Purchase tips for Genever
Personal top 10 purchases in a liquor store under 30 euro
I often get asked for tips on purchasing genever in liquor stores when in the Netherlands. As I do not own a liquor store this is often a difficult question, as I am not too aware of the assortment of the average one. Why not change that? For this list I was not paid in any way for my suggestions. So it is based purely on my own experience and taste. That experience however is built on having tasted virtually all genever on the market, and having purchased spirits for bars for over twenty years. So, you know, it is not completely idiotic.
The rules
I didn’t want this list to consist of impossible to find products. So I consulted the assortment of the most common liquor stores both online and offline. No more, no less. So yes, I am aware there are unique private label genevers that might be better, but if they are only available at one small webshop it is excluded. Additionally they must be under 30 euro per bottle, shipping excluded. Plus: I only feature every brand once. This to keep the selection wide, and also the most fun to read. The liquor stores searched are in the Netherlands, as in most other countries selection could be too narrow to be any fun, and prices of course vary vastly by country, especially by continent. I considered versatility as well, but value for money was paramount.
Next up
On a next article I will delve deeper in seperate articles on a) expensive bottlings and b) hard-to-find gems. Possibly also go into vintage bottles if my knowledge on these proves adequate.
The list
Boomsma 3 year old -Port Cask aged. ~22 € How DO they do it? Fantastic price point, while balancing Port richness with signature softness. Underestimated.
Bokma 5 year old Bourbon Cask ~28 € This bottle flies off the shelf. Great for cocktails, great in a Kopstoot, excellent on its own. Not the cheapest out there, but well worth the slightly higher price point. Additcive.
Rutte Barrel Aged ~25 € Aged for a whopping five years and 100 % maltwine? YES PLEASE! Not a lot to fault this excellent expression, but perhaps a bit intense to some.
Bobby’s Genever ~25 euro. The only “young style” genever that made the cut, and also one of the newer on the block. This brand has developed as the poster boy of succesful genever production and marketing.
Hooghoudt Oloroso Cask ~28 € This is the one on the list you need to be the quickest about. The brand was sold and all bottles will soon have vanished. Meanwhile it is enjoy it while you can with this tasty Sherry number. This edition etched past the equally pleasing five year old bourbon cask and the stranger Peated cask as the best of both worlds. Being both unique and comforting. We will miss you, Hooghoudt.
Bols Corenwyn 6 year old ~29 Possibly the most expensive of this list; feel free to opt for the 2 year old if the wallet is hurting. The entire range of “Corenwijn” of Bols is Benchmark-level excellence. A popular discussion point is whether the 6, or the 4 year old is the best balance of oak versus cereal. meanwhile no bartender says the 10 year old to look smart. Still, the 10 year is great, too.
Schermers Moutwijn Jenever ~23 € for one liter Aged for one year with 60% Malt wine, this brand is known for its excellent quality for money. Less sexy than some of the other bottles on this list? Perhaps, but if you are not drinking with your eyes it is certainly a contender for the tongue.
Filliers 5 jaar oude Graan jenever ~26 € for 1 liter The more understated bottling from the Belgian genever powerhouse.
Zuidam Rogge Genever 1 year old ~24 € for 1 liter Millstone Rye being one of the best ryes on the planet -eat your heart out, USA-, you know this brand knows their way around a rye field. If this was a rye competition it would be number 1.
Boompjes Korenwijn ~27 € This 60% maltwine all-rounder is aged for four years on Bourbon Barrels. Last on the list, but still excellent value for money. We don’t see enough of this brand. Give us more.
Honorable mentions
A few did not make the cut, but are nevertheless tasty for sure.
Ijsvogel Korenwijn is well-worth searching out.
The Stillery “Ouwe” is an excellent genever, but as it comes in 50 CL bottles it would not be fair to include them as calculating them to 70 CL places it out of the 30 euro mark.
Vørdings does a very interesting genever, although a bit too different for some.
We LOVE the van Wees genevers, but our absolute favourites place them out of the upper bench mark. We will see you again when we talk about best purchases in the upper price points.
There is a long list of artesian genevers being made that we proudly serve at Dutch Courage Cocktailbar, but are too hard to find to be included. Eden Genever and Baker’s Best come to mind, and so does Hoornse Distillery and Filosoof. If interested, come say hi at Zeedijk 12 and try some! We have all of them on-hand at all time.
Old Duff is wonderful genever, but availability is better across the pond in USA.
Virtually everything Monique Ten Kortenaar makes turns to gold, and when it comes to Wynand Fockink this is no different. However, Otemba & Wynand Fockink are both just a bit too hard to find for the purpose of this article.
To all of the producers that are fighting the good, quality fight, but were not mentioned in this article: we still love you for what you do!
Be Weary of, or the list of shame.
Although there are many family-owned, unique producers of the historic and fantastic category that is genever, some of it that is out there is just garbage. Here are some red flags of bottles you can safely avoid.
If the price is too good to be true, it usually is. Pot-distilled maltwine costs money, there is just no way around it. anything under 13 euro is best avoided.
A “house” brand of any liquor store is, almost always, garbage. I am sure there are exceptions but i have yet to find them.-if the label reads “Genever-style” instead of genever, it is best to leave alone.
If a company does a lot of spirits, and also a genever among them, it is rare that genever is any good. It takes specific skill to make genever, and it is unlikely this transfers to other spirit categories.
Build that Home backbar
Every home deserves -a few!- genevers. Now go out there and grab some quality liquid, preferably at your local, small-business liquor store. Proost!
