By Porter Lang
By 1606 the Dutch were taxing jenever, which Wikipedia reads as a sign that it was no longer seen mainly as medicine.
The spirit’s categories are written down in numbers, which makes it a good subject for a reader who likes to check labels.
What the words mean
Jonge jenever has a maximum of 15 per cent malt wine and no more than 10 grams of sugar per litre. Oude jenever has a minimum of 15 per cent malt wine and a maximum of 20 grams of sugar per litre. Korenwijn has 51 to 70 per cent malt wine, up to 20 grams of sugar per litre, and is often aged in oak. Graanjenever is made from grain and malt only.
A protected name
Jenever carries a protected name. We have not read the regulation itself, so we cannot say what is required inside the protected regions.
Schiedam
Schiedam is where the story gets a place: a South Holland town long tied to distilling, with a National Jenever Museum in a former factory on the Lange Haven. We have not confirmed its opening times or current exhibitions.
Where gin comes in
The English word gin derives from genever, and both trace back to the Latin word for juniper.
How to read a bottle
The numbers above are the useful part. Look for the style on the label and ask what it means. By the definitions above, oude means at least 15 per cent malt wine, korenwijn means between 51 and 70 per cent, and jonge means no more than 15 per cent. Ask what the malt wine was made from, and whether it was distilled in the Netherlands or elsewhere. The protected regions include more than one country, and a bottle can come from any of them.
We found no source on how to taste for the difference between styles, and we will not guess. A museum or a distillery can show you.
What to ask
Ask which style a bottle is, and how the label defines it. Ask where the malt wine and the grain came from. Ask who distilled it, and where. If a seller points to Schiedam, ask whether the spirit was distilled there or only bottled there.
We are not naming a distillery, because we have not sourced one for this piece.
Roam first. Shop later.