June 14, 2026

Fifteen jonge and oude jenever from the Netherlands

Buckle up. I've been meaning for ages to post a few genevers, particularly some jonge genevers, that I've accumulated over the years. I never kept track of when they joined the queue, so I won't be able to tell you how old they are, but in any case, please don't take any of this too seriously. It's all a bit of fun, and I don't know the first thing about the subject. The same goes for the mezcals, Calvados, and the countless fruit brandies we've built up over time. One of these days...

What’s more, unlike gin, which is generally a neutral spirit flavoured with juniper berries, jenever/genever is supposed to be made from a cereal distillate known as moutwijn ("malt wine"), to which juniper and perhaps other botanicals are added. Right then, we'll pick our genevers at random. In France these drinks are very much a niche curiosity, which I think is a shame. Apart from in the north of the country, although I don't even think we have any French examples on hand. We'll see about that...

Hartevelt Prima (35%, OB, Jonge Jenever, the Netherlands)
There are only 35% vol. here, but on the other hand, I see the price is €15 for a litre. Colour: white. Nose: not a great deal happening, but then again, that is not a bad thing. We find juniper and touches of coriander seed, apparently, alongside a faintly earthy edge. Frankly, I rather like it, although please do not bring me a bottle for my birthday. Mouth: light, slightly sweet, a touch medicinal, and rather salty too. Notes of celery and turnip. Finish: not quite as short as one might expect, remaining pleasantly saline. Comments: let us say this will serve as our benchmark, at 75 points. I suspect people generally drink this over ice, but let us not start questioning our procedures, if you please.
SGP:442 - 75 points.

Hooghoudt Dubbele Graan Jenever (35%, OB, Jonge Jenever, The Netherland)
Do not tell me that 35% is the usual bottling strength for jenever? I would never have embarked upon this session. Right, let us speed things up... €21 for a litre here. I do not understand Flemish, but I imagine there is a double measure of grain involved somewhere. Colour: white. Nose: rather similar to the previous one, although a little less expressive on the nose, more neutral in fact. Mouth: well, yes, it is fairly spirity. I found the Hartevelt better, with a little more personality and charm. Finish: the salty side, along with notes of salsify, comes through a little more clearly. Comments: it still seems perfectly decent, all things considered, although ice cubes feel almost mandatory.
SGP:332 - 70 points.

Henkes (35%, OB, Jonge Jenever, The Netherlands)
Colour: white. Nose: we are much closer to a British gin here, complete with those slightly soapy touches and a juniper profile that is rather clean and precise. Gone are the root vegetable notes that featured in the previous examples. Mouth: yes, gin. And not a bad gin at that. Clean, straightforward, juniper-led, with coriander seed quietly chiming in behind the scenes. Finish: fairly short, with those soapy notes still present, alongside a little lemon zest and more coriander seed. Comments: this pure and harmless character may well be regarded as a virtue.
SGP:441 - 75 points.

Ketel1 (35%, OB, Graanjenever, The Netherlands)
This one is entirely grain-based. Colour: white. Nose: back to the rather neutral style of the Hooghoudt, although I do find some rather pleasant notes of fresh hazelnuts. Then again, fresh hazelnuts are not exactly the most demonstrative aroma on earth, are they. Mouth: a little more flavour this time, rather in the style of the Henkes, with that gentle salinity and a distinctly ‘gin-like’ character. Clean, uncomplicated, and perfectly drinkable. Finish: much the same, although the whole affair becomes a little more rooty towards the end. Comments: tasting a succession of 35% spirits is not entirely straightforward when one is accustomed to bottlings at 45-50%. Still, we shall get used to it.
SGP:432 - 73 points.

In any case, it's easy to see why some people describe jenever as the ancestor of gin, or even claim that English gin was copied from Dutch jenever. Mind you, that's not quite what our English friends tend to say, but we're not going to get drawn into that debate; instead, we'll carry on with our adventure...

Bokma (35%, OB, Jonge Graanjenever Rond, The Netherlands)
I imagine that ‘rond’ does not actually mean round. We have three cereals involved here, ‘rogge, tarwe, mais’, so rye, wheat and maize. Colour: white. Nose: soft and rather gentle, with very little juniper to speak of. Indeed, it comes across more like a Scottish grain new make than any traditional jenever. Mouth: still rather neutral. Not much happening, beyond a faint cereal sweetness and a generally unobtrusive profile. Finish: still rather neutral. Comments: and, let us be honest, rather tedious. That said, apart from that, one could hardly accuse it of having any faults. Every cloud has a silver lining, after all.
SGP:230 - 65 points.

