(TNS) Even Kulsveen, a Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame member who revived Willet Distillery, died Sept. 23 at the age of 79.

Kulsveen remained the executive director of the company until his death, Willet said in a Sept. 24 news release.

In 1972, Kulsveen married Martha Willett, a descendant of the founding Willett family, and in 1984 bought the distillery property in Bardstown and revived it in 2012 under the name Kentucky Bourbon Distillers.

Eventually, they changed the name back to Willett and relaunched the brand to great acclaim.

Kulsveen was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2019. His wife, Martha, died in May 2025.

“He established a legacy in American Whiskey after resurrecting the Willett Distillery and became a pioneer in the renaissance of American Whiskey, he

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