The Molenberg Distillery
Stokerij De Molenberg

This whiskey distillery is small but going strong. In this renovated 17th century location, you’ll see how they turn Het Anker’s Golden Carolus beer into that caramel brown good stuff

De Molenberg is originally a family distillery. Back in the 1600s, it was owned by a miller family called Van Breedam. Back then they distilled grain. It’s still owned by the same family, but these days they distill Golden Carolus beer into whiskey.

The Golden Carolus beer (named after Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor raised in Mechelen) is the iconic Het Anker Brewery beer. The Van Breedam family own that too. Their whiskey production is the newer part of the business. In other words, De Molenberg is Het Anker’s whiskey sister.

They make the Gouden Carolus Single Malt. It’s a Belgian single malt whisky distilled with subtle fruit aromas & vanilla. How do they make the whiskey? They take the mash of the Golden Carolus Whiskey Tripel and age it in bourbon casks, then their own special Anker casks.

Take a tour of the distillery to get the details on the distillery’s long history and how they make the good stuff. There's some props & recreations as you walk through. The tour is informative but the main highlight is the distilling room

• Whiskey fans should also pay a visit to the Het Anker brewery as this is where the whiskey barrels are actually stored
• Molenberg have hand hammered copper pot stills from Scotland to really follow the traditions of whiskey making
• Het Anker Brewery is a short car drive away in Mechelen, but you can also take a shuttle bus. Try out even more unique drinks at Westmalle Brewery