Goblet (35%, OB, Jonge Graanjenever, The Netherlands)
We remain in the vicinity of €20 per litre. Per litre! Colour: white. Nose: well now, a little action at last. Shampoo and capers! I promise you... Mouth: I rather like this combination of olives and capers. It is unusual, and at least there is some personality on display. What a pity about those 35% vol. Finish: not quite as short as expected, saline and faintly vinegary. The olives and capers remain firmly in place. Comments: we can easily imagine drinking this at 5°C alongside smoked salmon. In short, this is our favourite so far.
SGP:242 - 77 points.

Boomsma (35%, OB, Jonge Graanenever, The Netherlands)
The bottle is rather attractive, looking for all the world like mineral water (watch the kids!!!) Colour: white. Nose: back to the shampoo, and plenty of it. More and more shampoo, in fact. A few drops of limoncello as well, although one often finds shampoo-like notes in limoncello too, whatever our dear Italian friends may have to say on the matter. Mouth: seriously, this is white limoncello. Bright, lemony and slightly cosmetic, yet oddly appealing in its own way. Finish: much the same. The lemony notes linger, accompanied by that unmistakable shampoo-like character. Comments: rather good, provided you happen to enjoy limoncello.
SGP:531 - 76 points.

Floryn (35%, OB, Jonge Jenever, The Netherlands)
The label looks vaguely Hungarian, does it not? (Is that really all you have to say, S.?) Colour: white. Nose: white. I mean, virtually nothing is happening here. Let us say it resembles the Boomsma, only with ten times less amplitude. How on earth did we end up getting ourselves into this predicament? Mouth: a little more presence on the palate, although it is somewhat too spirity and lacks any real sense of dimension. Finish: much the same. Comments: not bad, but really not much to get excited about.
SGP:331 - 69 points.

Bokma (35%, OB, Jonge Graanjenever Vierkant, The Netherlands)
These 35% vol. bottlings really are a curse! I am not entirely sure what ‘vierkant’ means. Google tells me it means ‘square’, and apart from the shape of the bottle, I struggle to see what else it could be referring to. Colour: white. Nose: back to a very ‘gin-like’ profile, with juniper and soap taking centre stage. Not much in the way of additional aromatics. Mouth: apart from those salty and earthy notes, very little happens. Rather plain and somewhat hollow. Finish: rather underwhelming. Comments: it does seem a little sweeter than the other Bokma we tasted earlier. Not offensive in the slightest, merely rather uneventful.
SGP:430 - 66 points.

We're paddling hard here... I can already hear my excellent Dutch friends telling me that I didn't pick the right ones, and guess what? They'll be absolutely right. I can already see a Jonge Jenever #2 session appearing on the horizon...

Rutte & Zn (35%, OB, Oude Simon Graanjenever, The Netherlands)
Is this Rutte as in Mark Rutte, the former Prime Minister and current head of NATO? Mind you, this is ‘oude’ rather than ‘jonge’, so it is supposed to represent the superior category. Colour: white. Nose: ah, now we are talking. This is in a completely different league, far more complex and markedly more fermentary, with fresh bread and tomato leaves alongside the juniper. Very attractive, and highly distinctive at that. Mouth: indeed, excellent. Spicy, soapy but in the right way, packed with root vegetables, rutabaga, and also reminding us of the Jerusalem artichoke eaux-de-vie they make in the Black Forest. There is texture here, and genuine character. Finish: long, very unusual, herbaceous, waxy and saline, lingering beautifully on roots, herbs and gentle spice. Comments: we have finally reached the territory of the great mezcals and white rums. I knew we would get there eventually. Bravo, gentlemen of Rutte & Zn.
SGP:463 - 85 points.

Phew! But we're not out of the woods yet...

Hoppe (35%, OB, Jonge Jenever, The Netherlands)
‘Hoppe’ does look rather like ‘hope’, does it not? Colour: white. Nose: this session is collapsing like a soufflé, there is virtually nothing left here just neutral alcohol. Then again, this is very much the death seat after the Rutte & Zn. Mouth: better on the palate, with more rooty and lemony notes emerging. There is at least some character to be found once it reaches the tongue. Finish: well... rather modest. That faint salinity returns once again. Comments: the palate is perfectly acceptable, but the nose is virtually non-existent. I cannot say I find this particularly good.
SGP:241 - 68 points.

