🥃 Hasseltse jenever
A Belgian juniper spirit with an EU protected name: grain spirit and malt wine from rye and barley, distilled in the Hasselt district; at least 30% ABV, up to 20 g/l sugar.
Hasseltse jenever is a Belgian juniper spirit with an EU protected name, distilled only in the district of the city of Hasselt in the province of Limburg. The base is grain spirit and so-called malt wine made from rye and barley, flavoured with juniper berries and herbs. Its strength is at least 30% ABV.
Rules. According to the technical file, at least 1.5% of the pure alcohol in the drink must come from a distillate of whole grain. The mash is made only from rye and barley, distilled two or three times and aged for at least six months. Sugar may be added up to 20 g/l, and the only colouring allowed is plain caramel. Dilution and bottling are also permitted outside the district.
Taste. Compared with other grain genevers, Hasseltse jenever is flavoured with a larger dose of juniper and herbs, so it is softer and sweeter. Besides juniper, the document allows caraway, gentian, angelica, coriander, orris root, almond, cinnamon and cassia, as long as they do not overpower the juniper. The colour ranges from clear to light brown.
History. The first written mention of distilling in Hasselt dates from 1610. In 1774 the city had eight distilleries, in 1791 twenty-one, and in 1860 the local jenever accounted for almost 15% of all Belgian alcohol output. Flanders recognised the name in 1997. The Jenever Museum is housed in a former distillery on the site of a nuns' farm.
Why this matters to you. Jenever is drunk in small glasses, but even they contain a lot of alcohol, and its soft, slightly sweet taste hides a strength of at least 30% ABV. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Alcohol (% vol.) | at least 30% ABV |
|---|---|
| Raw material | grain spirit and malt wine from rye and/or barley (at least 1.5% pure alcohol), juniper berries, herbs and spices |
| Distillation method | malt wine distilled two or three times in a pot and/or column still; only in the Hasselt district |
| Minimum maturation | malt wine — at least 6 months |
| EU category | EU PGI in category 19 'juniper-flavoured spirit drinks' |
| Legal basis | EU PGI since 12.06.1989 (PGI-BE-02010); decree of the Flemish Community of 9.7.1997 |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Hasseltse jenever → affects → 🍷 Alcohol and health ← affects ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🥃 Double distillation, 🥃 Distillation
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health
- Part of
- 🥃 Genever
- Related to
- 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Balegemse jenever, 🍸 Gin
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Hasseltse jenever is simply Belgian gin?
No. It is a separate protected genever with malt wine from rye and barley, aged for at least six months; gin is a different EU category.
What is the strength of Hasseltse jenever?
At least 30% ABV; sugar no more than 20 g/l.
Where can it be made?
Distillation takes place only in the Hasselt district: the city itself, Zonhoven and Diepenbeek; dilution and bottling may take place elsewhere.
What grain is it made from?
The whole-grain distillate for Hasseltse jenever is made only from rye and/or barley; other genevers often also use wheat and maize.
Since when has the name been protected?
It has been listed in the EU register since 12 June 1989; Flanders separately recognised it by decree on 9 July 1997.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🍸 Gin — A spirit flavoured with juniper berries: in the EU at least 37.5% vol., juniper must dominate, and “dry” means up to 0.1 g/l of sugar.
- 🥃 Distillation — Distilling a fermented liquid: ethanol evaporates before water, the vapor is cooled and collected; in batches in a pot still or continuously in a column.
- 🥃 Balegemse jenever — EU geographical indication for genever from the village of Balegem (Oosterzele, East Flanders): juniper spirit from 30% ABV, made by the farm distillery Van Damme.
Similar
🥃 Genièvre de grains / Graanjenever · 🥃 Genièvre Flandre Artois · 🥃 Genièvre aux fruits / Vruchtenjenever · 🥃 Ostfriesischer Korngenever (East Frisian grain genever) · 🥃 Balegemse jenever · 🥃 Gin de Mahón
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- eAmbrosia: technical file 'Hasseltse jenever/Hasselt', PGI-BE-02010, Ref. Ares(2017)3059927 (category 19 juniper-flavoured spirit drinks; min. 30 % vol.; at least 1.5 % malt spirit from rye and/or barley, double or triple distillation, aged ≥ 6 months; sugar ≤ 20 g/l; plain caramel only; distilled in the administrative district of Hasselt; 1610 first record; 8 distilleries in 1774, 21 in 1791; ~15 % of Belgian alcohol output in 1860; Flemish decree 9.7.1997)
- eAmbrosia — EU geographical indications register: Hasseltse jenever / Hasselt (EUGI00000014221), spirit drink, Belgium; EU protection 12.06.1989
- GOV.UK Protected food and drink names: Hasseltse jenever / Hasselt (GI, Belgium; category 19 juniper-flavoured spirit drinks; originally registered in the EU 12.06.1989)
- Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex III as at 31.01.2020 (legislation.gov.uk): 19. Juniper-flavoured spirit drinks — Hasseltse jenever/Hasselt, Balegemse jenever (Belgium)
- The Brussels Times, Hidden Belgium: The Jenever Museum (18.09.2022) — former White Nuns' farm in Hasselt, distillery from 1803, museum since 1982, jenever still made on site
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)