New Holland Artisan Spirits

In the 1650s, a Dutch doctor named Franciscus Sylvius was searching for a remedy to the kidney and stomach ailments that he often encountered in his practice of internal medicine. At the time, Dr. Sylvius was a Professor of Medicine in Leyden, and he attempted to infuse juniper berries into a spirit distilled from grain in order to create a panacea. The resulting elixir eventually became known as gin, and was so popular that within a few decades, the Dutch were exporting 10 million gallons annually.Knickerbocker Gin, which is crafted at New Holland Brewery and Artisanal Spirits, celebrates the rich Dutch tradition of exploration and distillation (Knickerbocker was a common surname of the early settlers who colonized New Netherland). Situated on the banks of Lake Macatawa in Holland, Michigan, New Holland is best known for brewing craft beers such as Dragons Milk Ale and White Hatter Pale Ale. In 2005, however, Brett VanderKamp, the brewerys co-founder, added a still and began distilling spirits.Knickerbocker Gin is a bold, vibrant gin that is twice distilled with a dozen unique herbs and botanicals, including juniper berries, coriander, angelica root, orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon, ginger root, orris root, cardamom, fennel, clove and nutmeg. Following the second distillation, the gin is filtered three times through particulate filters, which remove any remaining impurities and sediment, and then bottled by hand at 85 proof. The gin has an aroma of orange and citrus zest, followed by notes of anise and ginger, which are complemented by a subtle juniper undertone. Medium bodied, it has a clean and mildly spicy finish. Knickerbocker Gin earned a score of 91 points from the Beverage Testing Institute in 2013.Celebrate the history of gin and pick up a bottle of Knickerbocker today!

"The craft beer movement has sparked a real curiosity in average beer drinkers, who say to themselves that they dont need to drink the same product anymore," says Brett VanderKamp, the cofounder of New Holland Brewery and Artisanal Spirits. "We want to do the same thing with whiskey drinkers."Situated on the banks of Lake Macatawa in Holland, Michigan, New Holland Brewery and Artisanal Spirits is best known for brewing craft beers such as Dragons Milk Ale and White Hatter Pale Ale. In 2005, however, VanderKamp added a still to his brewery and began distilling spirits.New Holland Zeppelin Bend Straight Malt Whiskey is the culmination of New Hollands brewing roots intertwined with its passion for craft spirits. The whiskey is made from 100 percent barley, a portion of which is heavily roasted. "This type of heavily-roasted barley is the same stuff we use in our porters and stouts and lends flavors of dark chocolate, coffee and cocoa to the whiskey," says VanderKamp. After the grains are sourced from the American Midwest, they are mashed and fermented by New Hollands brewers using a brewers yeast at low temperatures. "Our fermentation process, which lasts up to 10 days, is slow and methodical," says VanderKamp. "Were not looking to rush the process."After fermentation is complete, the wash is twice distilled through New Hollands 800-gallon, antique copper-pot still (the still was originally made during World War II). Then, the whiskey is aged in new, American oak casks that have been heavily charred. These casks lend strong notes of cinnamon and oaky spice to the whiskey, and complement its notes of vanilla, toffee and sweet malt.Following a three-year beautyrest, the whiskey is sampled by VanderKamp and his team in order to determine if it is ripe for bottling. Once the whiskeys flavors reach their peak of maturity the team looks for bold, robust notes of malt, butterscotch and dark chocolate that lead to a smooth yet lingering finish each batch is bottled by hand."We learned a lot of lessons while starting up the brewery. Its exciting to be able to use some of those lessons in expanding our artisan spirits," says VanderKamp. "We will always look for balance in our products, but in craft its also about offering a new and original angle on an old standard." Try an original whiskey today!