See under Gin.
A spirit distilled from grain or sugar cane molasses; the Dutch genever is considered the forerunner. The name is derived from the French "genévrier" (juniper). A juniper schnapps called genever was first mentioned in the 17th century by the Dutch doctor Franciscus Sylvius (1614-1672).
When William III of Orange-Nassau (1650-1702) ascended the English throne in 1689, he brought jenever with him from his homeland. He made the production of juniper schnapps tax-free and at the same time imposed high taxes on the import of French alcoholic beverages. English soldiers who supported the Dutch in the Dutch-Spanish War also brought this spirit to the British Isles, where it was given the name gin. In 1690, a decree stipulated that gin could only be...
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“