 min tour due to time constraints but heard it was fantastic. The tour costs $20 a person and if you want to end with tastings it's just $5 more a person. Next time. read more

Willett Distillery - Distillery tour - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Pretty distillery, great bourbon, good tour, friendly staff. The stores good, and they sell the four year, which has been tough to find in Chicago. The distillery cats are also adorable read more

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Caleb and team took us on a fantastic distillery tour. Beautiful landscape and backdrop. They even brought attention to our anniversary and put it on display and provided us with a souvenir bung hole. Simply first class and a love of their product. Recommend to anyone. read more

With so many distilleries to tour in the area it's hard to choose which ones to go to if you're going to do more than your just your favorite one. We chose the Willett Distillery because of it's location being close to where we were staying and the availability of tours. We timed it with lunch at The Bar at Willett and were so glad we did, the food was amazing. Our tour guide was a very knowledgeable and friendly young gal, the only issue was she seemed to be in a hurry. I understand timelines and we can't stay out there forever but there's got to be a better way to stay on track than checking your watch every 5 minutes! Her energy and enthusiasm sprinkled with a good sense of humor definitely added a nice touch to the otherwise generic tour. Thank goodness for one of the testers, he let us dip our fingers in the mash ton, something we learned to do on several other tours we've taken. It's a nice "odd" thing to offer, making for a more unique tour. The whiskey is good and the tastings are average pours with the price being average for a full tour. We enjoyed our time at Willett and would definitely visit again for the restaurant! read more

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They have an amazing restaurant upstairs, but we enjoyed our time at the standing bar through the gift shop. Their campus is amazing and the views are remarkable. Take time to visit when in Bardstown read more

Willett Distillery - Willet distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Beautiful location Reservations for tours recommended Coffee shop and bar on site Beautiful gift shop Unfortunately no purple top's available read more

Willett Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Ila is amazing!! If you can get her as your tour guide we highly recommended. Regardless we especially enjoyed the tour. We like that this tour showed the distilling process and a rickhouse as well as choice of tastings. We were celebrating our daughter's 21st birthday and they made it extra special. Also, it may seem like a minor thing but the tour band not being paper and having the glass for keepsakes was appreciated. Five stars read more

Wish I had more time to enjoy the atmosphere of the place. And I found a purple after a years worth searching! read more

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Great distillery and great bourbon! The food and service in their restaurant is too notch! I loved the atmosphere and the Old Fashioned was absolutely delicious! We were lucky enough to get a special release bottle at the gift shop while we were there. read more

A wonderful time spent at Willett in the pouring rain - Michael was a fabulous tour guide, the bourbon was phenomenal, the dining room was delightful and meeting the master himself - Drew - was the cherry on top [he even signed one of my bottles]!! Highly recommend visiting Willett if you're into excellent bourbon and in the Lexington area! read more

Andy was fabulous and suggested we're top notch food was exceptional and quick and very fun place read more

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Very nice distillery! Clean entrance and inside and outside location. Very easy to park and nice drinks. read more

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Hidden GEM. If you have time we would recommend. We enjoyed the drinks and the tour. Shea was our guide and she was great.

Two years ago we came to Willett for a tour (which was a truly great tour) and kept smelling the food unfortunately they were all booked up so fast forward to us deciding to hit the bourbon trail again we new we had to get a reservation! The food at Willett wasn't just good it was award winning quality! The drinks weren't just good they were art! The service was not just good it was world class! Every single thing they did was top tier and unlike anything I had in the past! We basically ate the whole menu and nothing was bad but some of my favorites were: -Chicken Thighs were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They had a perfect chicken to breading ratio and were paired with a delicious sauce. -Rock Shrimp were so tasty and I was surprised how many little shrimp were in the dish. The corn salad of sorts that was on the rock shrimp was so delicious. -The crepe was pure delight in every bite. It was so simple yet packed so much favor. Of course the egg salad was also very good but there are tons of reviews about that. I got the Rodeo drink which contained mezcal and was next level good. Yes it is expensive but trust me do yourself a favor and treat yourself to what will probably be a top five lunch in your life or at lease in my life! read more

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Absolutely fabulous experience. Do yourself a favor and take a tour. You'll get to sample most of their bourbons on the tour, gain a ton of knowledge in a very fun way and generally have a great time. read more

Willett Distillery - The infamous Pot Still - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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Another stop on the bourbon train. Didn't have a lot of time to spend here but we did get to try a flight. Some good whiskey! Lots of outside seating. Very chill place. read more

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Amazing tour. Mary was awesome. Loved the way they incorporated the tastings throughout our visit. Great gift shop too. Highly recommend putting this place on your trail list. read more

