The capital of Europe has plunged into the world of distilling with the launch of its very first whisky produced in Brussels.
Koekelberg, best known for its monumental Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the fifth-largest church in the world and an Art Deco landmark, now has another claim to fame. Tipsy Tribe Brewery & Distillery has chosen this location to produce Brussels Whisky, which its founders hope will be the first in a series of locally made whiskies.
The first batch was deliberately small at just 64 bottles, and those offered for pre-sale sold out within 48 hours. This American-style whisky, made with Belgian malts, corn and rye, was aged in virgin American oak barrels.
The first barrel was filled on 9 March 2023, and the spirit was then left to mature in Koekelberg for more than three years before being released.
The result evokes classic US bourbon profiles while retaining a distinctly Brussels flavour, a very fitting outcome for a city where more than three quarters of residents are either non-Belgian or Belgian with a foreign background, mirroring the founders themselves.
Aylin Fastenau hails from Turkey, while her husband, Daniel, is from the United States. “The fact that this whisky is Belgian, but with a foreign inspiration, is a perfect embodiment of the multicultural nature of Brussels and our team at Tipsy Tribe”, she says.
Before changing course, they both worked in corporate environments and in the EU bubble but then decided they wanted a different kind of fizz in their lives, so they launched Tipsy Tribe in 2022, the result of cogitations imbued by the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, the company produces craft beer, gin, vodka, raki, liqueurs, and other spirits, all under one roof.
The 45% ABV whisky has been described as smooth and creamy with hints of oak, char, smoke, vanilla and caramel, and a grainy finish.
The move was a natural progression, says Daniel, a brewer, distiller and whisky enthusiast. “Brewing is the first step to making a good whisky,” he explains. “We are uniquely positioned to have both brewing and distilling facilities under a single roof, so releasing our own whisky was a natural next step for us.”
Koekelberg itself has a long history of distilling. It was here, in the 19th century, that Jean-Baptiste Cellier-Blumenthal experimented with the design that became the modern column still, a fact not widely known outside Belgium, a country mainly associated with its vast variety of beers.
“Belgium is less known for its rich history with spirits,” notes Aylin, despite the country’s long tradition of producing genever, with numerous styles still being made today and dedicated bars keeping the spirit alive.
For Aylin, having the first whisky made in Koekelberg is therefore “an ode to a rich heritage”.
Koekelberg’s mayor, Olivia P’tito, also welcomed the addition to the municipality’s artisanal expertise, which is already associated with chocolate and craftsmanship.
The first bottle was auctioned at the launch on 26 September, helping to raise more than €700 for school materials for the local École Armand Swartenbroeks.
The whisky was produced entirely in-house, from grinding the grain to bottling. In keeping with the times, Tipsy Tribe’s spirits production is solar-powered, and the company holds the three-star Ecodynamic Enterprise Label awarded to environmentally responsible businesses in Brussels.
The first 64 bottles are unlikely to be the last. Several further batches are already ageing in different casks, and a new still installed in 2025 has increased the distillery’s production capacity tenfold.
