Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery in Amsterdam in 1864. A decade later the brewery was renamed Heineken. Today that same location is home to the Heineken Experience museum. Since its founding, Heineken has grown to become one of the most famous beer brands around the world.

The Heineken corporation is the industry’s second largest brewer with a 13.6% global market share. It owns a number of beer brands and breweries around the world. One of the biggest brands in its portfolio is also Dutch and was also founded in Amsterdam… Amstel.

But it doesn’t end there. Other beer brands from Holland have successfully grown an international following. Grolsch is the oldest Dutch beer brand, established in 1615. Bavaria was founded in 1915 while Hertog Jan came on the market in 1981.

The Dutch have a long history producing alcoholic beverages. Holland became a major player in the international spirits trade with the introduction of jenever, a strong liquor derived from distilling jenever berries.

Bols was founded in Amsterdam in 1575, making it the oldest distilling company in the world. The brand is known globally for its liqueurs (such as Triple Sec), but it also produces vodka and jenever under the Bols label.

The city of Schiedam (next to Rotterdam) became an epicenter of jenever production during the Dutch Golden Age.

Nolet distillery (established 1691) in Schiedam produces the internationally renown premium vodka brand Ketel One. It is the 15th largest vodka brand in the world with annual sales of 3.2 million cases (2022). Nolet also produces jenever under the label Ketel 1.

De Kuyper is another distiller with a long history. Already by the 1800’s, it was exporting products throughout Europe as well as the United States and Canada. In 1995, on its 300th birthday, it was bestowed the “Royal” title by Queen Beatrix.

By 2020, De Kuyper had become the number one cocktail liqueur brand in the world, selling over 40 million bottles. In addition to its marquee nameplate, it also owns the labels Peachtree, Dutch Cacao, ChocoVine and Rutte.

In addition to De Kuyper and Bols, Dutch liqueur brands include Boswandeling, Boomsma, Coebergh, Koremans, Warninks and Zuidam.