Hooghoudt launches ultra-premium Genevers
Hooghoudt launches two ultra-premium Aged Genevers
The Hooghoudt family distillery will launch two ultra-premium aged Genevers in March. Both were distilled in 1998 by the third and fourth generation Hooghoudt and placed as single malt in old ex-Oloroso casks. Now 23 years later, they have been enriched with distilled botanicals and are sold as Single Barrel Jenever.
Martijn Keesmaat, Commercial Director at Hooghoudt: “The Aged 23 is the first edition in a series of 5 exceptional ex-Oloroso barrels with which we will each pay tribute to a generation of Hooghoudt over the next 5 years. The Aged 16 is one of 7 barrels that after 7 years accidentally used new malt wine, topped up with which the counter was reset to zero. The result of this action is as original as its taste: the depth of a 23-year-aged liquid and at the same time the character of a 16-year-aged spirit."
Hooghoudt has been passionately searching for the best scents, colors and flavors from nature for more than 133 years and 5 generations. They do not allow themselves to be held back by conventions, but on the contrary, seek the boundaries that allow them to create new tasty experiences within traditional categories without forcing the existing enthusiasts.
Keesmaat: “With the Aged 16 and 23, we focus on lovers of aged drinks and in particular the Single Malt Whiskey enthusiasts, but we do this from the power of jenever, where our history and passion lie. Where most aged spirits are finished when they come out of the barrel, Jenever continues. We master the art of distilling and blending botanicals. We look at the taste profile of the malt wine from each individual cask and enhance this with our own blend of distilled botanicals. With this, Hooghoudt opens a completely new taste world for a Whiskey connoisseur, a Jenever drinker, and new discoverers. You could call our Aged 23 the crown jewel of Jenever in the 21st century and the Aged 16 our charismatic prince with a slightly rebellious character. Beautiful liquids, each with its own story and character.”
Aged 23: An ode to the first Hooghoudt generation
This Jenever is part of a series of five. Each barrel represents one generation of Hooghoudt. The series will eventually consist of 23 to 27 years old 100% malt wine Genevers from exceptional ex-Oloroso casks that are bottled at cask strength. In 1998, third generation of Hooghoudt, by Hero Jan, created and put in a barrel after which the copper boiler at the time was allowed to close. Now, 23 years later, bottled by Bert, the fourth generation, while he and his children are putting the finishing touches on a new distillery as part of the Grain Republic in Bad Nieuweschans, the circle is rounding.
The first cask, number 577, contained a rich full-bodied liquid with signature Oloroso flavors such as raisin, dates, chestnut honey, and a hint of toasted almonds. Only 225 bottles have come out of the barrel and the liquid has completely taken over the flavors of the wood. The distilled botanicals then reinforce this: In addition to juniper berries, gentian, laurel and iris root form a botanical boost that makes the wood notes in the liquid even more bright. But there is also a nod to the history of the Hooghoudt family: After Hero Jan and Grietje founded Hooghoudt in Groningen in 1888, they won many prizes with their orange liqueurs. Distillate of orange peel adds fruitiness, but here again makes history come into a full circle.
Aged 16: A 23-year-old Jenever with the character of a 16 year old spirit
According to Hooghoudt, Aged 16 is “a direct result of a fluke that you can encounter only once” . The last batch of malt wine, which was distilled in 1998, was put in 34 of the best oak ex-Oloroso barrels. Some of these had already served as sherry casks for nearly a hundred years. History shows that after seven years, a new employee with all good intentions replenished the barrels with new malt wine. At the seventh barrel he discovered his mistake, which turns out to have been the birth of this uniquely beautiful Jenever. This created a liquid in which the taste notes of the 23-year-old and 16-year-younger spirits miraculously enhance each other.The first cask number 598, contained a liquid rich in notes of caramel, vanilla, ripe fruit, but also a striking amount of fresh spicy notes of sandalwood and timut pepper. This taste is then enhanced with distilled botanicals including hops, liquorice, iris root and juniper berries.
