Description
Genever is as old as the street… in our case, much older than the street. According to historians, Genever is the oldest documented spirit in the world. Long before there was any mention of whisky, vodka, cognac… books were already being written about the (beneficial) effects of genever.
This is how we make... the difference
100% malt wine. Period.
When we talk about an ‘old genever’, it is legally required to use at least 15% malt wine. What about the other 85% of the alcohol then? Just neutral industrial alcohol.
Malt wine is distilled from grains, which is why it’s a bit misleading to use the word ‘wine’, but it is what it is.
For our old genever, we don’t use neutral alcohol, but only malt wine. For this, we ferment a mixture of 1/3 barley malt, 1/3 barley, and 1/3 rye. Just like the ancient genever recipe. We let this fermentation run for up to 2 weeks, which allows more fruity esters to form. After fermentation, we distill it for the first time in our large Holstein still, and then distill it again in our small still, together with 7 carefully selected organic botanicals. Of course, we use juniper berries, but also vervain, St. John’s wort, lemongrass, angelica root, orris root…
We distill these botanicals via vapour infusion, which means the botanicals go into large baskets, and the alcohol vapours rise through them, carrying the flavours with them. We do this at a slightly lower temperature, which gives us softer flavours that are also richer at the same time. We also don’t add any flavourings or distillates to our genever; every drop in the bottle has passed through our still and through all the botanicals.
”Genever is not just any distilled spirit. It is the missing link between gin and whisky. It is actually the ancestor of both gin and whisky. Sometimes misunderstood, but so incredibly rich in flavour.
Manu De CortMaster Distiller
And then, an additional year in new oak barrels
Almost all of our genever is aged, or allowed to rest, in new oak barrels for at least one year. This results in a spirit with so much depth, finish, and taste experience that you almost forget it’s a genever.
ONLY AUTHENTICITY COUNTS
We could perfectly bottle our old genever after distillation as a clear genever, but we choose the authenticity of the past. Long ago, wooden barrels were practically the only means of transporting spirits, which is why every genever back then was barrel-aged by default.
”We age genever in new oak barrels, which we then reuse to age our Single Malt Whisky.
And then 100% organic!
Only organic botanicals go into the baskets. Fresh zests and dried botanicals.
But the barley, barley malt, and rye are also 100% organic and local. This makes it such a wonderful product. If it can all be done without chemical sprays and herbicides, why wouldn’t we just do it?
GRAND MEDAILLE D’OR CONCOURS MONDIAL
+ REVELATION 2021
Our Old Pajotse Genever received the ‘Grand Gold Medal’ at the Concours Mondial as the best in the genever category in 2021. At the end of that competition, the eighty-member jury tasted all the ‘Grand Medailles d’Or’ again to choose the revelation of that year from them. And that became our Old Pajotse Genever. Winning outside of category, it’s an achievement we are more than proud of as a still young distillery.
CONCOURS MONDIAL
GRAND GOLD MEDAL 2021
+
REVELATION 2021
100% recycled bottles
Every bottle that leaves the farm is also bottled on the farm. We didn’t just choose any bottle. Our bottle is made in Europe from 100% recycled bottles. It’s the first time they’ve succeeded in producing a bottle without adding any new glass. This has resulted in beautiful imperfections, just like with our distillates, where nature plays the most important role in the entire process.
From the soil where the raw materials grow to the box containing the bottles and every step in between… that’s the quality we guarantee.
Also discover our other spirits
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Oude Pajotse Jenéver Single Cask PX edition
€ 48,00 -
Old Pajotse Genever
€ 39,00 -
Unplugged 0%
€ 29,00 -
Pastis Grand Cru 48%
€ 42,00
