DeKuyper Royal Distillers () is a privately held Dutch company in the business of manufacturing and marketing distilled spirits and

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

s. The company was founded in 1695 by Petrus De Kuyper as a manufacturer of barrels and casks used in the transportation of spirits and beer.

History

By 1752, the family owned a distillery in

Schiedam Schiedam () is a large town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of the city Rotterdam, east of the town Vlaardingen and south of the city Delft. In the south, Schi ...

which was then the leading center for the production of Dutch gin or genever. In the 19th century, the company expanded its export business throughout Europe, Great Britain and Canada. In 1911, a new distillery was built in Schiedam and thereafter the production of

began. The roster of flavors slowly expanded, and partnerships were formed with distillers in Canada (1932) and the United States (1934, strategically at the end of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

). By the 1960s the production of liqueurs had overtaken the production of genever as drinks tastes changed and the promotion of liqueurs for use in cocktails induced a surge in sales. After prohibition, De Kuyper sold the right to manufacture and market their brands in the United States to National Distillers. In 1996, National Distillers sold its liquor and distilling interests including rights to market DeKuyper brands in the US to Fortune Brands. American consumers know the brand as John DeKuyper & Son, which makes generally inexpensive

liqueurs This is a list of liqueurs brands. Liqueurs are alcoholic beverages that are bottled with added sugar and have added flavours that are usually derived from fruits, herbs, or nuts. Liqueurs are distinct from Eau de vie, eaux-de-vie, fruit brandy, ...

such as Triple Sec and various flavors of

Schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to ...

such as Pucker, generally for consumption in sweet cocktails or shots. In 1995, on the occasion of its 300th anniversary, the company received the title “Royal” from

Queen Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born during the reign of her maternal gr ...

of the Netherlands. This led to the company changing its name from Johannes de Kuyper & Zoon to De Kuyper Royal Distillers. In the same year, Erven Warnink - the leading producer of advocaat and cream liqueurs – was taken over by De Kuyper Royal Distillers.

References

External links

About DeKuyperGourmet Review of DeKuyper Truffles Liqueur
in th
''West Coast Midnight Run'' art book 2013 edition
{{Suntory Suntory brands Dutch brands Cream liqueurs Alcoholic drink brands Distilleries in the Netherlands Henokiens companies Companies based in South Holland Companies established in 1695 1695 establishments in the Dutch Republic Schiedam