The Ketel One story begins with 10th generation Carolus Nolet. In 1979, Carolus Nolet took control of the family business. Keen to expand the distillery's portfolio, Nolet traveled to the United States, where he discovered an emerging cocktail colture. Nolet was convinced that a high-quality Vodka would succeed in the burgeoning market and returned to the Netherlands to create his own high-end spirit. Ketel One Family-Made Vodka was released in 1983.

Thanks purely to word of mouth and our relationship with the bartending community, annual sales of Ketel One Family-Made Vodka reach the one million case mark in 2002. An amazing milestone, especially considering we had never advertised. At least not until 2003.

Our Vodka Undergoes an Unconventional Distillation

Distillers traditionally favor column distillation for Vodka production, and pot stills for darker, richer spirits like Single Malt Scotch or Navy Rum. The Nolet distillery utilizes both column and pot stills for Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, a combination that Carolus Nolet Sr. believes produces a smoother flavor profile.
(Pots are also favored in the production of Gin. so it's likely Nolet gained inspiration for the process from his family's experience distilling Jenever.)

To achieve a truly fresh taste for our variants, we use only the best citrus fruits, bursting with natural essence. This is why Ketel One Citroen and Ketel One Oranje aren't flavored Vodkas, they are Vodkas infused with the natural oils from juicy lemons and limes.

Savor the crisp and lively taste with hints of citrus and honey.

Discover Ketel One Family-Made Vodka infused with the refreshingly sweet zing of lemons and limes from around the world.

Floral, fragrant and flagrantly fresh. Discover what happens when Valencia and Mandarin oranges meet Ketel One Family-Made Vodka.

Introducing new Ketel One Botanical, Vodka distilled with real botanicals and infused with natural fruit essences. Like you, we care about what's in the bottle, so we use real ingredients - with no sugar, no artificial sweetners and no artificial flavors. We invite you to pick your Botanical and add soda for a deliciously fresh taste experience with only 73 calories and 0 carbs per serving.

Ketel One Botanical Distillation Process

Ketel One Botanical starts with Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, which is then distilled with the Nolet family's botanical recipe in small batches through traditional copper pot stills. After distillation, to deliver a fresh taste with each varietal, the liquid is infused with the natural essence of fresh, crisp and fragrant botanicals found in each varietal. This innovative process delivers a lower ABV spirit (30% ABV) with a fresh sophisticated taste that has 40% fewer calories than a glass of white wine.

For those who appreciate crisp cucumbers and light tones of fresh garden mint.

Ketel One Botanical Peach and Orange Blossom

Appeals to those who enjoy lush, juicy white peaches and bold notes of fragrant orange blossoms.

Perfect for those who seek zesty mouthwatering grapefruit and the elegance of refined rose petals.

The family originally distilled jenever.

When Joannes Nolet founded the distillery, production was focused on jenever, a highly aromatic Dutch Gin. The family didn't start making its much more recognized Vodka until the early 1980s.

Ketel One Vodka is named after the distillerys original copper pot still.

Dutch distillers refer to pot stills as ketels. When Carolus Nolet perfected his Vodka recipe, he named it after the distillery's oldest, coal-fied copper pot. Distilleerketel #1. A portion of the wheat spirit that makes up ketel One is re-distilled in this pot, which is also featured on the bottles' labels.

Each bottle is personally approved by the Nolet family.

Each run of Ketel One Vodka must be personally tasted and approved by a member of the Nolet family before bottling begins.

The Nolet family is really fond of windmills.

During the 18th century, Schiedam was home to nearly 400 working distilleries, so the enterprising, fifth-generation distiller Jacobus Nolet built a large windmill to process the town's grain. The huge construction was named the Whale. In 2005, the Nolet family constructed another windmill, this time at its distillery site. De Nolet (also known as Noletmolen) was designed to look exactly like a traditional Dutch windmill, but it wasn't just erected for aesthetic purposes. De Nolet houses a wind turbine and supplies roughly 20 percent of the distillery's electricity.

Enjoy the clean, crisp taste of cucumbers and garden mint in this exceptional cocktail that has 40% fewer calories than a glass of wine.

1.5 oz. Ketel One Botanical Cucumber & Mint
3 oz. soda water

METHOD:

Serve in a wine glass.
Garnish with your choice of fragrant herbs, crisp citrus or other fresh fruit.