Noah Vinter
KLM's Delft Blue miniature houses are filled with Dutch gin or genever from the Bols distillery. They were introduced as a gift for first-class passengers in 1952, as a workaround to incentivize passengers to book with KLM. The houses are designed to look like historic Dutch buildings, from the Rembrandt House Museum to the old Heineken brewery. Since their launch, the KLM delft houses have become a cultural phenomenon, with some collectors willing to pay large sums to complete their collection.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of alcohol | Gin or genever |
| Distillery | Bols |
| Manufacture | Royal Goedewaagen (pre-1995), Singapore (post-1995) |
| Availability | Intercontinental flights in KLM business class |
| Number of bottles | 100 |
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What You'll Learn
The KLM houses are filled with gin or genever
The KLM miniature Delft Blue houses are filled with gin or genever. They were first introduced in 1952 as a first-class promotional product. The bottles were filled with gin or genever from the Bols distillery. The KLM houses are highly collectible, with some being reserved for special guests and VIPs. The houses are replicas of historic Dutch buildings, such as the Royal Palace on Dam Square in Amsterdam and the old Heineken brewery.
KLM has released 100 numbered bottle houses, with a new one being released each year on October 7th, the airline's birthday. The houses are so popular that KLM has an official app for them. The primary way to get a KLM Delft Blue house is to fly an intercontinental flight in KLM business class. On these flights, crew members will come around with a tray of the houses, and passengers can choose one.
The Bols distillery filled the KLM houses with either gin or genever, also known as jenever. Genever is a type of gin that is a forebear of the spirit as we know it today. It is sometimes spelled jenever or junever and is also known as Dutch gin or Hollands. It is a malt wine distilled from malted grains and usually includes juniper berries for flavoring and additional botanicals.
The KLM houses are not only collectible but also serve as a drink for passengers. Some people who have collected the houses comment on the taste of the gin or genever inside, with one person saying they did not like the taste and another saying they found it more interesting than gin. While the houses are typically filled with alcohol, some are left empty for flights to destinations where alcohol is prohibited, such as the Middle East.
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The bottles were first released in 1952
The KLM miniature Delft Blue houses were first released in 1952 as a first-class promotional gift. The bottles were filled with Bols Genever gin or gin from the long-established Dutch distilleries Rynbende and Henkes. The houses were designed to look like historic Dutch buildings, from the Rembrandt House Museum to the old Heineken brewery. The bottles were handed out free of charge to first-class passengers as a loophole to offer a valuable gift to high-end customers, which was banned by airline regulations at the time.
The KLM houses are now one of the airline industry's most sought-after complimentary in-flight amenities. They are only given to business-class passengers on intercontinental flights. The bottles are highly collectible, with some of the most sought-after KLM delft houses strictly reserved for special guests, such as VIPs and honeymoon couples travelling on World Business Class tickets.
KLM has released 100 numbered bottle houses, matching the exact number of years the airline has been flying. The bottles are produced by Royal Goedewaagen, a producer of delft blue pottery for over 400 years. In 1995, Bols switched production to Singapore, citing issues with the quality of Goedewaagen's houses. Goedewaagen continued to produce the houses without the KLM or Bols branding, leading to a lawsuit in 1997, which Bols won.
Today, the KLM houses are still highly sought-after collectibles, with a thriving secondary market where older iterations can fetch upwards of $10,000 at auction. The bottles have become a unique part of KLM's history, with the airline's CEO stating that they will continue to be offered despite sustainability initiatives to reduce weight on planes.
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They were originally filled with Henkes liquor
The KLM miniature canal houses have been distributed to passengers since 1952. They were originally launched as a first-class promotional item, with the bottles containing either gin or genever, a type of Dutch gin. The bottles were filled with Henkes liquor after the Simon Rynbende company, which started producing the bottles in 1793, was taken over by Henkes in 1953. In the 1980s, the Rynbende company no longer existed, and Henkes was taken over by Bols, so the bottles then contained Bols liquor.
The KLM houses are now collector's items, with 104 different types of houses numbered 1-104. They are given to travellers on board KLM flights in Business and Royal Class. The houses are replicas of historic Dutch buildings, from the Rembrandt House Museum to the old Heineken brewery. The KLM houses are typically Blue Delft, made by Koninklijke Goedewaagen, a producer of Blue Delft pottery for over 400 years. Goedewaagen was first located in Gouda but moved to Nieuw Buinen in 1984.
In 1995, Bols ended its contract with Goedewaagen, claiming that the houses they produced were inferior and leaking. Goedewaagen denied this, stating that they produced more Blue Delft than they did in Delft, and that Bols simply found them too expensive. Goedewaagen continued to produce the houses without the "Bols" or "KLM" marks, and without the genever inside. Bols sued Goedewaagen for this, and in 1997, Bols won the case.
