Zoesdijck Genever
At Stokerij Soestdijk, nestled in the green heart of Utrecht, we craft our traditional grain genevers with care and passion. Distilled in a copper pot still, each batch is made from organically grown grains and botanicals. Our genevers are exceptionally smooth to sip neat – and surprisingly versatile in cocktails.
Malt wine is a distilled alcohol made from grain. It is distilled in a copper alambic, which can reach a maximum of 80% alcohol. This means it is not neutral—you can still taste the grain. When juniper berries are added, you get 100% grain genever. The genevers from Stokerij Soestdijk are all 100% grain genevers.
Jonge jenever is made from neutral alcohol with added juniper berries and up to 15% malt wine. It must have at least 35% alcohol. Since neutral alcohol has no taste or character but does have a sharp finish, sugar is often added—up to 10%, which is more than in cola. It's best to drink jonge jenever cold, straight from the fridge, as the cold helps mask the sharpness. The term "jonge" doesn’t refer to aging but to a cheaper production method that emerged after World War II due to grain shortages. Before the war, all jenever was made with malt wine as the base.