Almost certainly the bestselling Genever on the planet. This traditional Dutch spirit, a forerunner to modern gin, is produced by Bols, the world’s oldest continuously operating distillery.

Genever is a traditional style of Dutch spirit.

Although Bols have been making Genever since 1664, this bottling was first launched in 2008, and is made according to an 1820 recipe.

The spirit begins with a triple grain base of corn, wheat and rye (called maltwine), which gives something of a whisky new make feel. This base is blended with a botanical spirit which includes aniseed, caraway, coriander, amongst others. A third distillation, of juniper, is also blended in.

This bottling is made with 50% maltwine, giving it a thicker mouthfeel and a whisky-like character.

The result is spirit that possesses notes of sylvan, piney juniper, with flavours of black tea, bread, anise, flowers, slight eucalyptus and mine, and some toasted nuts.

Since its launch, this bottling has restored the status of Genever, and the Bols version is on the back-bar of all 50 of the world’s top 50 bars. It is delicious served neat, but has also found its way into classic cocktails, such as the Martinez, as they would originally have been made with Genever.

• Distillery / brand
  Bols
• Country
  Netherlands
• Bottler
  Distillery Bottling
• SKU
  033946