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”.

Nicknamed the “Liqueur de Santé”, it was created in 1840 and is bottled at 55%. Its colour led to it being officially named Green Chartreuse by Father Garnier, the agent responsible for liqueurs at the time. This 2020 edition was the first bottling to be produced in Aiguenoire (Entre-deux-Giers), in the heart of the Chartreuse mountains. The distillery moved to the site after the historic Voiron distillery created in 1936 was forced to leave by new regulations adopted in 2014 governing distillation and storage activities. The choice of Aiguenoire was symbolic as the Carthusians had farming and fishing interests here from 1618 to 1891. The new distillery was opened on 30 August 2018, four centuries after the Carthusians first acquired the land. Facilities at the site include an ageing cellar and, as of 4 September 2020, a bottling chain. It is the seventh production site the Carthusians have used since 1605. A limited edition of 20,000 bottles.