Even Kulsveen and his son Drew at Willett Distillery.
Even Kulsveen of Willett Distillery, Who Helped Spearhead Bourbon's Revival, Passes Away
Inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2019, Kulsveen helped resurrect the family distillery and the bourbon business overall
September 25, 2025 –––––– David Fleming
Even Kulsveen, best known for resurrecting Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, and helping to pioneer the renaissance of American whiskey, died on September 23 at the age of 79. Born in Norway, he emigrated to the U.S. at age 14 and eventually came to work at Willett, a move that would define his life.
Willett Distilling Co. was founded by Thompson Willett on his family farm in Bardstown in 1936, and released its first barrel the following year. While doing business with Thompson, Even met his daughter Martha, and the two were married in 1972.
When the bourbon industry entered its slowdown in the 1980s, Willett was shuttered. Kulsveen gained ownership of the property in 1984. Although the stills were silent, Kulsveen used the space to become an independent bottler, and he was way ahead of his time in spotting the opportunities to buy quality aged bourbon amid the glut. By 1991, he was doing a brisk business selling bourbon in bottles and ceramic decanters—almost all of it for export markets, mainly Japan.
With this operation, Kulsveen would remake the distillery’s name as a legendary independent bottler, most notably with its single barrel releases sold under the Willett Family Estate label. Those and other Willett bottlings remain highly valued collectibles to this day, with the Willett Family Estate 22 year old selling for $15,000 at a Unicorn Auctions sale last year.
But Kulsveen also had a vision of reviving Willett as a distiller and a tourist destination. Distilling would eventually restart in 2012, and today Willett is run by Even and Martha’s children, Britt and Drew Kulsveen. The distillery is a popular visitor destination, and its bar and restaurant, The Bar at Willett, offers craft cocktails, high-end plates, and sample pours from vintage collections.
The Willett brands today include Pot Still Reserve, Willett Family Estate bourbon and rye, Kentucky Vintage, Rowan’s Creek, Noah’s Mill, Pure Kentucky, Johnny Drum, and Old Bardstown. Willett’s more recent whiskeys continue to generate excitement. Last year Pope Francis was gifted two 10 year old Willett bottlings in Rome. He autographed both bottles and had them put up for auction for charity. They sold for $13,750 each.
