Schiedam sits wedged in just west of Rotterdam and has been burning grain since the seventeenth century. At the town's peak, several hundred distilleries and malt mills stood side by side. A handful are left today, and one of them has had the same family in charge since 1691.
Expert description
Ketel One Vodka is a Dutch Vodka from the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, distilled from 100% wheat and bottled at 40%.
The Nolet family has run the distillery for eleven generations, but the vodka is young by house standards. Carolus Nolet put it into production in 1983, and the name comes from Distilleerketel #1, a coal-fired copper pot still from 1864 that still stands on the floor in Schiedam. Part of the spirit comes off that still, the rest from modern columns, and the two are blended at the end.
After distillation the spirit runs over loose charcoal and then rests in tile-lined tanks until bottling. Every single batch is tasted by a member of the family before it is approved. It sounds like marketing, but it is how the house has worked from the start.
The combination of pot still and column is the whole difference. The column cleans, the copper pot still adds weight, and the result is a vodka that is neither empty nor heavy. That middle position is why it has ended up among the most called-for vodkas behind the bar in the world's best bars, as measured by trade titles such as Drinks International.
Tasting notes
Nose
Fresh and clean with a clear stroke of lemon peel. Underneath sits a pale wheat note and a suggestion of honey.
Palate
Crisp and light in the mouth. The wheat gives a fine sweetness, citrus lifts the middle, and a short dry warmth arrives towards the end.
Finish
Long by vodka standards and distinctly dry. The citrus note lingers without any sharp edges appearing.
Specifications
Name: Ketel One Vodka
Distillery: Nolet Distillery
Region/Country: Schiedam, the Netherlands
Type: Dutch Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Distilled from 100% wheat in copper pot still and column, filtered over charcoal
EAN no.: 8711566013701
Serving suggestion: Cool and neat in a small glass, or in a Dirty Martini where the citrus note carries the olive.
Flavour profile
Crisp · Citrus · Honey · Dry
Did you know?
The Nolet family has raised a windmill beside the distillery in Schiedam. It is called De Nolet, ranks among the tallest windmills in the world and supplies power to the production. Sails turning above a distillery are an unusual sight in a town otherwise known for its chimneys.
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