Distilling in Dordrecht

Schapenkopje Beer

Naturally, the Dordrecht beer is named after the nickname of every local. Schapenkopje Beer comes from the Stadsbrouwerij Dordrecht, a teaching brewery where vocational students and volunteers brew the beer by hand. So every bottle is also a bit of education.

The range

• Schapenkopje Blond
• Schapenkopje Amber (amber ale, 7%)
• Dordtse Dubbel (7%)
• Schapenkopje Smook (smoked beer, 5.5%)
• Schapenkopje Triepel (tripel, 8.5%)
• Schapenkopje Dubbelbock (8.5%)
• Schapenscheerder

The range changes from time to time. Check with the brewery itself for current beers and where to buy them.

Rutte Distillery

In 1872 Simon Rutte bought a café on the Vriesestraat and started a distillery behind it. The Rutte family became a household name in the Dutch world of jenever and gin. The distillery stayed in the family until 1992, and since 2003 Myriam Hendrickx has been the master distiller.

• Rutte makes jenevers, gins and liqueurs, such as the Dutch Dry Gin with celery leaf among its botanicals.
• Distilling still takes place in a copper still called Vulkaan 1.
• The original shop at Vriesestraat 130 sells the entire range, including special distillates.
• On the first floor is the Tasting Room, for tastings, tours and workshops.

Tip: walk there with the city escape tour Op weg naar Rutte (On the way to Rutte, 18+). With 15 questions and a final task, you walk from Het Dolhuis through old Dordrecht to Rutte’s front door. Booked a workshop at Rutte? Then you play the tour for free. The tour is also in English.

Opening hours and tours change from time to time. For current information, see rutte.com.

P. Rijneveen Branderij & Distilleerderij

In the heart of the centre, on the Groenmarkt, stands a building from 1550 behind a 19th-century facade. Jenever, eaux-de-vie, liqueurs and absinthe are distilled here. According to the distillery itself, it is the only distillery in the Netherlands that distils absinthe.

• A tour with tasting of about two hours, for groups of up to eight people
• Absinthe tasting during l’heure verte (17:00-19:00) in a 1930s-style room
• A six-session course in making liqueur
• The address: Groenmarkt 4

Tastings are by appointment only, so book in advance. For up-to-date information, visit branderij-distilleerderij.nl (in Dutch).