De Borgen’s logo features a “borg” viewed from above. It’s the 13th century term for the solid stone homes that were found strategically positioned on hills in the north of Holland, the province of Groningen. These borgen have always been houses in which stories were passed down by villagers over the centuries – every brick tells a different story.

With the house in the middle, a moat around the edge, and a draw-bridge to let people in and out, the borg was a beacon of safety – offering protection to the village and its people in times of danger. Of the 200 borgen that once found their home in the region, 16 can still be seen today in the landscape around Groningen – the same landscape that has been home to our distillery since 1888.

De Borgen?s assortment is inspired by the history of Dutch distilled spirits. Our product range celebrates three unique styles of genever inspired by the rich history of the drink throughout the last 400 years: malt genever whose style harks back to the 16th century; old-style genever inspired by 18th century flavors; and new-style genever that uses 19th century distillation techniques and botanicals. Our spirits range along a spectrum from cask-finished genevers with the complexity of whisky to light genevers with the herbal characteristics of a delicate gin. The flavors inside our bottles have existed for centuries. We translated traditional recipes and distillation methods  into authentic flavors that people still love today.

Genever has a very rich history dating back to the 16th century. Juniper based medicines were common in those times, and it did not take long before the product made name as recreational drink, rapidly becoming the Dutch most popular spirit: a national drink was born.

Throughout the 17^th century (the Dutch Golden Age) and 18^th century, genever popularity rapidly grew in both The Netherlands as well as abroad, reaching astronomic heights during the 19^th Century. Pioneers of modern bartending made name and cultivated the cocktail scene, with genever being an important base spirit in many historic classic cocktails.

By then, the original name ‘Genever’ had internationally been anglicized to ‘Geneva’, which ultimately evolved to ‘Gin’. With both the English Gin and the Dutch Genever being called the same, bartenders needed to find a way to diversify between the both. To prevent confusion, genever was baptized ‘Holland Gin’.

Today, genever is still Holland’s number one consumed spirit, claiming one fifth of all domestic spirits consumption. At the same time, genever is regaining momentum internationally, addressing the growing desire for authentic spirits and craft products with a genuine background.