This place was OK. They really had nothing that you could buy in the gift shop that you couldn't get anywhere else. Disappointing. The pours at the bar were expensive. I did not do the tour. It was fairly busy mid week, it does not have a lot of parking in the parking lot was nearly full. This was probably the busiest place of all the distillers I went to that day. read more

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Great place, some very good whiskys. We found some of our best value whiskys here. I would not say higher end available. But had some I would buy again for sure. Definately worth the trip. read more

Nice folks, but $25 for a tour is ridiculous. Discount for police, veterans and TEACHERS? NO bar or restaurant available. Opens tomorrow. NO tasting other than on the exorbitant tour. NO thanks. We bought some bottled in bond. Going to find a fabulous restaurant! Tues. Oct 25th. read more

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Nice property, with a few host cats. Order a drink or flight at the bar and enjoy it on their nice patio.

Great grounds which are kept very well! Everything you want from a distillery! Go upstairs to experience the BEST egg salad sandwich EVER!! They have an exceptional collection of their purple top Willett bottles which is matched by the fantastic decor and service! Great Tours, Great Pours, Great Food......just don't come early expecting them to do any exclusive drops in the AM...doesn't happen but a couple times a year. read more

Willett Distillery - GREATEST EGG SALAD SANDWICH ...EVER! - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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Such a fun experience. We went for lunch and a guided tour. For lunch we shared small plates and each had different cocktails. They had a large drink menu. I personally didn't try it, but was told the egg salad sandwich is an absolute must. Service was great and it was a really cool atmosphere. If you plan on eating, I'd recommend making a reservation because it is smaller/intimate. read more

Willett Distillery - Old Fashion - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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This is the most gorgeous property we've seen outside of Castle and Key! The buildings are well built and the landscaping is beautiful. The gift shop is worth stopping in at even if you don't have a tour. The tour though is well worth the price and you learn so much, a long with tastings. We have not eaten a meal here, but we want to because of past reviews. Everyone say the food is to die for. We really enjoy the tour and would do it again with friends when back in the area. You can stop in for a purchase, a tasting, or a tour and not be disappointed either way. They also offer a military discount excluding alcohol which is great! read more

What a great time! We did not do the distillery tour but did the Tasting Through The Ages. Tami was our host and she was informative and great fun! Everyone had a great time and learned a lot in the process. We tasted four different bourbons ( they describe them all and you pick which you'd like to try from each set of four). Pretty cool cuz you can choose different ones and share with who you came with if you like. You can purchase your faves at the gift shop. Mine was Rowan's Creek. My boyfriends Noah's Mill. Both Smooth and delicious and potent! The grounds were beautiful and the building easy to access. We got a kick out of the (Nope. ) Signs that signaled that's not where you should drive. Lol read more

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Willett Distillery is a must if you're on the Bourbon Trail! My fiancé & I have been planning our trip for just a few months, which we found that many distillery's tours are booked up for months in advanced. Luckily Willett had some openings for an early evening tour. Shoutout to the stranger on Reddit who recommended Willett! The campus is beautiful and spread out, which seems confusing when driving to the parking lot but we appreciated the staff put up plenty of signs to guide you to the welcome center. Once we checked in, we were taken to a tasting room with our tour guide, Ann. She was such a great guide and taught our group about the history, family and process of making Willett. The tour took us through their distillery, barrel house, and to another tasting room where we sampled up to 5 of their whiskeys. Each pour was more delicious than the next and Ann gave great insight into each drink. The tour ended in their small but well stocked gift shop. Willett was our first tour on the trail and I couldn't imagine coming to a better distillery to start our adventure than here. read more

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A definite example of what a tour should be, excellent place and incredible beauty. The tour was excellent the samples while you tour the knowledge of the guide outstanding! This place does it old school until they can't. Meaning using old school weight scales. The device that fills the barrels was only replaced because they could no longer finds parts for it. Their products are diverse with a mild to spicy rye. Their small batch is max 28 barrels compared to the big guys it could be 300+ for a "small batch" really enjoyed the tour and the products. read more

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Have been here twice for the tour and tasting and enjoyed both very much! The setup is very good, where you tour and sample the wares as you move from one area to another. We were very happy with the tour guide and will repeat. Highly recommended! read more

Everything about this place is absolutely beautiful! We sat outside for drinks, ended up going back the next day. We didn't get a chance to eat here, cannot wait to return! read more

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We visited the Willett Distillery as another stop on our tour of the trail. We arrived early and had time to peruse the small gift shop and enjoy some sun on their comfortable patio. Once it was time for our tour, we met up with 2 really fun guides that showed us around the property and provided a history of the brand. They also spread out the tasting across several stops on the excursion, which was a great way to hold our interest. The Willet Distillery might have been smaller and a lower producer of bottles than their competitors, but their bourbons were the most diverse in flavor. The distillery would definitely be worth a visit! read more

