Ketel One is produced by the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, the Netherlands. The Nolet Distillery was founded in 1691 by the Nolet family, French Huguenot refugees, and has remained in the Nolet family ever since.
In 1794 a windmill known as "the Whale" was built on the property. In 1867 the family began to focus on exporting their products. They opened a distillery in the United States in 1902.
When Carolus Nolet, the tenth generation of the family to own the company, took over for his father in 1979, the company made a wide range of spirits. However, he made the decision to focus on one product, and make it the best it could be. This marked the birth of Ketel One Vodka, named after the original copper pot still, "Distilleerketel #1."