The KLM miniatures are sometimes referred to as "remakes" or "replicas", and some are now produced in Taiwan or Singapore. However, a representative from Bols has stated that the technique for making Blue Delft is not bound by place, and that approximately 75% of all Blue Delft is not made in Delft.
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The houses are only available to business-class travellers
The KLM houses are highly collectible miniature ceramic houses filled with gin or genever, an ancestor of gin. They were first introduced in 1952 as a first-class promotional gift. Over the years, they have become a cultural phenomenon, with some replicas strictly reserved for special guests like honeymoon couples travelling on World Business Class tickets.
The primary way to get your hands on one of these coveted houses is to fly business class on an intercontinental KLM flight. Towards the end of the flight, the crew will offer passengers a miniature Delft Blue house filled with Dutch gin. Each house depicts a real Dutch building, such as the Heineken brewery, the former KLM headquarters, or the Rembrandt House Museum. These unique gifts have been a tradition since the 1950s and are released annually on October 7th, KLM's birthday.
KLM has released a total of 100 numbered houses, with a new one introduced every year to commemorate the airline's longevity. In 2024, for example, KLM will unveil a miniature of "The House at the Three Canals" in Amsterdam to mark its 105th birthday. This mansion, built in 1610, holds national monument status and is uniquely positioned at the intersection of three canals.
While the KLM houses are primarily available to business-class travellers, they can also be found on the secondary market, with many people selling them online. Additionally, some lucky individuals may stumble upon these collectibles at yard sales or flea markets in the Netherlands.
The KLM houses are not just collectibles; they are a piece of Dutch history and cultural heritage. Each house has a unique story, and for aviation enthusiasts and collectors alike, the history of these houses is just as fascinating as the houses themselves.
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The houses are replicas of historic Dutch buildings
The KLM miniature houses are replicas of historic Dutch buildings. The houses" are not always houses, with some being buildings of historical or architectural interest, such as the Heineken brewery, the former KLM headquarters, the Royal Palace on Dam Square in Amsterdam, and the 17th-century cheese-weighing house De Waag in Gouda. Each house contains a number that corresponds to its place in the collection. To date, KLM has released 100 numbered bottle houses, with a new one being released every year on October 7, KLM's birthday. The houses are made of ceramic and are filled with either gin or genever, a type of gin, both sourced from the Bols distillery.
The history of the KLM houses dates back to 1952 when KLM started giving out the miniature houses as gifts to passengers choosing to fly with them. The houses were filled with Bols Genever gin and served as a loophole to incentivize passengers to book with KLM, as airlines were prohibited from providing tangible incentives at the time. The regulation stated that airlines could not offer passengers incentives for booking with them over a competitor, and KLM argued that the houses were simply to-go drinks.
The KLM houses quickly became collectible items, with some being strictly reserved for special guests and VIPs. They are now considered a cultural phenomenon, with a large-scale version of the Royal Palace delft house serving as a trophy for the KLM Open golf tournament. The houses are also available for purchase on the secondary market, with many people selling KLM houses online.
The process of making the KLM houses has evolved over the years. Initially, the houses were made by Royal Goedewaagen, a producer of Delft blue pottery with a long history. However, in the 1990s, Bols ended its contract with Goedewaagen due to issues with the quality of the houses. Goedewaagen disputed this, claiming that they produced high-quality Delft Blue pottery. The houses were then produced in Singapore, and later in Taiwan, with Bols winning a lawsuit against Goedewaagen in 1997 to stop producing houses that resembled the KLM-houses.
The KLM Delft Blue houses are not just collectibles but also a way for the airline to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the Netherlands. Each house has a unique story, and KLM releases a new house every year to commemorate its birthday. These houses are highly sought-after by collectors, with some debating the value of sealed versus unsealed houses. The primary way to obtain a KLM house is by flying in business class on an intercontinental KLM flight, where crew members offer passengers a selection of houses to choose from.
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Frequently asked questions
The KLM houses are filled with Bols Genever gin.
The KLM houses are miniature Delft Blue houses, replicas of historic Dutch buildings. They are released annually on KLM's birthday, 7 October.
The primary way to get a KLM house is to fly an intercontinental flight in KLM business class. Towards the end of the flight, the crew will come around with a tray of the houses, and you can pick one.
The KLM houses are highly collectible, with some collectors valuing them more if they are sealed and with their contents.
The KLM houses were introduced in 1952 as a loophole to incentivize passengers to book with KLM. At the time, airlines were prohibited from providing passengers with tangible incentives for booking. KLM argued that the houses were simply "to-go drinks".
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