What is genever?
Genever: Dutch and Belgian ancestor of gin, made with malt wine.
- Category
- Spirit
- Taste
- Malty and bready with juniper. Halfway between gin and whiskey.
- Strength
- About 35-42% ABV
- Similar to
- Old Tom gin, unaged whiskey
- Also called
- jenever, geneva
The story
Genever comes from the Netherlands in the 1600s, and gin grew out of it. English soldiers drank it before battle in the Low Countries, which, the story goes, is where the phrase "Dutch courage" comes from.