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Passing through with time for only one distillery tour out of all the choices and we chose Willet. 100% the correct choice!! Our tour guide, Mary and cat Rowan, gave a marvelous tour. Truly exceptional. The taste as you tour was fantastic with choices at 4 of the 5 stops. The sales shop had a good variety of items and their whiskey prices cover the spectrum from relatively inexpensive ($27) to not-for-me. read more

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I love Willet bourbon so it was a given that we would visit during our recent visit to Bardstown. We started with lunch (by reservation) which is a unique take on offerings, including several menu items I had to ask them to explain. It's very limited but worth trying once. The tour afterwards was terrific. We had about 8 people on our tour, 2 of whom weren't drinkers so they missed out on all the tastings at each stop on the tour. In fairness, they did get a non alcoholic cocktail to start. The tour is awesome not only because of the amount of bourbon you get to sample but also because you learn so much about the production process, why aged bourbon is so expensive (think taxes), and why distillers sometimes open an aging barrel to find it empty. If you get to Bardstown, Willet should be on your list. It's a family owned and operated distillery that makes amazing bourbon. read more

My first distillery tour. Very informative, learned a lot about bourbon, nice laid back facility to relax after the tour.

I'm glad that we were able to do a tour at Willett. Our guide Ila was very hospitable and wanted us to make sure we left without having any questions. It was nice to be able to see the process and also still pot. The facility was pretty big and spacious. The samples were also great. read more

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Willett was my first distillery tour since moving to Louisville went there with friends and had a great time. Guide was enthusiastic and provided a great interactive learning experience. Numerous samples along the way on the tour. Besides the actual tour there is a gift shop, coffee bar, tasting room/bar and a restaurant upstairs which is supposed to be very good, we did not have time to stop. Numerous samples along the way. Definitely add this to your tour lineup next time in Louisville. read more

This place is lucky to get two stars honestly. I guess we were not boujie enough to fit in here and we weren't on a bus tour so we didn't count. I've been on the waitlist for two weeks now. No openings. We ended up going for fun to see the shop and the property and went up to the bar just in case. It was 3:10. There were two tables actually taken. And the lady was like "so sorry we're completely booked." Okay. Cool. She told us there was an outside bar downstairs so we go there. No one is manning it because they had to go get supplies. We decide okay. We'll go to the shop and hope that by the time we're done looking, someone will be back. My brother-in-law found the cute coffee shop inside and that was their saving grace. We got some GREAT iced lattes and went to sit outside. The outside bar person still wasn't back. We finish our lattes and finally see a girl coming back with supplies so my sister and brother-in-law go get in line. The bar person serves three people AND THEN HAS TO GO GET MORE SUPPLIES. after that we left. One star for the good coffee. And one star for the distillery cat my sister got to pet. read more

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Fantastic experience in a gorgeous area. Don't miss out and enjoying a drink at the bar-- celebrated our anniversary and got a complimentary glass of Prosecco. read more

Willett Distillery - Prosecco and menu - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

My husband stopped at Willet, among 9 other distilleries, on our trip from NY. The grounds are beautiful! The main building has the gift shop, a coffee bar, and the tasting room downstairs, and a restaurant upstairs. We were unable to book a tour because they were sold out when we were planning the trip weeks ago, but we were able to book a tasting. I was surprised that their tasting room had no tables or chairs - our 10:15am group was led in and we all stood around while Isla described their most famous Pot Still Reserve, which we were given a taste of. While we were sipping, she described the other 9 products they make at Willet. I was unaware that we wouldn't be tasting a bunch of them, so I probably should have paid more attention to each description-- after she described each in depth, she said "You can each pick one from the left to taste, and then one from the right" This was the strangest tasting I'd ever done-- the point of a tasting is to have new customers sample the products, not just one of them. My husband and I each picked a different one but wanted to sample each other's -- unfortunately there was water in the room but no additional glasses for water so we couldn't really sip water in between to cleanse our palates before tasting each other's pours. Again, since we were all standing, everyone in the group was constantly in each other's way as they walked up to the bar, went to get water, moved back to stand with their partner, etc. It was just an awkward/clumsy situation of a room. One of the ones I chose was their rye -- I really like rye -- but this one had a terrible terrible after taste, like musty basement. I had never tasted a rye like that before and was convinced the bottle was off/bad, so Isla let me taste something else instead. I rinsed my glass with water twice, but even the new pour had the remnants of the previous rye. Not a fan. $12 per person, plus an additional "service fee" of $2.40 = $26.40. Total time: about 15 minutes read more

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