Belgium Whisky

In 2004, Etienne Bouillon founded The Owl Distillery in the Hesbaye region, creating Belgium's first fully-fledged whisky distillery - with a remarkable feature: the distillery distils on two copper pot stills dating from 1898, once belonging to the closed Caperdonich Distillery in Rothes, Scotland, specially transported to Belgium. In parallel, Charles Leclef, owner of the traditional Het Anker brewery, began developing the single malt Gouden Carolus from his own Gouden Carolus Tripel beer starting in 2008, matured first in bourbon casks and then in casks specially made by a Portuguese cooper. Important to note: in April 2026, The Owl Distillery, along with more than 3,500 maturing casks, had to file for insolvency and is currently being auctioned off - a setback for Belgium's still-young whisky scene.

What makes The Owl Distillery's stills so special?

They are original 1898 pot stills from the closed Scottish Caperdonich Distillery in Rothes - a globally unique transfer of Speyside distilling equipment to Belgium.

Is The Owl Distillery still active?

No - in April 2026, The Owl Distillery filed for insolvency, and the production site along with over 3,500 maturing casks (some up to 20 years old) is currently being auctioned off. The future of the Belgian Owl brand is therefore uncertain.

Facts and figures

The Owl Distillery founded 2004 by Etienne Bouillon, insolvency and auction in April 2026. Het Anker/Gouden Carolus single malt since 2008 under Charles Leclef. Owl's stills date from 1898, from the Caperdonich Distillery, Scotland.