Lucas Bols recently announced that for the first time, its original-recipe, 100% Malt Spirit expression will be available in select U.S. markets. Just 200 cases of 750ml bottles of Bols 100% Malt Spirit will ship to New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Texas.

Bols 100% Malt Spirit is made using the original recipe that the brand’s distillers bottled more than 350 years ago as a medicinal product rather than a recreational one. Distilled from long fermented corn, rye, and wheat with juniper berries, the spirit is bottled in gold-crested clay jugs at the Lucas Bols distillery in the heart of Amsterdam.

“As a Dutchman and master distiller for over 30 years, few would be surprised to learn that I’m a bit of a purist,” said Lucas Bols Master Distiller, Piet van Leijenhorst. “Bols 100% Malt Spirit is one of my favorite expressions. I love it for its remarkable complexity and richness. For collectors and purists like me who like to taste real genever the way the first distillers of the spirit intended, this special edition tells the story of genever from the very beginning. After trying it straight, we encourage people to experiment with Bols 100% Malt Spirit in cocktails.”

Lucas Bols CEO, Huub van Doorne, added, “Pioneering is at the heart of Bols and dates back to the creation of Bols Genever in 1664. By launching the most original of genevers, we take genever back to before the birth of cocktails giving bartenders and consumers an original taste of this exciting spirit.”

Bols 100% Malt Spirit (94 proof)
Visual: Clear.
Nose: Intensely malty with a surprising and vivacious citrus top note. Fresh, clean, bright. These are all perfect adjectives to describe this new spirit.
Taste: Medium-bodied with a smooth and easy malt grain flavor. Peppery and somewhat akin to rye spirits, but softer and with a goodly dose of high notes.
Finish: Medium long with a lot of malt character coming out on the back of the palate as the fade hits.
Overall: We enjoy genever, and this is one that we instantly fell in love with. The higher proof makes it eminently mixable in classic cocktails, while at the same time, the flavor is pushed forward if sipped neat. If you can snag a bottle, do so. Let’s hope that Bols makes this a spirit available to all!
GSN Rating: A+

For more information go to: Bols