9e Centenaire
⏳ Drinking Window
Ready to enjoy upon release, this high-proof herbal liqueur possesses an almost indefinite aging potential, often developing deeper dried fruit, honey, and tobacco notes over 10 to 30+ years in bottle.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Dark chocolate tart, Roquefort cheese, roasted duck with fruit reduction
✨ Technical Specifications
Created in 1984 to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Carthusian Order by Saint Bruno in 1084, the '9e Centenaire' (9th Centenary) is a masterpiece of monastic blending. This cuvée is crafted from a selection of aged liqueurs of varying profiles, striking a sublime balance between the fiery power of the classic Green Chartreuse and the honeyed complexity of the Yellow. It is bottled at 47% ABV in distinctive, individually numbered, heavy-set bottles that replicate the historic 18th-century designs of the monastery's early glasswork. The exact recipe remains a secret guarded by the Carthusian monks, involving 130 botanicals macerated in a grape spirit base and aged in oak casks. It represents a bridge between centuries of spiritual devotion and liquid art.
🍾 About the Producer
Chartreuse represents one of the world's most legendary and enigmatic spirit traditions, rooted in an alchemical manuscript for an 'elixir of long life' presented to the Carthusian monks by François Annibal d'Estrées in 1605. Brother Jérôme Maubec and Brother Antoine spent decades unraveling its formula, establishing the Élixir Végétal in 1764 and Green Chartreuse in 1840. While production historically migrated from Fourvoirie to Tarragona during monastic expulsion, and later Voiron, primary distillation moved to the Aiguenoire facility in Entre-Deux-Guiers in 2018. Surrounded by the limestone massifs of the Prealps, only two designated Carthusian monks hold the complete secret formula, overseeing the selection, weighing, and blending of 130 alpine herbs, plants, and botanicals. The complex multi-stage macerations and copper pot distillations age in colossal uncharred oak foudres, creating peerlessly complex liqueurs capable of decades of bottle maturation. Benchmark expressions include the intensely herbal Green Chartreuse (55% ABV), saffron-tinged Yellow Chartreuse (43% ABV), and extended-cellared V.E.P. bottlings.