The two-reservation stop
Willett Distillery, at 1869 Loretto Road on the southwest side of Bardstown, takes tour reservations and dining reservations separately on its website, and it publishes visit rules worth reading before you go. A Willett stop is really two timed bookings on a family estate, and arriving on time for both is the whole job. It also sits on the Loretto side of town, about 35 minutes from Maker's Mark, so it slots naturally before or after that long drive.
Timing a tour and a table
Reserve the tour and the dining at The Bar at Willett as two separate bookings, then send us both times. We work backward from the earlier one, so the group arrives with room to check in, and we plan the pickup after the later one. If the two are far apart, tell us whether you would like to stay on the grounds or take a short ride in between.
Willett's site keeps a list of what to know before you visit. Read it with your group ahead of time, since those are the distillery's rules and they are updated there.
Getting there
From downtown Louisville, allow about 65 minutes, roughly 45 miles. From SDF, about an hour. From downtown Jeffersonville, about 70 minutes. For private flyers, Samuels Field in Bardstown is about 15 minutes from the distillery.
Pickups
We collect from Louisville hotels and homes, Southern Indiana, and SDF with flight tracking. Guests staying in Bardstown can be picked up there too, which shortens the day considerably.
Planning the day around Willett
The Bar at Willett is named on the distillery's own site, so a meal here can anchor the middle of a Bardstown day or end it. If you eat here, you do not need another lunch stop. Bring a valid photo ID for anyone tasting, and shoes suited to walking the grounds.
Because Willett is on the Loretto side of Bardstown, it pairs well with a Maker's Mark morning: leave Louisville early, tour Loretto, and reach Willett in time for a late lunch or an afternoon tour.
Pairing with Heaven Hill or Maker's Mark
Heaven Hill is about 10 minutes away. Maker's Mark is about 35 minutes away in Loretto. Our Bardstown day from Louisville finishes at Willett, which puts the one long drive at the end of the day.
Two sample days that end at Willett
From a downtown Louisville hotel: leave in the morning for Heaven Hill, about an hour south, for a late-morning tour. Eat at Five Brothers Bar & Kitchen, or skip lunch if you have a table booked at The Bar at Willett later. Ride about ten minutes to Willett for the afternoon tour, stay for the meal if you reserved one, and head home, about 65 minutes. That day has a little over two hours of driving in total, and nearly all of it happens at the start and the end.
From Loretto: the day begins with the longer leg, about an hour and a half to Maker's Mark for a morning tour and lunch at Star Hill Provisions, then about 35 minutes to Willett for the afternoon. The ride home is about 65 minutes, so plan on roughly three and a quarter hours of driving and keep it to two distilleries.
Guests who would rather not make the drive back the same night can stay in Bardstown; our hotels article compares Bardstown with downtown Louisville as a base, and we pick up at Bardstown lodging the next morning.
Reserve your tour and dining directly
Willett takes its own tour and dining reservations on its website. Send us both times, and we'll plan the day around them.
Choosing a vehicle
Willett is a quieter, reservation-led visit, and most groups choose a luxury SUV or an executive van rather than a loud ride. Larger groups can take a shuttle. See our fleet page for vehicle sizes. Every chauffeur is background-checked and trained; our safety standards are on the safety page.
Keep planning
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we eat at Willett Distillery?
The Bar at Willett is on site and takes reservations through Willett's website.
How far is Willett from Maker's Mark?
About 35 minutes, so the two pair well on a Loretto-and-Bardstown day.
Do we need to plan anything before visiting Willett?
Yes. Read Willett's visit rules on its website, and reserve the tour and dining ahead of time.