Mystery surrounds the origins of Chartreuse. In 1605, one of Estrées’‘ marshals presented the Carthusian Monks at Vauvert, Paris with a manuscript containing the formula for a plant elixir. In 1764, this formula using 130 plants was perfected and formalized by Father Jérôme Maubec, who created the Elixir Végétal de la Grande-Chartreuse, the monastery where Chartreuse would be produced until 1864. After a difficult end to the century marked by a French Revolution that posed many problems for religious orders, green and yellow Chartreuse were created in 1840 and quickly became popular. In 1903, the monks were expelled from France and sought refuge in Tarragona, Spain, where they continued to produce Chartreuse, despite the brand being sold to a group of liquor producers. They recovered the brand in 1929 and returned production to France, although the Tarragona distillery would continue operating until 1989. Today, Chartreuse Diffusion manages production, now at the Aigueneoire Distillery, which follows in the footsteps of Fourvoirie and Voiron. Various types of Chartreuse are distributed, from green Chartreuse, to yellow Chartreuse, the Elixir Végétal and VEPs. Older versions and limited editions are hugely popular among enthusiasts and collectors, who have nicknamed it the “Queen of Liqueurs”.

A bottle of Chartreuse produced for the export market between 1944 and 1957. This edition was produced in Tarragona, Spain, where the monks opened a distillery after being expelled from the Grande Chartreuse by the government of the Third Republic under Emile Combes, a fiercely anticlerical politician who came to power after the Bloc des Gauches’’ victory in the 1902 elections. Although the monks recovered their brand in 1929, the Tarragona distillery continued to operate until 1989. Bottles produced there are today highly prized by Chartreuse collectors.