What began as a dream of a passionate lover of fine spirits grew into a major project of young entrepreneur Pieter Knapen and wife Ysatis Thijs.

In 2020, Malternative Belgium was reborn as an independent cognac bottler. Direct personal contact with producers is of primary importance to us. As bottlers, we select exceptional barrels of cognacs that have a unique profile that we like to highlight. We bottle what we like ourselves so we stand one hundred percent behind our selections.

Over all these years, our contacts in the cognac region have also expanded, so that we can now also gratefully take advantage of our finely woven network of small, family-owned producers, all of whom share the same values: quality, heritage, knowledge and passion to be shared. We are proud to call some of them true friends in the meantime.

Since 2022, in addition to our online business, there is a real experience store in Hasselt, we wanted to create a place where people could not only buy cognac, but where they would live a unique and memorable experience.

In a cutthroat competitive online world, you ultimately have to stand out from the rest, this authenticity is an absolute value to us. And sharing knowledge ensures that you can inspire even more people to further explore the cognac world.

In addition to our own bottlings, we also help fellow bottlers select their own cognac releases. We are also exclusive dealers and distributors for several family domains in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Soon Malternative Belgium became a destination for enthusiasts from all over the world. Thus, people travel from afar to experience the unique selection and enjoy warm hospitality. We regularly organize tastings, master classes and events to give customers (private and professional) an even deeper appreciation of this noble beverage. We also try to provide a fine shopping experience online with solid explanations and simple processes. Whether online or in the store in Hasselt, we stand for a personal touch and give careful attention to every customer, no matter where they come from.

With Malternative Belgium, we aim to prove that even in a world of mass consumption and digital dominance, there is still room for a unique and special shopping experience created with love!