Frisian Red Berry Gin

Berry Gin is a kind of fruit gin. They are all made in the same way. It is a traditional drink made by soaking blackcurrants in gin (a.k.a. geneva). Sometimes raspberries are added, as well as sugar. Berry Gin has a wine-like red colour and should have a minimum of 20% alcohol content.

Plantinga Friesch Rood Bessen Jenever (Plantinga Frisian Red Berry Gin) is known for being particularly smooth, and is said to be the second most popular Red Berry Gin in the Netherlands, after Coebergh. The older labels mention blackcurrants (Dutch "zwarte bessen"), elderberries (Dutch "vlierbessen") and raspberries (Dutch "frambozen"). The new label just mentions blackcurrants. The picture on the front labels clearly displays redcurrants (Dutch "rode bessen"), which were never part of the recipe. Somewhere in the 1990s or 2000s the recipe changed to no longer include either raspberries or elderberries.

In 2009, Berry Gin had a market share of 1,6% and was at the twelfth spot ranked by popularity. In 2011 it had gone to the fourteenth spot with a share of 1,4%. Annually,  8662 hectolitres are produced (source: spirits.nl).

Due to insufficient sales, the last production run took place in 2019. It may be assumed that the last bottles were sold around 2021.