Bols Genever Original

- Bols Genever is a new genever, inspired by an historic recipe created by Bols in 1820.
- This revolutionary genever with a subtle balance of flavourful maltwine and redistilled botanicals, fine-tuned with pure grain alcohol, became one of the most important ingredients for a new phenomenon in the 19th century, the cocktail.

The original and unique flavours of Bols Genever enable bartenders to work with the authentic flavours of the past and to recreate the true classic cocktails as they were meant to taste – The Original Collins, for example – or invent new, well-balanced contemporary cocktails.The whisky-like malt tones of Genever make it also perfect to drink it straight, on the rocks, paired with a beer or in ‘regular’ easy mixed drinks like a Dutch Coke, Genever with Coke, as well.

Bols began distilling genevers – The Netherlands’ national spirit category – in 1664, a proud tradition that continues to this day. Bols Master Distillers have since perfected the art of distilling genever over the centuries. In 1820, Bols introduced a revolutionary new genever recipe with a more subtle taste, as a result of a better balance of malt wine, neutral grain alcohol and botanicals.This new recipe is the authentic flavour of genever as it should be: complex, powerful, and delectable. In addition to being an impeccable spirit for drinking neat, it proved to be perfect for a new phenomenon in the USA; the cocktail.These first cocktails were often made with genever, because of its powerful, delicious flavours and balanced mixing qualities.

Today, Bols offer two genevers: Bols Genever and Bols Genever Barrel Aged. Both are still made according to the original 1820 Lucas Bols recipe. The smooth, subtle, malty flavour comes from using over 50% malt wine, which is made from long-fermented rye, corn and wheat, triple-distilled in copper pot stills.This malt wine – the heart of a good genever – is then infused with a carefully selected distillate of botanicals and brought to 42% alcohol; a percentage carefully chosen by our master distiller for the perfect combination of aroma and mouth-feel.The attention to detail in the distilling process is comparable to a fine single malt Scotch.

Genever can only be made in The Netherlands and a few nearby areas, since it is a protected spirit category, meaning it has the equivalent of a French Appellation D’origine Controlee, putting it on par with champagne, cognac and Scottish single malt whisky.