The Van Kleef distillery is a historic jenever and liqueur house in the centre of The Hague, on the Lange Beestenmarkt, and its owner describes it as the last remaining distillery in the city. It is a small museum, a tasting room and a shop in one. Please read the status note below before you plan a visit, because a recent report says it is under financial pressure.
A DutchNews article from September 2026 reports that the distillery is struggling with rising energy and glass costs, a daily parking fee and rent increases, and that the owner says it could close or move its production to a non-public site outside the city. It was still open at the time of that report, but things may have changed. Check the distillery’s own website or social pages before you go.
A short history of the Van Kleef distillery
The site opened in 1776 as Distilleerderij Anker, and the Van Kleef family took it over in 1842. Over the following years, the business produced jenever, the juniper-flavoured spirit that preceded gin, along with fruit liqueurs. The owner believes that Vincent van Gogh visited, and may even have been a regular, while he lived nearby in the 1870s. Treat that as a family tradition, not a documented fact.
A 1986 safety inspection ruled distilling in the city-centre building unsafe, so production moved off-site, and the building was leased back from the heritage property owner Stadsherstel Den Haag. It reopened as a multipurpose venue in 1995. Recipes are said to date back to the 17th century. The story since then has been an uphill one of road works, rising costs and personal loss for the owner, all described in the DutchNews piece.
What you can do there
As described in the reporting and listings I could check, visitors can see the small museum with old tools and distilling equipment, then sit in the tasting room to try jenever and liqueurs with a snack. A cellar can be rented for private gatherings. I could not verify a regular guided-tour schedule, entry prices or opening times, so I will not give any. Contact the distillery before you travel and ask what is on that day.
- Jenever: traditional Dutch spirit, available in younger (jonge) and older (oude) styles. Despite the names, the terms refer to the production method, not the age of the drink.
- Liqueurs: fruit and herbal liqueurs are a long-standing part of the range.
- The setting: the old wooden bar and shelves add to the atmosphere.
Making a morning or afternoon of it
The Lange Beestenmarkt is a short walk from the Binnenhof, the Mauritshuis museum, and the shops on the Grote Marktstraat. A sensible plan is the Mauritshuis or a stroll through the old centre first, then a late-afternoon tasting. The Hague’s centre is compact and well served by trams, which you can check on the HTM site, so you do not need a car.
Parking and access
The owner has complained about parking charges, which suggests the street is not an easy place to park. Arrive by tram, bus or on foot if you can.
Should you go?
If you like spirits history, old Dutch interiors or a quiet drink off the tourist track, the Van Kleef distillery is a good fit, as long as it is still trading. Its future is uncertain, and that makes a visit a little more meaningful. Call ahead, confirm the opening times, and drink responsibly. Note that I could not verify any current prices or hours, and an owner-run business like this can change plans at short notice.
Why the Van Kleef distillery still matters
Jenever is the Dutch national spirit and the ancestor of gin, and a whole culture of tasting houses grew up around it, from the kuyper makers of Schiedam to the small shops of Amsterdam. In The Hague, the Van Kleef distillery is the last link to that world. Its wooden bar, bottles and old equipment give a feel for how people drank and shopped before supermarkets and craft cocktail bars. If you want to compare, other Dutch spots such as the Nationaal Jenevermuseum in Schiedam are worth checking out, though check their opening details too.
A visit is also a small act of support. The owner has been running a crowdfunding campaign since 2025 according to the DutchNews report, which tells you how tight things are. If you cannot go, you can follow the distillery’s channels for news. Either way, enjoy responsibly and plan your trip around current information rather than old reviews.
Whether you go for the history, the jenever or the atmosphere, the Van Kleef distillery is a rare survivor in a Dutch city, and worth supporting while it lasts.
For background, the Jenever article on Wikipedia is a useful starting point.
Related reading: Best Hotels in The Hague: Where to Stay by Area and Budget · 53+53: What This Search Could Mean for Travellers
