Have you ever heard of Jenever? It’s a typical Belgian and Dutch beverage. The National Jenevermuseum is located in Hasselt.

When I was in the National Jenevermuseum of Hasselt it was during the Jeneverfeesten. So the entrance was free and a Big Band played in the court.

First of all, what is Jenever or Genever, as it’s sometimes written? Sometimes Jenever is compared to Gin. But that’s not true. Jenever is far older than Gin. And its production is more complicated. For Austrians it’s simply explained as “Schnaps” or the sweet form liquor. Two types of Jenever exist, the old and the young one. It’s not the age of the Jenever which makes the difference, it’s the distilling technique. You can buy several kinds of Jenever. The sweet one like apple, the creamy one like hazelnut, the special one like cactus or the original one made out of corn.

The museum itself is build up in a kind of cot. No wonder, because in former days parts of the museum have been an ox house. In the museum you get to know in different languages how to get from corn to Jenever. You can smell Jenever on different bottles. In the last part of the museum you’ll find old ceramic and old pictures which are about Jenever or especially about Jenever from Hasselt.

Hasselt is famous for its Jenever. However, Jenever is still distilled in Hasselt. Not big amounts like 100 years ago but original Jenever from Hasselt still exists. You can have a look when Jenever is distilled there. Go and have a look at the homepage from the National Jenevermuseum. There you’ll find a distillation schedule and other information.

 

Sources: National Jenevermuseum

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