Reno Gazette-Journal Wed., Dec. 8, 1999 Spirits fromHolland Dutch native imports gin and vodka to his new home: Reno   By Paul Franson Special to the Reno Gazette-Journal

Dave van de Velde owns Luctor  International, which imports Van Gogh gin and Vincent vodka made in Holland to his specifications.

Reno’s Dave van de Velde is sick of all those euphemisms Americans attribute to his homeland: Dutch courage, Dutch uncle, Dutch treat. He knows how much his countrymen have contributed to many fields, including art, beverages and design — and he’s crusading to set the record stralght.

One way he’s doing that has become good business for him. His company, Luctor International in Reno, imports Dutch gins and vodkas, and two in particular are specifically made in his native Holland to his specifications. His first creation, Van Gogh gin, combines a high-quality beverage with an elegant design. It’s named after one of the world’s most famous painters, Dutch Vincent van Gogh.

The gin received the only award of excellence from Spirit Journal and is selling well.

Now van de Velde is hoping to duplicate that success with vodka. Van de Velde began distributing Vincent vodka, also made in Holland to his specifications, to parts of the United States, including Nevada and California, in November. He’ll start a national marketing push for the vodka in January.

Route to Reno

A native of Zierikzee, Holland, van de Velde went to the Dutch maritime academy, then became an officer piloting passenger ships through the Panama Canal. There he met his future wife, American Done Kilian, and moved to the United States. While on vacation in Holland in 1983, van de Velde enjoyed his favorite vodka, Ketel One, which wasn’t available in America. So he negotiated rights to import the vodka, despite having no experience in consumer marketing or spirits.

Under his reign as president of the company importing Ketel One, the vodka became highly popular, especially among younger drinkers. The Dutch owners bought out his rights to distribute the popular brand in 1992, although he stayed on as president until 1996.

But his endeavors into the import business weren’t over. Gin was invented in Holland in 1650, and van de Velde wanted to introduce a premium gin in that tradition.

Based on his experience with Ketel One, van de Velde formed Luctor International in Reno. He then lined up a distiller in Holland, Cees Dirkswager distillery, to make beverages for the American market to his personal specifications.

That’s how the 94-proof Van Gogh gin and the new Vincent Van Gogh vodka were born. And van de Velde’s efforts are succeeding. Luctor They’re ava

International expected to sell 8,000cases of Van Gogh gin the first year it the area.

was available. But after six months, sales hit 13,000 and the company ran out. With new shipments arriving, van de Velde expects sales of the gin to be 20,000 the first year.

Van de Velde is planning to introduce citrus-flavored Citroën vodka in the spring.

Recipe for success

There are likely several reasons for van de Velde’s success. The way the spirits are made is a main factor; he starts with a premium gin hand-crafted much differently from the mass producers of gin.

And the name can’t hurt. The introduction of Van Gogh gin exploited the Van Gogh tour to the United States.

"There are thousands of spirits for sale in America. You have to have a good story to tell if you want people to buy yours," he says.

About the bottles

Dave van de Velde created an eye-catching bottle for his Van Gogh gin, and it requires five countries to produce. The square-shouldered clear and etched bottle features a window that gives an accurate magnified view of a Dutch canal as the bottle is rotated.

The bottle is made in Germany, one of the few European countries where van de Velde can get it made of virgin glass for crystal clarity because other countries require recycled content, which reduces the brilliance of the bottle.

Then the bottle is etched in France; other countries prohibit the etching process. Solid gold bands and the silk screening are applied in Belgium, and the bottle is filled in Holland. The cork comes from Portugal, and it has to be perfect. Unlike wine, clear spirits can’t contain even specks of cork dust.

The vodka bottle is similar to the gin version but exhibits five Van Gogh paintings in its window as it’s rotated. It was created by Reno artist William Letcher.

LIQUOR: Dave van de Velde holds a bottle of Leyden Dry Gin. He imports the product from Leyden, Holland, the birthplace of gin in 1650.

How spirits are made

The hand-crafted production process of Dave van de Velde’s Van Gogh gin is much different from that of big producers. It begins with fermented grain wort distilled twice in a column still to 194 proof (97 percent alcohol. Then 10 ‘oils’ (distilled infusions of herbs and botanicals) are added to the mixture, which is distilled for a third time in an old-fashioned pot still. The first 100 gallons (heads) and last 100 gallons (tails) of the 900-gallon capacity are discarded, and only the heart is retained. This is diluted with pure water to 94 proof.

Van Gogh gin contains 10 herbs and botanicals: coriander from North Africa and West Asia, almonds from Java, licorice from the Mediterranean, cassia bark from tropical Africa and China, cubeb berries from Sri Lanka, Angelica from Europe and Asia, lemon from Spain, juniper berries from Italy, orris from Eastern Europe and grains of paradise from South Africa. The alcohol is made from wheat and other grains, which van de Velde says make smoother vodka than potatoes, rutabagas, sugar cane or sugar beets.

The Vincent vodka is made like the gin, but without the added ‘oils’ or flavorings. It’s also carefully filtered and diluted with purified water to 80 percent. Though basically tasteless, it does contain flavoring agents (under 0.2 percent by law) that contribute body, smoothness and character. They aren’t the citrus and sugar commonly employed, but they’re an old family secret.

Drinking gin and vodka

Dave van de Velde offers a few suggestions about enjoying his gin and vodka. The best way to enjoy both is neat and cold. He recommends serving the spirits at 28 degrees — not frozen, which numbs the taste.

‘When you add it to a glass, it will rise to a perfect 36 (degrees),’ he said.

Though martinis are hot once again, he discourages mixing vermouth with the gin.

"The vermouth was used to smooth out the alcohol. This gin is so smooth that it doesn’t need that and the flavorings in the vermouth overlap with those in the gin," he said.

And don’tadd ice cubes containing chlorine. Freeze purified water. Instead.

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