[2] The company is located on the outskirts of Bardstown, Kentucky,[8] on a site that began as a farm owned by the Willett family.

The company has remained under family ownership and operation at the same location since it was created[1] John David Willett (born in 1841) had been the master distiller for the Moore, Willett & Frenke Distillery, which he had formed with his brother-in-law Thomas S. Moore of Bardstown, and a Mr. Frenke of Louisville.

In 1876, Willett fell ill and sold his interest in the company (he would recover and live another 38 years, passing in 1914).

John's son A. Lambert Willett picked up his father's profession in 1898, at the age of 15, with a five-year stint at the Mattingly Moore Distillery.

[9] Lambert Willett then worked for the Max Selliger & Co. Distillery for twenty years – eventually becoming one-third owner and superintendent of the plant.

[9] A. L. "Thompson" Willett, Lambert's son (born in 1909), also joined him at the plant as assistant superintendent.

Thompson Willett's daughter Martha Harriet Willett and some other members of her generation of the family worked for the company as well, and in 1972 she married Even (pronounced Evan) G. Kulsveen, formerly of Hamar, Norway, who had emigrated to the United States at the age of 14 and had been a merchant marine, chef, and glass decanter craftsman.

[11] This strategy soon failed when fuel prices returned to lower levels, and the distilling facilities were completely shut down in the early 1980s.

[7] KBD started refurbishing and enhancing its prior distillery plant, and began limited test distilling on January 21, 2012.

[24][25] On September 19, 2019, Even Kulsveen was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame and recognized with a Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award by the KDA, who described Kulsveen as "a beloved icon who patiently resurrected one of the state's most historic distilleries and returned the family-owned brand to global prominence".

[13] In October 2021, Willett Distillery partnered with rock band Kings of Leon, releasing a limited edition Bourbon and rye whiskey collection.

[8] Many of the company's brands have received awards at the annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Malt Advocate Magazine rated Willett Family Reserve 22-year-old rye at 96 "a classic" (Vol.