Genever isn’t the first spirit that comes to mind when people think of Belgian alcohol. And the gin-like spirit has an outdated reputation. But Filliers Distillery in Belgium is changing the perception of genever, especially barrel-aged genever, by making a product worth drinking. 

Filliers Distillery is the largest distillery in Belgium making handcrafted gin, vodka, whisky, liqueurs, and genever. Genever, sometimes spelled jenever, is a grain-based spirit made with botanicals so it’s often compared to gin. But when it’s aged in barrels, the spirit picks up wood characteristics similar to whisky. So it’s considered the middle ground between gin and whisky.

I toured Filliers Distillery while in Ghent and fell in love with their barrel-aged genever. As much as I’d love to talk about Filliers whisky — they were the first to make Belgian rye whisky! — or even their gin, I’m here to talk about genever. Most importantly, how Filliers is changing the perception of barrel-aged genever by making an impressive age statement genevers.

Fillliers’ Barrel-Aged Genever is Changing the Belgian Spirit’s Reputation

Genever is Belgian Heritage

Located about 30 minutes outside of Ghent, Filliers Distillery began as a farm in the 1800s. Farmer (and mayor) Karel Lodewijk Filliers distilled his leftover grains as a side project. It wasn’t until the 1880s that his nephew began commercially producing genever. Today Filliers is the largest distillery in Belgium with the largest maturation room in the entire Benelux region.

We arrived at Filliers Distillery on a beautiful day (my birthday!), where we got a private tour of the facilities. Throughout the tour I noticed how the distillery straddles between modern and historical. It’s very much a modern, high-tech distillery — they use barcodes on their machinery to collect real time data of alcohol percentage and volume. But they’ve also maintained the look and feel of the 1800s and still do things as traditionally as possible, all while being as green as possible. (They literally have no waste!)

For Filliers, which is still a family-run business, genever is more than just a spirit. It’s a connection to Belgian culture, history, and heritage. But unfortunately, a lot of people feel exactly that way about genever: it’s an outdated old person’s drink. Filliers aims to change that.

“We can’t lose all this,” our tour guide, brand manager Matthijs Daemers, said. “If we lose all this we lose a lot of heritage.”

Distilling Genever at Filliers Distillery

The Dutch have been making genever since the 16th Century. By law, only the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of Germany and France can make genever. During the Eighty Year War in the 1500s, Dutch soldiers drank genever before battle to give them “Dutch courage.” While fighting alongside them, the British noticed this and drank it for the same results. When they returned home they tried distilling their own but added more juniper and botanicals, eventually creating gin.

Simply put, genever is a spirit made from grains distilled with juniper. Malted barley, rye, corn, or a combination of all three can be used. Filliers uses bakery-grade, locally-sourced barley and rye, fermented for five days. (This slow fermentation produces more complex flavors.) The stems and leaves are kept to maintain the grain flavor. (In whisky production they are filtered out.)

After the first distillation, the head and tail are separated and none of it is used. As Matthias explained, “there is only one thing that matters for us: quality. And if you use head and the tail you lose the quality.” This creates malt wine that is mixed with a juniper distillate and distilled a third time. Then it’s either bottled or put into first-fill bourbon casks for up to 21 years.

Aging Genever in Wood Barrels

Like whisky, genever picks up flavor and color from the wood as it ages. And, like American whiskey, where the barrels are located in the warehouse matters. Different areas of the warehouse have different temperature, fluctuating how the genever ages.

Barrel-aged genever isn’t exactly uncommon, but those with age statements are extremely rare. And Filliers is the only distillery in the world with 12, 17, or 21 year barrel-aged genever. Clearly this is not the genever most people know!

We tasted Filliers’ core lineup of barrel-aged genever, starting with the 8 year and making our way to the 21. Like I often find myself thinking when drinking older whisky, it blows my mind to think that this spirit has been patiently maturing for 21 years!

Filliers Barrel-Aged Genever Tasting Notes

Finally we tasted Filliers barrel-aged genever. The 12 Year (42% ABV, 45€) is rich and creamy, with vanilla and wood notes calmingly flowing throughout the palate, followed by nutty spices and a hint of waffle. Beautiful! The 17 Year (44% ABV, 64€) has more wood on the nose contrasted with pine-tree notes. The palate is intensely vanilla and oak with creamy spiciness and black pepper. The 21 Year (46% ABV, 74€) is beautifully woody and spicy, with vanilla and walnuts on the nose. And the palate is deliciously woody with smooth vanilla creaminess mixed with oak and black pepper, caramel, menthol, and a hint of citrus, spice, and cinnamon.

I love the nose on all of them: foresty (wood and pine) in the most lovely way. On the surface they remind me of a light single malt, until directly compared they are completely different. There is malt and wood, but in a different way than, say, a Lowland single malt. I really enjoy the subtle spicy creaminess of the barrel-aged genever; it’s so unique. They are as easily enjoyable as whisky but have an enticing element that keeps me wanting more.

Barrel-Aged Genever Cocktails

Then Matthijs introduced us to barrel-aged genever cocktails. Most were gin-esque drinks that enhanced the flavor of the genever but with an added complexity. Even a simple genever and ginger beer was great. (Here is more cocktail recipes for barrel-aged genever.)

Filliers barrel-aged genever tastes completely different than the other genevers I’ve had. Back when we went to the Netherlands, we tried genever in Delft and my friend and I didn’t loved it. But Filliers’ genever reminded me of a light single malt with all the notes I enjoy about whisky, while still being completely unique. I truly think once people get their hands on it, their perception of genever will completely change.

Filliers Distillery in Belgium

Touring Filliers Distillery was impressive on so many levels. Their commitment to heritage and environmentally-friendly practices, their incredible lineup of spirits, and their ability to maintain tradition (like continuing to make genever) while still being innovative (like aging it for decades).

Barrel-aged genever isn’t available in the United States just yet. But they are working on importing it, so keep an eye out for it. In the meantime, it’s available throughout Europe (especially Belgium and the Netherlands) and you should definitely pick up a bottle. (Here’s where to find it.)

Luckily the team sent me home with bottles of the 12, 17, and 21 year genever, so I don’t have to fly back to Belgium just for a glass of it. But considering how much I loved Ghent, don’t be surprised if I return for it anyway!

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Special thanks to Matthijs and Kiani of Filliers Distillery for the personal tour, in-depth presentation, and especially the genever souvenirs! • Even though we were guests of Filliers, as always, all opinions are my own.