Distillery visit: Belgian Owl

Front gate of the distillery

Where:

Hameau de Goreux 7, 4347 Fexhe-le-Haut-Clocher, Belgium

https://www.belgianwhisky.com/

 

How to get there:

I did the trip from Brussels by train. I had to change trains in Landen, the other train took me to Bierset-Awans station. From there, I walked to the distillery. It is about 40 min walk. There is a train station (Voroux) quite close to the distillery but there was no train service on weekends (I did this trip on Saturday).

Train schedules can be checked from Belgium Train Service website: https://www.belgiantrain.be/

Visited: 25 May 2019

Tour price: 10 €

Basic information

Founded: 2004
Region: Belgium
Style: unpeated single malt whisky
No. of stills: 1 wash still, 1 spirit still
Owner: Independent shareholders

Distillery tour

The tour should be booked in advance from the distillery’s website. There are three language options available: English, French and Dutch. The tour includes tasting.

Special thanks to Isabelle, for being the most excellent host and guide.

Scottish stills from former Caperdonich Distillery

Since I was the only attendant, I got very exquisite private tour around the distillery. We started with the tasting and then checked different part of the distillery. Unfortunately the local alcohol legistation is quite bizzarre and due to that the visitors cannot visit barrel storages.

During the tour visitors will get very good picture how they make their whisky, what kind of ingredients are used and how the process is carried out.

The distillery uses only local sustainably grown barley from the fields near the distillery:

Tasting

The basic tour includes two samples of Belgian Owl products:

• Belgian Single Malt Spirit (basically unaged raw distillate) 
• Three years old Single Malt Whisky.

For little extra Euros also other products can be tasted. The prices are reasonable so I strongly recommend that investment. There are some products that are not available anywhere else than at the distillery. 

Basic tasting samples

Belgian Single Malt Spirit is basically moonshine, very tasty one indeed. It is a raw, unmatured distillate for their products. It has very fruitu flavor and tasting this you can get a hint of those high guality ingredients that they use.

Three years old Single Malt: This unpeated, non-chill filtered whisky has been matured in first fill bourbon casks. Very balanced whisky with hints of wood. For me, it resembles Japanese whiskies perhaps because of its kind of perfect balance and unbelievable amount of skill that the master distiller has to posses to make that kind of whisky.

I took also additional tasting:

• Vintage No 2 twelve years old single cask
• Four years old single malt from Jove Collection

Vintage No 2 twelve years old Single Cask. Of course it is  cask strength: 77,2 % (154 Proof, in caveman units). Very intense experience. Despite its strength it is enjoyable.

Belgian Owl by Jove. Very balanced, hint of woodiness of the bourbon barrel.

Brief history

The first barrel was filled on October 2004. After waiting patiently required three years, the first product was presented to markets. 

The key moment was on 2013 when two beatiful Scottish stills from the former Caperdonich Distillery were acquired. With the increased production capacity, new products were represented and international markets were achieved.


No wonder Belgian Owl has won multiple whisky awards in different categories.

The owl has spread its wings and soars high.