William Willett, Sr.

William Willett, Sr.

The Willett family has a fascinating history deeply tied to both craftsmanship and distilling. William Willett Sr. was born in 1714 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, to Edward Willett and Tabitha Mills Willett. He grew up on the family plantation called Bealington, not too far from where Upper Marlboro is today.

The Willetts were a prominent family in the local community. In addition to farming, they had a successful pewter business. William learned the pewter business from his father, who carried that as his profession in London, England. Both William and his father were well-regarded for their skills and craftsmanship in working with pewter. William met and married Mary Simmons in 1737, and together, they had 14 children. In addition to his farming and the pewter businesses, William decided to open a tavern. To ensure that quality whiskey was served at the family tavern, he learned the art of distilling and soon began working on a Maryland Rye Whiskey.

William Willett Sr.'s establishment of a Maryland Rye Whiskey tradition in the 18th century off the Patuxent River reflects a lineage that blended artisanal skill as a pewterer with entrepreneurial spirit. He decided to pass on different trades to his sons. His oldest, Edward, was taught silversmithing and pewtering, while William Willett, Jr., the second eldest, learned distillation. In that way, both family traditions and economic enterprises flourished. Willett Sr. died in 1772, at the age of 58, just as his son’s distilling business had started to expand.

Eventually, William Willett, Jr., moved his family to Nelson County, Kentucky, and in 1793, he opened the Willett & Frenke Distillery. Then, at the age of 14, William Junior’s son, John David, began working at the distillery, making, at the time, three generations of Willett distillers.

During the late 1800s, John David became Master Distiller for no less than five local distilleries and developed the mash bills that would eventually shape some of the Willett Family Distillery’s first recipes. The Willett’s whiskey-making tradition has endured through generations, with their distilling expertise and recipes shaping the Willett Family Distillery's modern success.

Contributed by: Poppy Bruce Potash, Warwick, New York

with support from Bill & Vicki Gallagher, Mid-Atlantic Rye Whiskey Section Editors, Marriottsville, Maryland