Hooghoudt bids farewell to distillery with historic auction
Dutch distillery Hooghoudt has put its inventory up for auction after moving operations to Belgium following its acquisition by La Martiniquaise-Bardinet last year.
In July last year, Hooghoudt announced its distillery would shut on 31 December.
The brand had been produced in its home city of Groningen for 137 years dating back to when it began in 1888, however operations have now been relocated to owner La Martiniquaise-Bardinet’s distillery in Ghent, Belgium.
Despite moving distilling operations, the Hooghoudt brand and its recipes will continue.
The brand’s portfolio includes whisky, genever, herbal bitters, non-alcoholic ‘spirits’, liqueurs and lemonades.
The auction will be used to both support the move and give enthusiasts and entrepreneurs the chance to bring home a piece of the brand’s history, with collectors items and ‘museum-worthy’ pieces up for grabs, as well as distillery equipment and business items.
Organised by online auctioneer Onlineveilingmeester.nl, the sale has been divided into four separate online actions due to the scale of inventory the distillery has at its disposal, with a high number of lots and range of assets.
The auctioneer also noted the rarity of an auction like this, which offers a full breakdown to how a distillery operates, from its production lines and technical installations to warehouse equipment, furniture, transport equipment and distinctive objects preserved over the years.
‘It captures a snapshot of regional industrial heritage that is normally hidden behind factory doors’, the auctioneer said.
The auctions are: the Hooghoudt Distillery Machinery Auction, which is focused on machinery and production technology; Hooghoudt Distillery and Hospitality Auction, which is focused on machinery and the hospitality location in Bad Nieuweschans; Hooghoudt Business Inventory Auction, which offers furniture, warehouse inventory and transport equipment; and lastly the Hooghoudt Collectors’ & Museum Objects Auction, which offers unique pieces with collectible and display value.
There will be a separate viewing for the machinery on 19 February, for those who are seriously considering purchasing the equipment and want to assess technical conditions and details.
Bidding will take place online via Onlineveilingmeester.nl from Friday 13 February at 4pm CET and will run until 2pm CET on Thursday 26 February.
The auctioneer noted that when collecting the purchased lots, buyers are responsible for collection and, if applicable, dismantling them. Each lot includes photos and a clear description. After the auctions close, winning lots can be collected during the designated collection time.
Robert Dinkela, operational project manager, Onlineveilingmeester.nl, said: “You can tell from everything that this isn’t just any auction. Hooghoudt belongs to Groningen, and these auctions contain a great deal of hidden history. It’s wonderful that enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and heritage professionals now have the chance to take home a tangible piece of it.”
‘Significant’ investment plans
The distillery will be publicly open for an official goodbye on Friday 20 February from 9am to 4pm, where anyone is welcome to walk in, look around the site and make their farewell, even if there is no intention to buy from the auction. The day is for locals and anyone interested to experience the location one last time.
La Martiniquaise-Bardinet has hoped for Hooghoudt to keep its production in the Netherlands following its acquisition of the brand in May last year.
Managing director of La Martiniquaise Benelux, Lieven Stevens, however said the business “could no longer be made profitable” from its Groningen base.
Last October, a number of the distillery’s whisky barrels also went on auction. Regarding the auction, La Martiniquaise Benelux said in a statement at the time: “As an international player, we greatly value strong local brands with an authentic story. We are therefore extremely proud to add a name such as Hooghoudt to our portfolio. The brand fits perfectly with our core business, which includes genevers, liqueurs and Beerenburg.
“The acquisition of Hooghoudt not only strengthens our range, but also our position in the Dutch market. Our ambition is to invest significantly in the brand and expand it further in the coming years.
“We are currently making all the necessary preparations to move production to Ghent. The existing stocks of old whiskies and genevers proved to be particularly extensive. In order to maintain our focus, we have therefore decided to take over only part of these stocks. Approximately one third will be stored in Ghent and two thirds will be offered for sale at this auction.”
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