Ketel One
Encyclopedia
Still
A still is a permanent apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor...
One) is a liquor
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
brand of the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam
Schiedam
Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Ketel One Vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
is distilled from 100% wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
in copper pot still
Pot still
A pot still is a type of still used in distilling spirits such as whisky or brandy. Heat is applied directly to the pot containing the wash or wine . This is called a batch distillation ....
s, filtered over loose charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, and rests in tile lined tanks until ready. Ketel One Vodka is named after the original copper pot still, “Distilleerketel #1” and is handcrafted in small batches. The alcohol content of this spirit
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
is 40% (80 proof). The Nolet Distillery also makes Ketel One Citroen, Ketel One Oranje and Ketel 1 Jenever
Jenever
Jenever , is the juniper-flavored and strongly alcoholic traditional liquor of the Netherlands and Belgium, from which gin evolved...
.
Timeline
Pronounced KAYE-tul.Over 300 years of family distilling experience:
1691 Joannes Nolet opens a distillery in Schiedam
Schiedam
Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
, located close to the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and large grain auctions, which later became the capital for the spirits industry.
1793 Jacobus Nolet (5th generation) acquires glass and cork factories and a printing company, and then builds the windmill, known as 'The Whale.'
1867 The Nolet family acquires an interest in shipping and begins exporting spirits to the USA.
1902 The Nolet family opens a distillery in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, USA but later withdraws from the American market in the Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
era.
1979 Carolus Nolet Sr. (10th generation) assumes the role of Chairman.
1983 With family recipes and techniques perfected by his ancestors, Nolet Sr. develops the Ketel One and launches it in the USA.
1991 Nolet Spirits USA was founded.
1992 Carl Nolet Jr. (11th generation) moves to the United States to further sales of Ketel One vodka.
2000 The Nolet Distillery develops the first ultra-premium, naturally-flavored vodka, Ketel One Citroen, which is launched in the USA.
2002 Ketel One reaches the 1,000,000 case mark.
2003 First national advertising campaign in the USA.
2008 The Nolet Group and Diageo
Diageo
Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
come together in a 50/50 joint venture to form Ketel One Worldwide B.V.
2011 Ketel One Worldwide has grown the brand to 2.000.000 cases. Ketel One is now sold in over 50 countries