"My father told me there were two ways my name would wind up on this," says Carl Nolet Jr. holding up a bottle of his family's Ketel One Vodka at a private group dinner in New York City. "Either my signature on the label, or by my own finger on the dust if it didn't sell." It's a story he's enjoyed telling for some time — and his combination of family pride, hard work ethic and consummate salesmanship keeps the dialogue feeling fresh — but on this night it has a special meaning. To kick off a year of celebrations for the Nolet's Distillery 325th anniversary, they are releasing a limited edition of Ketel One, and both his name and his brother Bob Nolet's have made it onto the bottle.
11 Generations ago, in 1691, Joanness Nolet opened his distillery in Schiedam, Holland. One wonders what he might be more proud of today: that his descendants have created one of the world’s most respected vodka brands or that the family bond is so strong 325 years later. Most of the time we gloss over names and signatures on labels when reaching to buy something at the store — and there are brands that manufacture a history for marketing. For the Nolet family, however, there is a lot of meaning behind what a customer sees on the bottle. “I’ve been working here 26 years and earning the stripes every single day,” says Carl Jr. “When you finally get the nod from your dad it’s a fantastic feeling.” Bob Nolet is equally proud. “When you see the list of ten generations that stretches so far back, to be part of that is amazing.”
And while the distilling does go back all those generations, Ketel One Vodka goes straight back to their father. Carolus Nolet, Sr. (the 10th generation) took over the family business in 1979, which up to then had mostly produced the traditional Dutch spirit jenever. Carolus spent a lot of time in America and decided to focus on creating a quality vodka specifically for that market. He returned to Schiedam, went through his great-great grandfather’s notes — a nice benefit to have that kind of family research available — and came up with Ketel One, which combined spirit from the modern process of column distillation with that from the old copper pot stills. He named the vodka for the oldest of the stills, Distilleerketel #1.
While Carolus Sr. had the vision for the success, he also knew the time it would take away from his family and agreed with his wife Corry that she would take the majority responsibility for raising their two sons — any Ketel One fan should feel grateful to her as well. It may explain why both Carl Jr. and Bob have such fond memories of the distillery growing up. It’s not just their history, it’s where they got to see their father. “I love the pot still, that’s where we played on the weekends,” says Bob. “I remember the heat from the fire burning.” Carl Jr. has similar feelings. “I love to shovel the coal for the fire. It’s so unique, so different than any company in our industry. You walk where your ancestors were doing the same thing.”
Today the brothers live in separate countries, though vacation time is always spent together along with their children (the upcoming 12th generation, it is hoped). Bob remains with his father at the distillery in Schiedam, and Carl Jr. lives in California where he oversees the American market for Ketel One, which represents over 90% of the companies sales. When Carl Jr. moved to the United States he gained a strong reputation for creating alliances with bartenders and retail stores, wanting to educate them about their product and family history — he did not want his name in the dust. “I had stories passed down from my grandfather. There was no marketing or television then. You had to wear your shoes out going from bar to bar. I like to go see people, explain out product and do the taste test. I know when I see that smile, people realize there is a taste difference in our vodka.”
Back in Schiedam, the Nolet distillery, like Ketel One, combines the old and the new. On one side of the river is the historical building and windmill — which contains a visitor center and a movie theater. And then right across the water is the modern automated warehouse, where generations 1 thru 9 would be astounded at the mind-boggling amount of boxes that are stored there before being shipped out. They are connected by multi-million dollar tunnel under the water, which allows the distillery to keep it’s historical presence, but also respect and protect the town from the trucking needed to keep up with demand for the product. “We feel a responsibility to this city. Our ancestors have built hospitals and contributed to charities here for over 300 years,” says Bob.
The 325th anniversary Ketel One bottle, now available, is a limited edition one-liter bottle covered in a copper matte (representing the pot still) and decorated with ironwork design on the front and back (representing the ironwork above the main entrance to the distillery). There are coins representing the first ten generations and, of course, the new signatures of Carl Jr. and Bob. Whether those signatures will soon be on the regular bottles — no one is saying. Carolus Sr. is still running the company, but obviously sees his sons as the future for Ketel One. In the meantime, the Nolets have invited the world to come visit the distillery in Schiedam and plans a year of events to celebrate — they’ve also put together a video to showcase the company history.
Looking to the future, the brothers see the United Kingdom and Canada markets as getting bigger for them, but are especially excited about Brazil and Australia. “The bartender community in Australia loves Ketel One and they are making quality cocktails there,” says Carl Jr. He takes the same approach in these markets that he first did in America. “Don’t overlook the people dusting the bottle. They are the number one sales person in that store. You take five seconds to thank them and tell your story and they are going to point to your bottle when someone asks them for a great vodka. And 15 years later, they are the ones managing the store or owning it.”
