Selling the World's Most Expensive Gin

Driving to the library or City Hall you've probably seen the building—a glass edifice labeled Ketel One Vodka on one side, and Nolet Spirits and a Dutch family crest on the other.

What goes on at 30 Journey, anyway? The company doesn't offer public tours, so you're not likely to find out without an invitation to a charity gala or tasting event.

But Patch was recently invited to have a look inside Nolet's U.S. headquarters, as well as to sample four of the company's six spirits. Alas, the company kept the cork sealed on Nolet's Reserve Gin—which retails for $699 a bottle and is limited to 500 bottles per year.

That exclusive spirit is the costliest gin in the world, according to Jason Charay, senior marketing manager for Nolet's. The claim is confirmed with a quick perusal of the Hi Times wine catalog. (And coupon-clippers take note—it's selling at Hi Times for $10 off the suggested retail price.)

"This is Carl's baby," Charay said, referring to CEO Carolus Nolet Sr., the tenth generation to run the family business. "He wanted to leave behind a legacy."

Carl's legacy comes in a gold-plated box and is distinguished by saffron, the world's most expensive spice, as well as verbena. You can find it locally at the St. Regis, Stonehill Tavern, the Montage and elsewhere.

For those not ready to invest quite so much in their next bottle, the company offers Nolet's Silver. Silver is part of a new generation of gin. It is less juniper-heavy (that pine taste and smell traditional gin is known for). Instead, Silver has a rosy odor and a distinctly peach taste, with plenty of other flavors for the discerning drinker to parse.

The exact recipe is a family secret, kept inside a metal vault at the company's partly windmill-powered world headquarters in Schiedam, Holland.

One of many Nolet traditions is the passing of distillation recipes from father to son, Charay said. The family heritage and tradition are also evident in the Aliso Viejo headquarters, with family photos and portraits adorning the walls.

That's true of the office where Executive Vice President Carl Nolet Jr. leads Nolet Spirits U.S.A. The 11th-generation Nolet shares an office with his father, with both desks facing each other on the building's second floor.

One room over is where deals are made, complemented by a full bar and a balcony view of the Saddleback Mountains. 

Downstairs is the Carl Nolet Sr. Hospitality Center, where mosts guests enter. The Nolets give to Mission Hospital and other charities and donate the space for charitable functions, Charay said. The room holds 125 people and includes a screening room with a bar in the back.

When not serving charity galas, the Hospitality Center operates as a tasting room for bartenders and drink makers, Charay said.

When it opened in 1996, the Aliso building used to hold about 100 employees. Then, in 2009, Diageo and Nolet formed a 50/50 group that now sells, markets and distributes Ketel One Vodka and Ketel One Citroen. Now, about 20-25 people work inside 30 Journey, Charay said.

The crew mostly focuses on selling the two Nolet gins and Harlem, a spiced liqueur that competes with Jägermeister. That entails reaching out to bartenders in seven major U.S. cocktail regions, including Los Angeles-Orange County.

The Nolet sales force does this by attending or creating 100-150 promotional events each year.

That keeps employees plenty busy, Charay said. But he said it's a fun way to earn a living.