Genever
Genever, or jenever, is the juniper spirit of the Netherlands and Belgium, made with malt wine, a distillate of fermented grain that gives it a malty, bready body gin does not have. Its name is a protected geographical indication on the GB register on GOV.UK, for Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany, and under Regulation (EC) 110/2008 it is a juniper-flavoured spirit drink rather than a gin. We count it at 35% ABV.
Quick Facts
As gin: sealed, upright, dark.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Distilled from grain, but distillation removes gluten, so it is not labelled as a gluten allergen.
About Genever
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Malty and rounded first, closer to grain spirit than dry gin, with juniper and botanicals folded through rather than leading. Oude styles run richer; jonge cleaner.
Malt wine makes it a different spirit from gin
A gin starts from neutral spirit, which tastes of almost nothing until juniper and the botanicals go in. Genever starts partly from malt wine, a low-strength distillate of fermented grain that keeps the taste of the grain, and it is blended with grain or neutral spirit and juniper. The result smells of bread and malt as much as of juniper.
Oude and jonge describe the recipe, not the age
The two words on a genever label set how much malt wine and sugar the bottle may carry, under the rules of the Netherlands and Belgium. Jonge genever arose after 1945, when Dutch distillers began to use less malt wine, a lighter style; oude keeps more malt wine. The table compares them with a London Dry gin.
Oude and jonge genever against London Dry gin; genever’s malt wine and sugar from the Oxford Companion, a secondary source, its protection from the GB register on GOV.UK, and London Dry from the retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008, Annex II.
Malt wine
- Oude genever
- At least 15%
- Jonge genever
- No more than 15%
- London Dry gin
- None
Sugar
- Oude genever
- Up to 20 g/L
- Jonge genever
- Up to 10 g/L
- London Dry gin
- Up to 0.1 g/L
Base spirit
- Oude genever
- Malt wine with grain spirit
- Jonge genever
- Mostly neutral spirit
- London Dry gin
- Neutral spirit
In a drink
- Oude genever
- Malty and round
- Jonge genever
- Light, clean juniper
- London Dry gin
- Dry, juniper-led
Legal status
- Oude genever
- Protected name
- Jonge genever
- Protected name
- London Dry gin
- Legal grade, made anywhere
| Oude genever | Jonge genever | London Dry gin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malt wine | At least 15% | No more than 15% | None |
| Sugar | Up to 20 g/L | Up to 10 g/L | Up to 0.1 g/L |
| Base spirit | Malt wine with grain spirit | Mostly neutral spirit | Neutral spirit |
| In a drink | Malty and round | Light, clean juniper | Dry, juniper-led |
| Legal status | Protected name | Protected name | Legal grade, made anywhere |
A protected name with its own rules
Genièvre, jenever and genever are one protected geographical indication, carried into the GB register on 31 December 2020 from its EU registration of 2008. It covers Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany, and the class it sits in, juniper-flavoured spirit drinks, has a 30% floor against gin's 37.5%. A juniper spirit made with malt wine anywhere else cannot be sold as genever.
Using Genever
Usage
None of our recipes is built on it. Where a recipe says gin, an oude genever poured at the gin's measure gives a heavier, maltier drink that wants a little less sugar; a jonge sits closer to a dry gin. Start with a plain sour, or a short stirred drink built mostly of spirit.
Pro Tip
Treat oude genever as a bridge between gin and whisky when you adapt a recipe. A drink that works with both, such as a simple sour or an Old Fashioned build with sugar and bitters, usually works with genever, and shows the malt better than a gin recipe does.
Top Tips
- Read oude or jonge on the label before you buy. They describe the recipe, not the age, and the two taste very different.
- For cocktails start with an oude genever. Malt is what genever offers that gin cannot; a jonge is lighter and closer to vodka with juniper.
- Trim the sugar when it replaces gin. The malt body reads as sweetness, and a sour balanced for London Dry can taste heavy.
- In our experience, once open it keeps for years at 35% or more; a tight cap and a dark shelf hold the aroma.
Possible Substitutions
- Old Tom Gin: Covers it halfway in cocktails
- London Dry Gin: Split with a soft whisky: the emergency approximation
Production Method
Malt wine, a distillate of fermented grain, combined with grain or neutral spirit and flavoured with juniper and often other botanicals. The Oxford Companion, a secondary source, says oude and jonge set how much malt wine goes in.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is genever?
Is genever the same as gin?
What do oude and jonge mean?
What is malt wine?
Where can genever be made?
Can I use genever instead of gin in a cocktail?
Is genever gluten free?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, “Genièvre / Jenever / Genever: protected spirit drink name”.
- GOV.UK, “Jonge jenever / jonge genever: protected spirit drink name”.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Philip Duff), “genever” (secondary source: jonge 1.5 to 15% moutwijn, at least 35% ABV, up to 10g sugar a litre; oude at least 15% moutwijn, up to 20g; jonge came after 1945 when distillers used less moutwijn).
From the Guides
Made with Genever
Often Used With
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 19 October 2026