🥃 Bols

Bols is a Dutch brand of liqueurs, genever and other spirits. Its history is traditionally traced to 1575, when the Bulsius family founded a distillery in Amsterdam. The range covers more than 30 liqueur flavours and Bols Genever, and it is made by the Amsterdam company Lucas Bols.

History. The date of 1575 rests mainly on a family document from 1763, so some historians give 1649. Long-standing ties with the Dutch East India Company, the VOC, gave access to exotic spices and plants, and Bols created over 200 liqueur recipes. The first written mention of juniper distillation is dated to 1664. The family ran the business until 1816. Various owners followed: the company went public in 1954, Rémy Cointreau bought it in 2000, and in 2006 the management, backed by investors, returned it to Dutch ownership.

How it is made. Recipes depend on the product: liqueurs combine distillate, sugar and botanicals, while genevers use grain distillate and juniper. There is no single method for the whole brand.

The range. Bols is not one drink. It includes coloured cocktail liqueurs, Bols Genever, egg liqueurs and other products. Lucas Bols also owns, for example, Passoã (since 2020).

Why this matters to you. Strength varies: an EU liqueur starts at 15% ABV, genever at 30% ABV. The Bols name on a label does not tell you the type of drink, so read the category and flavour. In some Eastern European countries the brand may be produced by another company. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.