Where can you see and taste jenever in Schiedam?

In Schiedam you can watch jenever being made in the working distillery of the Nationaal Jenevermuseum at Lange Haven 74, open Tuesday to Sunday from 11.00 to 17.005. You taste it there in the tasting bar or in a jenever bar in the city centre. The big distilleries in town open to the public on only a few days a year19.

Brick facade of the Jenever Museum on the Lange Haven in Schiedam, with a stepped gable, a small tower and a sailing ship in the water in front.
Photo: G.Lanting, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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The quickest start is the Jenever Museum, where distillery, tasting and story sit under one roof.

Why did Schiedam become the city of jenever?

The eighteenth century was a golden age for Schiedam, because imports of spirits from France dried up and the town's own stills took over that market12. Around 1700, cloth and herring fishing had given way to the malt wine industry. At its peak S'DAM counted 392 malt wine distilleries, distilleries and windmills in the town1. Schiedam jenever travelled all over the world, and the smoke from all those chimneys produced the nickname Black Nazareth (Zwart Nazareth)12.

Malt wine is the base. Malt wine distilleries (branderijen) distilled it from malted grain, and distilleries then turned it into jenever. The grain was ground by the tall distillers' windmills, which is why Schiedam in particular has such giants; more about that on the page about the windmills of Schiedam.

Grey workbench with bottles of jenever, glass flasks and rubber pump bulbs in a museum room with a white brick wall and wooden slats.
Photo: S.J. de Waard, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What can you see in the Nationaal Jenevermuseum?

The museum is housed in a former malt wine distillery and tells the story of the craft of distilling, of Schiedam as a jenever city and of the role of advertising3. Its heart is Branderij De Gekroonde Brandersketel. There the museum distils its own Old Schiedam malt wine jenever to a recipe from 1700, among mash tubs, cooling vats and copper stills4. That jenever matures in the cask for at least a year4. According to S'DAM, distilling malt wine has been on the National Inventory of Intangible Heritage since 20148.

Until 21 March 2027 the exhibition Sluit Schiedam!! is on, about the temperance campaigners who fought alcohol abuse between 1890 and 19407. It shows another side of the same history, and gives a good reason to go now.

Three minutes' walk away is Museummolen De Walvisch, the windmill that belongs to the museum316. On 12 November 2026 a combined ticket for museum and windmill cost 15 euros for adults; with a Museumkaart or Rotterdampas entry is free5.

Where can you taste jenever in Schiedam?

In the tasting bar of the Jenever Museum you choose from several tastings, each one led by someone who explains what you are drinking6. You can take your favourite bottle home afterwards.

Jeneverie 't Spul at Hoogstraat 92 is a jenever bar with a large range of jenevers and gins14. Behind the tasting room is the Borrelmuseum, with old advertising, photographs and films about the Schiedam jenever industry14. If you want to go deeper, book a masterclass at the Distillers Academy, which according to S'DAM works with the town's distillers15.

Which distilleries are still in Schiedam today?

Quite a few, and some of them are centuries old. S'DAM lists these companies, among others.

DistillerySinceKnown forSource
Nolet Distillery1691Ketel 1 jenever, Ketel One vodkaS'DAM
Onder de Boompjes1658Boompjes Genever, Sylvius Dry GinS'DAM
Royal de Kuyper Distillers1695, in Schiedam since 1910liqueurs, including PeachtreeS'DAM
Herman Jansen1777Notaris JeneverS'DAM
Serious Bee Distillers2018spirits distilled from honeyS'DAM

Nolet is still a family business, run by the tenth and eleventh generations9. De Kuyper moved to Schiedam in 1910 and is based on the Buitenhavenweg10. Onder de Boompjes calls itself the second-oldest distillery in the Netherlands11; that is the company's own claim, not independently checked. Herman Jansen makes Notaris Jenever among other things, and part of the flour for that jenever comes from windmill De Vrijheid1218.

Can you see inside a distillery?

