De Moor (distillery)
De Moor is a family-owned distillery located in Aalst, Belgium, producing gins and liqueurs. It is one of the last warm grain distilleries in Belgium.
History
[edit]
In 1910 Frans De Moor and his wife Anna Lafon founded a distillery in Drie Sleutelstraat in Aalst. The couple occupied 3 adjoining houses in that street. One housed the distillery. The house next door was converted into a shop, where they sold the jenevers and liqueurs they produced as well as other spirits and wines. The third house was the couple’s residence.
At the beginning of World War I, in September 1914, Frans was killed as part of a reprisal by the invading German troops near Aalst’s Zwarte Hoek Bridge. The killing of Frans and other hostages was an act of bloody revenge for the stubborn resistance of the Belgian army in Aalst and along the river Dender. 'The Germans advanced along Drie Sleutelstraat from their positions at Mijlbeek and encountered heavy resistance from the Belgian Army. In anger, they forced entry into the houses and drove the residents out into the street, where they used them as a human shield. Frans and other residents were hiding in the cellar. When the Germans found them, Frans protested and was hit on the head with a rifle butt. Out in the street he was again beaten with rifle butts and then bayoneted.’ After the death of Frans the distillery was continued by his widow, his son Albert and his daughter-in-law Maria.[1][2]
In the late 1950s the distillery passed into the hands of Albert's son Gilbert and his wife Eliane. It was during this period that the basis of the current range was laid.
In 1985 Albert and Eliane’s daughter Greet and her husband Patrick Van Scandevijl – the fourth generation – took over and expanded the distillery. In 1992 the shop was moved to a new location on the Gentsesteenweg. A few years later, in 1999, the distillery was renovated. Greet and Patrick’s daughter Carolien joined the family business in 2012.[3]
Products
[edit]The distillery produces jenevers such as Diep 9 Genever and liqueurs such as Gin 20-3. It also endeavours to offer a complete range of wines, as well as hard-to-find spirits and products. It also organises tastings and provides advice and personalised service. During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, tastings were replaced by 'wine tasting at home', with a selection of wine samples delivered to customers.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Stokerij De Moor eert geëxecuteerde stichter". Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 2014-10-04. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ Bossaert, Sophie (2009). "Landbouwstokerijen en alcoholisme in Zuid-Oost-Vlaanderen". Handelingen van het Zottegems Genootschap voor Geschiedenis en Oudheid (14).
- ^ "Ons verhaal". Stokerij De Moor (in Flemish). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ Lievens, Rutger (2020-10-30). "Stokerij De Moor lanceert 'wijnproeverij in je eigen kot': "1.000 tubes met lekkere wijn"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-07-30.