Review: Diep9 Genever (Young and Old)
We’ve reviewed so little genever here at Drinkhacker that we didn’t even have a separate category for it until I made one just now. A traditional spirit in The Netherlands and Belgium, it’s traditionally made from a distillation of malt wine (a roughly 100 proof distillate from barley), not neutral spirits, then flavored with botanicals similar to gin, including juniper. It’s sort of a hybrid of a white whiskey and gin, which means it ends up in a wide range of cocktail styles today.
Genever is an ancient spirit with at least 500 years of history that predates just about every other spirit category. Some tastemakers have heralded its return to the scene as another notch in the revival of pre-Prohibition cocktails (which were extremely heavy on genever), but most drinkers have yet to warm up to the spirit.
Diep9 (sometimes written as Diep 9) is a Belgian genever that got its start in 1910, where it’s been made in small batches in a 52-gallon column still, using 100% local, East-Flemish rye, wheat, and barley, and flavored with juniper, orange peel, blessed thistle, carob, nutmeg, grains of paradise, angelica root, cinnamon, and coriander. Diep9 makes two expressions: “Young Genever” and “Old Genever,” the former being unaged and the latter being barrel-aged in French oak for two years. As well, the Young Genever is made with 15% barley in the mash; Old Genever has 40% malt.
Here’s how they acquit themselves.
Diep9 Young Genever – Very vodka-like, and quite mild. The nose is slightly sweet, and a bit astringent and medicinal. At first blush this seems like it could very well be a vodka, and even tiptoeing into the body doesn’t let on that there’s more to encounter here (being only 70 proof helps on that front). Some almost random-seeming notes of cucumber, brown sugar, florals, and a little baking spice make this a strange little spirit, but one that isn’t without some charms. It’s light as a feather, and hard not to like because of it. But maybe it’s best not to think of it as a genever — which is traditionally quite heavy in flavor — but as a very light member of the gin family. Starter genever? Starter gin, even. 70 proof. B / $35
Diep9 Old Genever – After two years in the barrel (plus a tweak to the mash, as noted above), Diep9 takes on a much different, funkier character. The nose is big and malty — and a little swampy. Intense notes of Madeira, old wood, root beer, and raw twine build on the palate. This is a lot closer to what I’ve come to expect of genever, but on the palate Diep9 is a bit muddy — almost to the point of having a wet cardboard character to it. Some of the botanicals — coriander and angelica — manage to push through, but there’s so much leathery earthiness and astringency here that it’s tough to really get close to. 70 proof. C / $35
Diep9 Old Genever
$35
