Top 10 Distilleries in Belgium
Belgium's distilling tradition rests on three pillars: jenever (the genever spirit shared with the Netherlands), grain spirits from the rural distilleries of East and West Flanders, and a more recent craft single malt movement that has produced a number of internationally awarded brands. Liège in particular has a long industrial distilling history, and the country's well-developed beer culture has supplied a deep pool of malt and fermentation talent. The ten distilleries below are findable on the map.
1. Filliers Distillery, Bachte-Maria-Leerne
Filliers Distillery, founded 1880 in the East Flanders village of Bachte-Maria-Leerne, is the most famous Belgian distillery. Five generations of the Filliers family have run the operation, producing jenever, grain spirit, and since 2008 the Filliers Single Malt Whisky. The distillery operates the only remaining traditional Belgian column distillation on grain.
2. The Owl Distillery, Grâce-Hollogne
The Owl Distillery, in Grâce-Hollogne near Liège, produces Belgian Single Malt Whisky from local Hesbaye barley. Founded 1997, The Owl was Belgium's first dedicated single malt distillery and remains its best-known whisky brand internationally. The distillery sources barley exclusively from the Hesbaye breadbasket region.
3. Radermacher Distillery, Raeren
Radermacher Distillery in Raeren in the German-speaking Eastern Cantons distils single malt whisky, gin, and brandy. The distillery's German-Belgian frontier location gives it a foot in both whisky cultures, and the Radermacher single malts have built a solid international following.
4. Wilderen Distillery, Wilderen
Wilderen Distillery, near Sint-Truiden in Limburg, is part of the Wilderen craft brewery complex. The distillery's gin and single malt benefit from the brewery's existing malt and fermentation infrastructure, and the site has become a destination for craft drinks tourism in Belgian Limburg.
5. Distillerie de Biercée, Thuin
Distillerie de Biercée in Hainaut produces the famous Belgian Eau de Villée (a strong eau-de-vie style spirit) and a range of fruit spirits. Founded 1946 and family-run, the distillery sources fruit from the Hainaut orchards.
6. Braeckman Distillery, Oudenaarde
Braeckman Distillery, in Oudenaarde in East Flanders, is one of the older surviving Belgian grain distillers. The portfolio centres on jenever and traditional Belgian grain spirits, with growing exports to specialist drinks retailers.
7. Belgian Owl Eolienne, Fexhe-le-Haut-Clocher
The Belgian Owl's second site at Fexhe-le-Haut-Clocher houses the larger, expanded production capacity for the brand's growing international demand. The site uses wind power for distillation (the "Eolienne" name) — a notable sustainability story in Belgian craft spirits.
8. Stokerij De Moor, Aalst
Stokerij De Moor in Aalst is a small craft producer focusing on Belgian-style gin and jenever. The brand emphasises Flemish botanicals and traditional Aalst distilling style.
9. Distillerie Schladerer-Belgian Branch, East Flanders
The Belgian branch of Schladerer (the German Schwarzwald fruit spirit producer) operates a satellite distillery in Flanders that produces fruit eaux-de-vie and contract-distils for other Belgian craft brands.
10. Gouden Carolus Distillery, Mechelen
The Gouden Carolus Distillery in Mechelen, attached to the Het Anker brewery, produces a single malt whisky aged in Gouden Carolus beer casks. The brewery-distillery link gives the whisky an unusual maturation history connected to Belgian beer culture.
A quiet but dense scene
Belgium's distilling scene is less internationally visible than Scotland or Ireland but contains a remarkable density: jenever houses in East Flanders, single malt in Hesbaye, fruit spirits in Hainaut, and brewery-led whisky in Mechelen, all within a country smaller than Scotland. The map makes the density visible.