Groninger Genever Stokerij – Visit to a jenever distillery

In the Groningen region, directly on the Oldambtmeer lake, there is a jenever distillery in the small town of Oostwolde. Here you can book tastings of Groningen jenever, including a short explanatory tour.

It was about 15 minutes by bike from our vacation apartment to the distillery. If we hadn’t had the address, I would certainly have ridden past, because all I could see from the road was a house and a barn. I only discovered the sign for the distillery at second glance.

There are plenty of parking spaces for cars and bikes on site. While we were locking up the rental bikes, I spotted an old Lada right outside the front door. What’s a car like that doing in the middle of the Netherlands? This question would be answered later.

We first went through a small door into the farm store of the jenever distillery. There are stoneware bottles on the shelves. At first glance, I recognize 3 different offers and am admittedly a little confused when I look at the labels on the bottles. This type of picture reminds me a lot of some of the wall designs I’ve seen in/on former GDR buildings. It actually goes well with the Lada in front of the door – but why? This question would also be answered later.

In the jenever distillery

We first went a little further into the barn. With great attention to detail, a small marketplace with surrounding “houses” and even a church has been created there. In one house there is a replica pub, in another the distillery. On the market square, you can sit together comfortably at tables (additional seating is available for events/group bookings) and when the large rear door is open, you have a view of the farmyard and fields.

The first question was what is jenever and how is it produced. We visited the small distillery and the process was explained to us in detail.

What is jenever?

Genever, also known as jenever, is a traditional juniper schnapps of Dutch and Belgian origin. The spirit has an alcohol content of at least 35% and is often referred to as the forerunner of gin. It originally comes from the Netherlands, but is also produced in Belgium under geographical protection. If the schnapps is produced in other regions, it is declared as juniper schnapps. Genever is often used in cocktails. With the increasing popularity of gin, its market share has declined.

The production of this unique drink has hardly changed over the centuries and follows a meticulous process that includes both traditional and modern techniques.

Production of jenever

The production of jenever begins with the selection of raw materials. Typically, barley or rye malt is used, sometimes also maize and malted barley. Malting, a specialized process, nowadays takes place in malt houses in order to guarantee the quality of the malt. The Groninger Genever Stokerij mainly uses rye from the Westerwolde region.

The next step is the production of the so-called malt wine (Moutwijn, Maltwine). A mash is made from the selected grains. The mash is then fermented and distilled. Distillation is often carried out up to three or four times in order to produce a fine, malty spirit. At the Groninger Genever Stokerij, this process takes at least three days to give the alcohol a break after each run. This intensifies the taste later on.

The distiller distils some of the spirit again, but this time with a mixture of aromatic ingredients such as juniper, caraway, aniseed and coriander. The distillery sources the juniper from the Dutch region of Drenthe. This enriched spirit is then mixed with a neutral grain spirit to achieve the desired flavor balance.

The schnapps then has to mature. To do this, it is placed in storage tanks or barrels. If it is stored in barrels, it also acquires a slightly woody taste. If the barrel has previously been used to store wine, for example, this taste can also be reflected.

Maturation can take several months to years. Once the desired end product has been achieved, the jenever can be bottled.

The different types of jenever

If you want to buy jenever, you will often be confronted with the terms “old jenever” and “young jenever”. These are terms by which you can recognize the different varieties.

Young Genever (Jonge Jenever)
This is the name for the younger type of jenever, which is mixed with a lot of neutral alcohol. This type of jenever may contain a maximum of 15 percent malt wine and no more than 10 grams of sugar per liter. Jonge Genever is best drunk chilled.
The taste of this schnapps is closer to vodka.

The taste of Old Genever is closer to whisky than vodka.

Corn Wine Genever (Korenwjin)
At least 51 percent malt wine must be in the bottle for a jenever to be given this label. It is often stored in oak barrels.

Tasting at the Groninger Genever Stokerij

Now that we know how jenever is made and drunk, it was high time we tasted it. Traditionally, jenever is served in a tulip-shaped glass.

The first sip is surprising. A spicy taste opens up in the mouth and you notice the high alcohol content. But it doesn’t burn all the way to the stomach, as is often the case. The alcohol only develops above the throat and flows pleasantly down the gullet. I like it!

A sip of Fladderak

I hadn’t quite emptied the glass when we were presented with the second specialty from Groningen. An earthenware bottle with a content called Fladderak Likeur stood on the table. The liqueur is only produced in this region.

Fladderak is mainly made from lemons, which gives it a fresh and full flavor. Guests often compare the liqueur to limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur. However, a hint of cardamom provides an additional taste surprise and distinguishes it from limoncello. Unlike genever, fladderak is sweet, but no less alcoholic. It really tasted a lot like limoncello and immediately reminded me of being on vacation in Italy. Very tasty and seductive due to its sweetness. You don’t realize how much alcohol you’ve had until it’s too late.

Bessen Likeur as a finale

Our tasting at the Groninger Genever Stokerij ended with a tasting of Bessen Likeur, a traditional liqueur produced in the Oldambt region. The term “Bessen” is the Dutch word for berries, which already suggests that berries (in this case blackberries) are used in the liqueur. These are processed with the jenever and produce a fruity liqueur that is not too sweet. Bessen Likeur can be enjoyed neat, often as a digestif after a meal. It is also ideal as an ingredient in cocktails, where its fruity notes can complement other flavors.

The last question at the end

Why is there a Lada in front of the door and why do the labels on the bottles look so much like Communist drawings?

For this answer, we need to take a look at the history of the Graanrepubliek, where the Groninger Genever Stokerij is located.

In the 19th century, the Oldambt region developed into one of the most prosperous regions of the Netherlands, known as the “grain paradise” or the granary of Europe. However, the agricultural success led to a growing gap between rich and poor. The region was ruled by lord farmers, and the grain brought them great wealth. At the same time, many agricultural workers lived in poverty, which led to social tensions. The social inequalities led to the workers raising their voices. Socialist leaders such as Domela Nieuwenhuis became local heroes in the Oldambt at the turn of the century before last. Winschoten and the surrounding villages became a stronghold of socialism and later communism in the Netherlands. This political movement found strong support in Reiderland in particular, which meant that the region has remained a stronghold of Dutch communists to this day.

With this historical background, the Lada on the doorstep makes sense and the design of the bottles also makes a direct reference to the past.

Good to know

Address

Kromme-Elleboog 22,
9682 XH Oostwold, Niederlande
Website Groninger Genever Stokerij

The visit to the Groninger Genever Stokerij was an item on the agenda during a research trip through the Groningen region.