Top 10 Distilleries in the Netherlands
The Netherlands invented genever — the malted juniper-flavoured spirit that became the ancestor of all modern gin — and has been distilling continuously since at least the seventeenth century. The country's distilling story today balances four centuries of Schiedam and Amsterdam tradition with a younger craft revival that has reintroduced Dutch single malt, single grain, and contemporary gin to a global audience. The ten distilleries below — historic and new — can all be found on the map.
1. Bols, Amsterdam
Lucas Bols, founded 1575 in Amsterdam, is the world's oldest continuously operating spirits brand. The company's portfolio centres on genever and a vast range of liqueurs, with the Bols Genever expressions (Jonge, Oude, Corenwyn) the textbook references. Bols still distils at the original Wynand Fockink-style still house in Amsterdam.
2. Nolet Distillery, Schiedam
Nolet Distillery, founded 1691 in Schiedam, is the producer of Ketel One Vodka — the Carolus Boschma malt wine still (the "Distilleerketel #1" that gives the vodka its name) is still in active use. The Nolet family also produces Nolet's Gin and Ketel One Botanicals.
3. Hooghoudt, Groningen
Hooghoudt in the northern city of Groningen has been distilling since 1888. The company is one of the largest independent Dutch distillers and produces a full range of genevers, gins, vodkas, and liqueurs. The historic distillery near the Groningen city centre is open to visitors.
4. Zuidam, Baarle-Nassau
Zuidam Distillers in Baarle-Nassau is the most internationally recognised Dutch craft distillery. The Millstone single malt whisky and the Zuidam Korenwijn (premium aged genever) have established Dutch malted spirits as a credible category. Founded 1975, the distillery remains family-owned.
5. Loopuyt, Schiedam
Loopuyt, the historic Schiedam distillery founded 1772, was revived in 2017 as a craft producer of premium gin and genever. The brand draws on the Schiedam distilling tradition and the city's historic windmills (which traditionally ground the grain for genever).
6. The Old Pilots Distillery, Lelystad
The Old Pilots Distillery in Lelystad, named for the aviation pilots who founded it, produces craft gin and a developing single malt whisky line. The location in the polder country gives the distillery an unusual setting — below sea level, on reclaimed land.
7. Hermit Dutch Gin, Amsterdam
Hermit Dutch Gin, based in Amsterdam, focuses on contemporary gin with botanicals from across the Dutch Caribbean islands as well as Europe. The gin reflects the Netherlands' colonial spice-trading history while staying rooted in Amsterdam craft.
8. Sculte Distillery, Ootmarsum
Sculte Distillery in the eastern Twente region produces single malt whisky and various craft spirits. The distillery is at the heart of a small craft drinks cluster that also includes microbreweries and a cheese-maker.
9. Van Toor (Vrumona/Vlissingen), Vlissingen
Van Toor, founded 1839 in the harbour town of Vlissingen, produces genever and traditional Dutch spirits. The Van Toor Vlissinger Jonge Jenever has a particularly strong domestic following in Zeeland.
10. Wenneker Distilleries, Schiedam
Wenneker Distilleries, founded 1693, is one of Schiedam's surviving historic distillers. The portfolio centres on liqueurs and traditional Dutch spirits, with growing export to bartenders looking for authentic Schiedam genever.
Two centuries of layers
Dutch distilling history has the unusual feature of layered eras coexisting visibly: Schiedam's seventeenth and eighteenth-century industrial distillers, the nineteenth-century rationalisations (Hooghoudt, Van Toor), the twentieth-century brand consolidations (Bols, Ketel One/Nolet), and the twenty-first-century craft revival (Zuidam, the new Loopuyt) are all active simultaneously. The map shows how Schiedam in particular remains a single dense cluster of distilling sites.