Chartreuse - Génépi Intense - 3 Liter Jeroboam - 40%
The Order of the Chartreuse had existed for over 500 years when, in 1605, at a Chartreuse monastery in Vauvert, a small suburb of Paris, the monks received a precious gift from Duke François Hannibal d'Estrées: an ancient manuscript describing an "Elixir" nicknamed the "Elixir of Long Life." This mysterious text was likely the work of a 16th-century alchemist, possessing deep knowledge of herbs and the subtle art of assembling, infusing, and macerating up to 130 different plants to create a perfectly balanced tonic. The recipe was so complex that only fragments were understood and used at Vauvert. In the early 18th century, this precious manuscript was transferred to the Order's Mother House, La Grande Chartreuse, nestled in the mountains near Grenoble. The monastery's apothecary, Brother Jérôme Maubec, managed to unlock the secret and, in 1737, developed the practical formula for preparing this Elixir, finalized in 1764.
In 1903, the Chartreuse distillery was nationalized by the French government, expelling the monks from their production site. Following the distillery's bankruptcy in 1929, the monks recovered the Chartreuse brand, returning to their distillery built in 1860 at Fourvoirie, near the monastery, and resumed production of the authentic Chartreuse liqueurs. In 1935, a landslide almost completely destroyed Fourvoirie; production was then transferred to Voiron, where it remains today.
The artisanal process of selecting, grinding, and blending the secret herbs, carefully chosen medicinal and aromatic plants is carried out within the monastery itself by two dedicated monks. Once the blend is prepared, the ingredients are sent to Voiron where they undergo meticulous maceration in a rigorously selected alcohol, followed by precise distillation. Finally, these liqueurs undergo prolonged aging for several years in huge oak barrels, stored in the maturation cellar offering one of the longest aging periods in the world, thus ensuring the richness and depth of the aromas.
This unique distillate with a secret formula is made from génépi and a skillful blend of aromatic plants, involving several successive cycles of maceration and distillation to reveal all its intensity and complexity.
