introduction and short definition

Genever is the older style of gin which you can find, in the Netherland, Belgium, France and Germany.

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HISTORY

The history of Genever is the history of Gin, so go and check HERE

GEOGRAPHY

If Gin can be done everywhere -to some extent-, Genever is made in the Netherland, Belgium, France and Germany.

how is genever made ?

The different types of genever See below under the categories

the styles of genever

dutch genever

german genever
Genever is distilled from a malted grain mash similar to that used for whisky, named moutwijn. Many of these gins are aged for one to three years in oak casks. Genevers are distilled at lower proof levels – and in pot stills- than English Gins (72-80 proof or 36-40% ABV is typical) and are generally fuller in body.

There are two types of jenever: oude (old) and jonge (young).
This is not a matter of aging, but of distilling techniques.

Oude ("old") Genever is the original style. It is straw-hued, relatively sweet and aromatic with maltey flavours. Production is closed to the whisky production, also in the proportion of malted barley (at least 15% malted barley). Addition of sugar is limited to 20 grams per liter. The resulted spirit can be aged in wood.

Jonge ("young") Genever has a drier palate and lighter body. The neutral spirit must have no more than 15% malted barley and no more than 10 grams sugar per liter.

Korenwijn is like a Oude style but with more sugar content, more ageing in cask, and more moutwijn content. It contains from 51% to 70% malt wine and up to 20 g/l of sugar.
 
Genever is produced without discontinuity since the 1500s (notably by the firm Bols in Amsterdam).
How does it taste ?
Jonge jenever has a neutral taste, with a slight aroma of juniper and malt wine. Oude jenever has a smoother, very aromatic taste with malty flavours. Oude jenever is sometimes aged in wood; its malty, woody and smoky flavours resemble whisky.
Germany produces Genever-style Gins called. German Gin is usually served straight up and cold.
 
Three most famous styles:

Steinhaeger is an older style flavoured only with juniper. The name is derived from the city of Steinhagen, the only place where it is permitted to be produced. Steinhäger is typically sold in long brown clay pot (Steingut) bottles and in glass bottles made to look like earthenware.
 
Wachholger is a double distilled gin flavoured made only with crushed fermented junipers. (Wachholder is the German word for junipers.)
 
Dornkaat, produced in the North Sea coast region of Frisia is both a style and a brand name. This spirit is lighter in body and more delicate in flavour than both Dutch Genever and English dry Gin.

other GENEVER

Genever-style gins are produced in Holland, Belgium, France and Germany.

The European Union regulations specify that only the alcohol made in Holland or Belgium, two northern French departments and two German federal states can use the name jenever/genever/genièvre.
Recognized for its historic and cultural contribution, the European Union protected genever with 11 appellations or AOC of which most are exclusive to Belgium.
Exclusive to Belgium, the Netherlands, small parts of France, and small parts of Germany: genever (jenever), grain genever (graanjenever), fruit genever (fruitjenever)
Exclusive to Belgium and the Netherlands: old genever (oude jenever), young genever (jonge jenever)
Exclusive to Belgium: O’de Flander real East-Flemish grain genever (O'de Flander Echte Oost-Vlaamse graanjenever), Hasselt genever (Hasseltse jenever), Balegem genever (Balegemse jenever), and Peket (Pékèt)
Exclusive to two provinces of France: Flanders Artois genever (genièvre Flandres Artois)
Exclusive to two states of Germany: East-Frisia cereal grain genever (Ostfriesischer Korngenever)
RESOURCES/SOURCES
The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart
Alcools, André Dominé
Gin, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson
Gin, Dave Broom
Bols website
Wikipedia