The distillery of the Jenever Museum is simply open during the museum's opening hours58. Most commercial distilleries are not normally open to visitors19. That changes during the Bedrijvenfestival Gedistilleerd, which S'DAM announces for Friday 21 and Saturday 22 May 2027, for people aged 18 and over only19. At Serious Bee Distillers you can book a guided tour, according to S'DAM13. Check the current dates in the events listing.

What is the Locomotiefsteeg?

The Locomotiefsteeg runs from the Hoogstraat to the Lange Haven and is one long artwork of tiles bearing jenever brand marks17. The museum counts 1174 clay tiles16. The artwork is the last work by Sjef Henderickx and was unveiled on 1 July 202217. At the desk of the Jenever Museum you can ask for a free trail through the alley, meant for children aged 7 to 1216.

Frequently asked questions

What are the opening hours of the Jenever Museum in Schiedam?

The Nationaal Jenevermuseum at Lange Haven 74 is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11.00 to 17.00. It is closed on Mondays. Museummolen De Walvisch at Westvest 229 keeps the same opening hours. With a Museumkaart or Rotterdampas entry is free, the museum itself states.

Can you taste jenever in Schiedam without a group?

Yes. In the tasting bar of the Nationaal Jenevermuseum you pick a tasting yourself, led by an expert. Jeneverie 't Spul on the Hoogstraat pours a large range of jenevers and gins, and the Distillers Academy runs masterclasses with open registration. For a group tasting, book ahead with the venue in question.

What is the difference between a malt wine distillery and a distillery?

In the malt wine distillery (branderij), malt wine was distilled from malted grain. The distillery (distilleerderij) turned that malt wine into jenever, often by distilling it again with botanicals such as juniper berries. In Schiedam the two stood side by side, supplied by the tall windmills that ground the grain. The Jenever Museum still shows a malt wine distillery at work.

Sources

  1. S'DAM, Jenever in Schiedam, Dutch Distillers District, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/jenever-schiedam-dutch-distillers-district
  2. Wikipedia, Schiedam (secondary), accessed 12-11-2026: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiedam
  3. Nationaal Jenevermuseum Schiedam, Home, accessed 12-11-2026: jenevermuseum.nl
  4. Nationaal Jenevermuseum Schiedam, Branderij, accessed 12-11-2026: jenevermuseum.nl/branderij
  5. Nationaal Jenevermuseum Schiedam, Contact en openingstijden, accessed 12-11-2026: jenevermuseum.nl/contact-en-openingstijden
  6. Nationaal Jenevermuseum Schiedam, Proeverij, accessed 12-11-2026: jenevermuseum.nl/proeverij
  7. Nationaal Jenevermuseum Schiedam, Tentoonstelling Sluit Schiedam!!, accessed 12-11-2026: jenevermuseum.nl/portfolio/tentoonstelling-sluit-schiedam-drankbestrijding-in-1890-1940
  8. S'DAM, National Jenevermuseum Distillery, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/national-jenevermuseum-distillery
  9. S'DAM, Nolet Distillery, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/nolet-distillery
  10. S'DAM, Royal de Kuyper Distillers, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/royal-de-kuyper-distillers
  11. S'DAM, Onder de Boompjes, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/onder-de-boompjes
  12. S'DAM, Herman Jansen, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/herman-jansen
  13. S'DAM, Serious Bee Distillers, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/serious-bee-distillers
  14. S'DAM, Jeneverie 't Spul, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/jeneverie-t-spul
  15. S'DAM, Distillers Academy, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/distillers-academy
  16. Nationaal Jenevermuseum Schiedam, Museummolen De Walvisch, accessed 12-11-2026: jenevermuseum.nl/museummolen
  17. S'DAM, Locomotiefsteeg, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/locomotiefsteeg
  18. Stichting De Schiedamse Molens, De Vrijheid, accessed 12-11-2026: www.deschiedamsemolens.nl/de-vrijheid
  19. S'DAM Uitagenda, Bedrijvenfestival Gedistilleerd 2027, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uitagenda/event/bedrijvenfestival-gedistilleerd-2027

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