Hasselt Jenever: History, How to Drink It and the Jenever Festival

Hasselt and jenever go back centuries. The city is known as Belgium's jenever capital, has its own National Jenever Museum and celebrates the Hasselt Jenever Festival every October. At Lekker Limburgs, on the Kuringersteenweg since 1987, jenever runs in our blood. Here's everything you need to know about Hasselt jenever: where it comes from, how to drink it and where to find the real thing.

A rich history

Jenever has been distilled in Hasselt since the 16th century. In the 18th century, distilling grew into one of the city's most important industries, alongside brewing. At its peak in the 19th century, Hasselt counted no fewer than 163 distilleries.

That golden age lives on in the National Jenever Museum, housed in a restored 19th-century distillery where jenever is still made the traditional way. A visit to the museum combines easily with a walk through the historic centre, or with a stop at our shop, a ten-minute walk from the station.

What makes Hasselt jenever special?

Jenever is a grain spirit, distilled from barley, rye, wheat or maize and flavoured with juniper berries. The heart of a good jenever is its malt wine: the more malt wine, the fuller and richer the taste. Hasseltse jenever is also a protected geographical indication, meaning only jenever from the region may carry the name.

Young or old jenever?

The difference between young and old has nothing to do with how long the jenever has aged. It's all about the recipe:

Young jenever (jonge jenever) contains little malt wine. It's fresh, neutral and smooth. A good introduction is our Hasseltse Jonge Jenever.
Old jenever (oude jenever) contains more malt wine and has a fuller, grainier taste.
Aged jenever (belegen jenever) has also matured for a while in oak casks, giving it soft notes of wood and vanilla. Taste the difference in our Roland W Belegen Graanjenever.
Fruit and flavoured jenevers are the cheerful side of the family: from blueberry jenever and lemon jenever to the wintry speculaas jenever.

How do you drink jenever?

There's no wrong answer, but these are the connoisseur's habits:

Young jenever is often drunk ice-cold in Belgium, straight from the freezer. That brings out its freshness best.
Old and aged jenever is served at room or cellar temperature. Too cold, and you lose the rich aromas.
Fruit jenevers are served well chilled, as an aperitif or as a digestif after a hearty meal.
The glass: a small tulip glass that holds the aromas together. Traditionally it's filled to the brim, and you take the first sip by leaning forward, without lifting the glass.

Want to try jenever differently? A crisp young jenever works well in a cocktail, and a splash of blueberry jenever in sparkling water makes a surprisingly summery drink.

The Hasselt Jenever Festival: 17 and 18 October 2026

Every year on the third weekend of October, all of Hasselt celebrates jenever. In 2026, the Hasselt Jenever Festival (Hasseltse Jeneverfeesten) takes place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October. It's one of the biggest city festivals in the country, with:

jenever tastings in all kinds of flavours on squares throughout the city centre;
music, dance, street theatre and a waiters' race;
a city fountain that flows with jenever instead of water;
the Jenever Museum in full distilling action.

You'll find the full programme on the Jenever Festival website (in Dutch). Want to take a bottle home afterwards, or give someone a taste of Hasselt? Our shop at Kuringersteenweg 161 is just a stone's throw from the centre.

A century of jenever: the legacy of the Wissels distillery

Our own story starts with jenever. As a boy, founder Peter Nulens practically lived at the Wissels jenever distillery, founded in Hasselt in 1920. For three generations, the Wissels family perfected the distiller's craft there, until the distillery closed its doors in 2016.

In 2023 we brought that tradition back with Roland W Hasseltse Jenever, a tribute to master distiller Roland Wissels, made to the family recipe. Read more about that bond in our story.

Buy Hasselt jenever at Lekker Limburgs

In our shop and webshop you'll find a carefully chosen selection of Hasselt and Limburg jenevers, from distilleries such as Stookkot to our own Roland W collection. Our recommendations:

Hasseltse Jonge Jenever 50cl: the perfect introduction
Roland W Hasseltse Jenever 70cl: our tribute to the Wissels distillery
Roland W Belegen Graanjenever 50cl: for the connoisseur
Hasseltse Bosbessenjenever 50cl: fruity and refreshing
Citroenjenever 50cl: light and summery

Browse our full range of jenever and spirits. Looking for a gift? A bottle of jenever is a classic in our gift packages, and for businesses we're happy to provide jenever with a personalised label.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Hasselt Jenever Festival in 2026?

The Hasselt Jenever Festival takes place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026, in the centre of Hasselt. It's held every year on the third weekend of October.

What is the difference between young and old jenever?

The difference is in the recipe, not the age. Old jenever contains more malt wine and tastes fuller and grainier. Young jenever contains little malt wine and is fresher and more neutral. Aged (belegen) jenever has also matured in oak casks.

Do you drink jenever cold or at room temperature?

Young jenever and fruit jenevers are best served well chilled or ice-cold. Old and aged jenever is served at room or cellar temperature, so the aromas can come through.

Where can you buy real Hasselt jenever?

At Lekker Limburgs, Kuringersteenweg 161 in Hasselt, or online in our webshop. We carry young, old, aged and fruit jenevers from Hasselt and Limburg distilleries, including our own Roland W jenever.

Cheers, or as they say in Hasselt: santé!