The history of Chartreuse begins in 1605 when Marshal d'Estrées delivered to the monks of the Charterhouse of Vauvert a manuscript containing a list of 130 plants and spices, a recipe that promised to be an elixir of long life.
Starting from the manuscript, the Carthusian monks perfected the recipe over the decades, refining and passing down the distillation and aging techniques. The Chartreuse production site changed seven times: from Paris to Tarragona to Voiron, the distillery moved with the monks, but Chartreuse always remained the same.
The production site is currently in Aiguenoire, a small village perched in the French Alps not far from Grenoble, a remote place with enchanting nature, where the Carthusians carry on the tradition of this timeless liqueur with meticulous care and great love.
A total of 130 ingredients, including plants, roots, spices, and flowers, go into the Chartreuse recipe. They all arrive at the Monastery dried, then are sorted and processed by the monks, who infuse and macerate them in alcohol.
Distillation takes place in copper pot stills, which house baskets of herbs, a technique that allows for the enhancement of even the most delicate aromas. Finally, the spirit is aged for at least three years in large French oak barrels with very compact fibers, which lend themselves well to long aging.
In any case, no one knows the details of the infusions and distillation, since the production process is a well-kept secret for centuries: only two monks, Father Benoit and Brother Jan Jacques, participate in the final stages, while three lay people assist them in the non-secret processes.
