A study conducted by the water tap company KRNWTR+ has found that Utrecht has the best tap water out of all the provinces and regions in the Netherlands.

Which is better, bottled water or Dutch tap water?

To create the study, KRNWTR+ consulted a panel of experts - including a water sommelier and a culinary journalist - who conducted a blind taste test of the tap water from various cities and provinces, as well as a range of bottled water, in order to determine which one was the tastiest. 

Through the KRNWTR+ Water Awards, the company hoped to establish why so many people in the Netherlands continue to buy and drink bottled water, even though “it is 100 times worse for the environment.” While the Netherlands is known for having high-quality tap water, the team wondered whether bottled water tasted better, or whether it was simply a matter of convenience. 

Utrecht tap water named Tastiest Water in the Netherlands

According to RTL Nieuws, the research revealed that tap water in South Holland, Utrecht and Gelderland is “softer” than in Groningen, Overijssel and North Holland. “In general you can say that soft water is tastier than hard water,” says water sommelier Marielle Thiadens, explaining that hard water “tastes rough on the inside of your teeth and on the edges of your tongue” as a result of the relatively high concentration of lime and minerals.

Overall, the panel found that Utrecht had the best tap water, due to the “proportions of minerals in the water,” which is in turn a result of the soil structure in the area. The “beautifully balanced, lively, inviting, sweet, soft, fun and open” water in Utrecht managed to beat off all the competition and has been named the Tastiest Water in the Netherlands for 2023.

Aside from Utrecht, other waters which claimed podium places were the tap water from Noordwijk and Bar-le-Duc bottled water. Previous winners of the Tastiest Water in the Netherlands award are Haarlem and Tilburg, who won in 2014 and 2019 respectively.

Thumb: sonsart via Shutterstock.com.