CHARTREUSE - VEP Green - 1 Liter Bottle - 2024 Bottling - 54% ABV
The Order of the Chartreuse has existed for over 500 years, and in 1605, at a Chartreuse monastery located 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 manuscript, likely the work of a 16th-century alchemist expert in the art of herbs, revealed the method of assembling, infusing, and cleverly macerating more than 130 plants to create a perfectly balanced, secret, and unique tonic. The complexity of this recipe meant that only partial extracts were decoded and used at Vauvert. It was not until the early 18th century that this precious manuscript was sent to the Order's Mother House, La Grande Chartreuse, nestled in the mountains near Grenoble. There, the Monastery's Apothecary, Brother Jérôme Maubec, managed to unlock the mystery and in 1737 wrote the practical preparation formula for the Elixir, finalized in 1764.
In 1903, the French government nationalized the Chartreuse distillery, forcing the monks to leave their production site. However, after the factory's bankruptcy in 1929, the monks recovered the Chartreuse brand and returned to their distillery originally built in 1860 at Fourvoirie, near the monastery. They thus resumed authentic production of Chartreuse liqueurs. In 1935, a landslide almost completely destroyed Fourvoirie, forcing the transfer of production to Voiron, where production continues with ancestral and rigorous expertise.
The careful selection, precise grinding, and skillfully balanced blending of secret herbs, plants, and other medicinal botanicals essential to the liqueurs' production are carried out within the monastery itself by two dedicated monks. These carefully prepared ingredients are then transported to Voiron, where they are first macerated in a pure and carefully selected alcohol before being expertly distilled. The resulting liqueurs then undergo an aging phase of several years in immense oak barrels, housed in aging cellars renowned for their exceptional duration, reputed to be the longest in the world for this type of spirit.
A very limited quantity of this liqueur is reserved for exceptional treatment. This special portion is aged even longer, and when the master distiller deems the product has reached its optimal maturity, it is bottled under the prestigious V.E.P. Chartreuse designation ("Exceptionally Prolonged Aging"). Each V.E.P. bottle, a faithful reproduction of the one used in 1840, is individually numbered, wax-sealed, and presented in its custom wooden case, guaranteeing an exceptional product for lovers of rare and prestigious spirits.
For a unique experience with exceptional spirits, discover the refined world of Clos des Spiritueux, where each bottle embodies tradition, quality, and authentic know-how. Treat yourself to the pleasure of savoring the history and very essence of Chartreuse VEP Green, a rare and precious treasure to add to your collection of high-end spirits.
