{"id":1421,"date":"2022-01-05T09:35:09","date_gmt":"2022-01-05T08:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noletdistillery.com\/?page_id=1421"},"modified":"2025-11-11T14:25:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T13:25:49","slug":"the-nolet-family-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/noletdistillery.com\/en\/about-us\/the-nolet-family-history\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nolet family history"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Eleven generations<\/h4>\n\n

The Nolet family history: experimentation, innovation and anticipation<\/h1>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n
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Since 1691<\/h2> \n \n

Located in the heart of Schiedam, the Nolet Distillery has been owned by the Nolet family right from its establishment in 1691. The distillery is therefore one of the oldest family businesses in the Netherlands. It already goes back eleven generations!<\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n<\/section>\n\n

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The family tree<\/h4>\n \n

Eleven generations that have looked to the future and innovated.<\/h2>\n \n
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1638 – 1702<\/h4>\n

Joannes Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

In 1691, Joannes Nolet established the first Nolet jenever distillery in Schiedam. He experimented widely with herbs and spices and passed on his findings to this son. Over 330 years later, Joannes’ discoveries still form the basis of the family business’s spirits.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1682 \u2013 1743<\/h4>\n

Jacobus Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

Later, Jacobus Nolet inherited the jenever distillery from his father. To be able to serve his loyal and expanding clientele better, Jacobus considerably expanded the business. In 1735, he purchased shares in De Star, a Schiedam grain mill, to ensure the requisite supplies of freshly milled grain.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1712 \u2013 1772<\/h4>\n

Joannes Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

Under Jacobus’s son, Joannes Nolet, the Nolet Distillery continued to grow. Joannes renovated it, introduced new equipment and improved the distillery’s infrastructure to ensure a continuous supply of water for the distillation process.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1747 \u2013 1835<\/h4>\n

Joannes Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

Joannes Nolet continued the tradition of the previous generations and, in addition to distilling jenever, he also became Mayor of Schiedam. The business continued to flourish under his management, with cartloads of Nolet spirits leaving the city every day.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1773 \u2013 1811<\/h4>\n

Jacobus Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

It was Jacobus Nolet who navigated the distillery through the economic crisis, despite the privations caused by the French Revolution. Apart from being a distiller, Jacobus was also a doctor who helped the citizens of Schiedam and its surroundings.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1801 – 1861<\/h4>\n

Joannes Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

The land on which the Nolet Family Distillery stands today was bought by Joannes Nolet. Its strategic position by the water boosted exports and enormously benefited the business. Joannes also bought more shares in various Schiedam grain mills.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1836 \u2013 1906<\/h4>\n

Jacobus Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

Despite increasing industrialisation, Jacobus Nolet remained loyal to the family tradition and its crafted distillation process. Jacobus did, however, recognise the benefits of new technology and invested in steam-powered equipment which simplified the production process.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1867 \u2013 1934<\/h4>\n

Joannes Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

By that time, Nolet spirits had become well known all over the world. Joannes Nolet decided to build a distillery in Baltimore to serve his U.S. clientele. Although it was initially a success, Prohibition forced Joannes to close the plant’s doors.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1915 \u2013 2001<\/h4>\n

Paulus Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

In Paulus Nolet’s hands, the jenever distillery miraculously survived World War II. Of the forty distilleries in Schiedam, only a handful still remained after the war. The Nolet Distillery was one of them. Paulus eventually passed the family business on to his son Carel.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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1941<\/h4>\n

Carolus Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

In the early 1980s, Nolet’s current owner Carel (Carolus) Nolet expanded the family business to create a modern distillery on both sides of the Buitenhaven. He introduced new brands into the range and launched Ketel One Vodka in the United States. In 2005, Carel commissioned the construction of De Nolet, the world’s tallest tower mill.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n

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heden<\/h4>\n

Carel en Bob Nolet<\/h3>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

In 2018, Carel’s sons, Carel Jnr and Bob, introduced Ketel One Botanical, a vodka-based spirit enriched with natural ingredients. Its reduced alcohol content meets the requirements of today’s conscious consumers. The development, in 2021, of Ketel One Botanical Spritz, a ready-to-drink mix of Ketel One Botanical and soda water with just 4.5% alcohol had a similar aim. This was a major step in the development of a new category of spirits.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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Anchored in tradition, but with an eye to the future<\/h2>\n \n \n

At the head of the Nolet family is Carel Nolet (1941), the Nolet Distillery’s ‘s current owner. In the early 1980s, Carel expanded the family business to create a modern distillery with buildings on both sides of Schiedam’s Buitenhaven. In 2005, the family unveiled Molen De Nolet, an unmissable Schiedam landmark and the world’s tallest tower mill, an icon of the Dutch Distillers District.<\/p>\n

In the tradition of his forefathers, Carel Nolet Snr put the distillery on the world map. In 1977, he presented his smooth and pure KETEL 1 Original and, in 1983, he introduced the now world-famous Ketel One Vodka in the United States. Carel Nolet Snr has now shared his craftsmanship, his love of the profession and the family recipes with his sons Carel Jnr and Bob: the eleventh generation of Nolets. In 2010, Carel Nolet Sr., together with his sons, introduced NOLET\u2019S gins, followed by KETEL 1 Signature Blend, and in 2024, by a special edition called the KETEL 1 Signature Blend Rum Cask Finish.<\/p>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n\n