Verhoeven (35%, Jonge Graanjenever, The Netherlands)
€15 per litre, things just keep getting better. Colour: white. Nose: nichts, nada, niente, rien, nothing. Mouth: slightly sweet, but apart from that, nothing much at all. Rather in the style of a vodka intended for rubbing, rheumatism, colds, or perhaps paint stripping, had it been offered at a higher strength. A faint note of artificial coconut emerges after a while. Finish: as short as the vocabulary of you-know-who. Comments: this is where we reach the bottom of the barrel. Still, there must be a bottom if we are ever to bounce back... (come on, S.)
SGP:310 - 35 points.

Mind you, we've still got some oude genevers to come. Will they be in the style of the excellent Rutte & ZN?...

Bokma ‘Oude Friesche Genever’ (38%, OB, Graanjenever, The Netherlands)
A chance at redemption for the House of Bokma. You will have noticed the stratospheric strength of 38% vol. Mind you, at €23 per litre, we are clearly in premium territory! Colour: white. Nose: well, this works. Paraffin, that familiar Jerusalem artichoke eau-de-vie, perhaps even a little celery spirit, alongside a faint suggestion of hard-boiled eggs, aubergines and artichokes. In short, we are rather enjoying this so far. Mouth: indeed, this is very good. Salty and sweet in the manner of a Chinese dish, with honey-glazed gratins of parsnips and salsify. Highly original and intriguingly offbeat, exactly the sort of thing we enjoy. Finish: not as short as expected, still carrying a little sweetness, but thoroughly pleasant. Honeyed aubergines, perhaps? Comments: the score may be slightly inflated by contrast effects, but we genuinely find this Bokma very good indeed.
SGP:552 - 80 points.

Come on, keep going, just one last unaged one...

Blankenheym & Nolet (38%, OB, Oude Jenever, The Netherlands)
Only €23 per litre on Dramazon! The label really is rather charming, though... Colour: white. Nose: a thousand times more expressive than most of the others, but this is absolutely gin. Very much in the style of Bombay Sapphire, with soap, juniper, citrus zests and coriander. All that is missing is the Schweppes or the Martini Bianco. Or perhaps Campari and Martini Rosso. Or Noilly Prat and olives. In short, you get the picture... Mouth: this is gin, no question about it, although rather sweeter than your usual example. That sweetness is a little bothersome for me, let us be honest. Finish: long, but distinctly liqueur-like. Very sweet. Comments: a pity they sweetened it quite so much, because the aromatic base is really rather lovely. In some respects, it even brings Diplomatico to mind.
SGP:751 - 69 points.

Right, before we choke on the stuff, let's wrap this up with a baby that should, and I do mean should, be in an entirely different league...

Zuidam Oude Genever 12 yo 2011/2023 (38%, OB, The Netherlands, oloroso sherry, 636 bottles)
We adore Zuidam/Millstone, we truly do, but I should very much like to know why they bottle their wonderful whiskies at, let us say, an average of 55% vol., while this genever emerges at 38% vol. They must have some special Dutch law dating back to the Middle Ages that prevents them from bottling genever above 38% vol. I can think of no other explanation. Colour: red amber. Nose: the sherry seems to marry even better with genever than it does with malt whisky or rye. The whole thing must date back to the days of Charles V. Gingerbread, dried figs, mild curry, pink peppercorns, Corinth raisins, prunes and pipe tobacco. A magnificent nose, and we can only hope the palate will not prove too soft and yielding... Mouth: love and hate. I adore the profile, yet I hate the way it threatens to collapse, and the strength is entirely to blame. It recalls certain brandies from Jerez, blessed with sublime noses and perfectly respectable arrivals on the palate, only to crash moments later like a drunken jellyfish washing up on a deserted beach. You see what I mean. And yet the blood orange marmalade, deliciously moist gingerbread and peppered honey are absolutely perfect. Finish: short, alas. Coffee liqueur. Comments: I do not quite know what to do here. I do not think I shall even attempt to assign a score. Love and hate (but love always wins in the end, does it not?).
SGP:720 - ** points.

I should emphasise that none of this is meant to be taken too seriously. The main problem is that I approached these little babies with expectations appropriate to genuine spirits, whereas these genevers arguably belong more in the realm of a cordial.