Zuidam

Zuidam Distillers is a family business in Baarle-Nassau, in the south of the Netherlands near the Belgian border. It was founded by Fred van Zuidam and is now run by the next generation of the family. Alongside whisky it makes genever, gin and liqueurs.

Genever is the house tradition, and the catalogue shows bottlings such as Korenwijn and Oude Genever aged one or three years. Whisky came later and is sold mainly under the Millstone name, a nod to the Dutch windmills that grind grain.

The distillery works with copper pot stills and makes both malt whisky and rye, including the well-known 100% rye bottled as Zuidam or Millstone 92 Rye. Cask choice plays a large role: sherry casks such as Oloroso and PX are a signature, and the Zuidam Special releases explore wine casks like Moscatel and Rivesaltes, sometimes with peated spirit.

Most bottles a buyer meets are official Millstone releases, from the 4 Year Old to the Oloroso Sherry 12 Year and Peated PX. Independent bottlers also take casks now and then, including Blackadder in its Raw Cask series and That Boutique-y Whisky Company.